Lord of the Flies
Anna, Dennis,
Eva, Isabel ,
Jessie, Louis,
Stanley, Sylvia
I.
Background of The Story
Anna
II.
Division of the Tribes: Ralph
Louis
III.
Division of the Tribes: Jack
Stanley
IV.
Marxism
Isabel
V.
Character Analysis
Dennis
VI.
Symbol
Jessie and Eva
VII. The text and The World
Conclusion
Sylvia
Kate’s Response
Next Week
Background of The Story
Anna
Story and author’s background -1
1939-1945 World War II
1940-1945 Golding joined Royal Navy of England
1954 Lord of the Flies published in England
Story and author’s background -2
1939-1945 World War II
1940-1945 Golding joined Royal Navy of
England
- experienced the real-life violence and brutality
- "When I was young, before the war, I did have some
airy-fairy views about man. But I went through the war
and that changed me. The war taught me different and
a lot of others like me,"
1954 Lord of the Flies published in England
Story and author’s background -3
1939-1945 World War II
1940-1945 Golding joined Royal Navy of England
1954 Lord of the Flies published in England
-Theme: Golding attempt to trace the defects of
society back to the defects of human nature.
Piggy:
“We did everything just the way grown-ups would
have. Why didn’t it work?” (01:13:55)
Our thesis
Even though the boys tried to borrow the rules
from the previous world in order to form their
own society on the island ; however, they didn't
realize that the condition was different. Thus,
the previous superstructure doesn't work on
this island.
Division of the Tribes: Ralph
Louis
Division of the Tribes
I. The Formation of the Initial Tribe
(Ralph’s tribe)
– Starts from nothing (the shipwreck)
– Boy military school
– The absence of adulthood
– One unity (Jack’s consensus of setting the fire)
Division of the Tribes
– The nostalgia (mocking) of the former
ideology
•
•
•
•
Hierarchy (army song)
Conch
Election
Demerit
– Making fire/ haunting pig
Division of the Tribes
– The Downfall of Ralph’s camp
•
•
•
•
The went-down of the campfire
Ideology only, no force
The condition of kids (pleasure principle)
Fairness (division of labor) (01:01:39)
– The shifts of hegemony
• Adult, military school,
Division of the Tribes
– Hegemony is the process by which a
dominant class wins the willing consent of
the subordinate classes to the system that
ensures their subordination. The consent
must be constantly won and rewon, for
people’s material social experience
constantly reminds them of the
disadvantages of subordination and this
poses a constant threat to the dominant
class” (Fiske).
Division of the Tribes: Jack
Stanley
• Jack’s disbelief in getting rescued
-- “You better start learning to live with yourself
because we ain’t gonna get rescued. ...Who’s
going to find us?” (0:14:57)
 Ralph defends Piggy
-- Peter: Jack says we’re never going to be
rescued. Ralph: No, you misunderstood him.
That’s not what he meant.
Jack: That’s exactly what I meant.
Ralph: Don’t listen to him. We will be rescued,
peter. (0:28:43)
• Ralph’s overgeneralization
-- Imposing all the faults on Jack and his
partners.
R: If you guys hadn’t let the god damn fire go
out, they would have seen it.
J: We were hunting. (40:47)
R: Great. Killed a pig. You fucked up. we could
have been rescued.
J: I’m sick of your shit and so is my gang. R:
your gang? J: If you know what’s good for you,
you’ll stop trying to run everything. I’m sick of
all of this shit.
• Ralph’s incapability of satisfying kids’
appetite for the meat and for fun
-- J: I’m making another camp for hunters and
guys who want to have fun. …When you other
brats get older or hungry, you can come join
up. (41:55)
-- J: We killed a pig today. There’s going to be a
feast. You can eat with us if you want to.
(59:17)
-- R: You think one lousy meal’s worth not
getting rescued. … J: Join my camp and have
all the meat you want. R: We don’t want your
meat. (Piggy’s eating.) (1:02:05)
Jack’s integration of
Ideologies and force
• Being highly executive, overwhelmingly
dominant
• Get the meat, fire (means of production)
• Rules (e.g. whipping the kid)
• There’s going to be a feast. You can eat
with us if you want to. “Go on, now.” The
chief has spoken. The chief has spoken.
Potential Downfall of Jack’s Tribe
• Elimination of heterogeneities
-- internecine result, in order to suppress
different voices
-- Possible assumption: If other kids knew Sam
and Eric were not loyal enough to Jack’s tribe,
the twins might be severely punished and
even killed.
-- J: Is anything over there? Sam & Eric: No.
Nothing. (12:23:13)
• Forest fire
Marxism
Isabel
Marxism
• Base – the methods of production
• Superstructure – generates the social,
political, and ideological system (the
values, art, and rules, ect.)
The relation of base &
superstructure
superstructure
base
Superstructure- formed by the base
Base – controls the superstructre
The form of the society
1. Borrowed the superstructure of the
previous world.
As
Ab
A – previous world
B – the world on the island
‘ – not the original one
As’
Bb
The form of the society
2. The division of the two tribe.
Bb
‘ – not the original one
Bb ’
The form of the society
3. The reform of their own superstructure.
As’
Bb
Bs
Bb’
The form of the society
Civilized
As
Ab
A – previous world
B – the world on the island
life on the island
As’
Bb
Bs
Bb’
Character Analysis
Dennis
Ralph
Ralph
• Representation of civilization; tries to build
a miniature democratic society (Ego)
• Believes in the adult; waiting to be rescued
• To survive: establish order, maintain peace,
distribution of work
• Goes through changes; loses innocence at
the end when rescued
Ralph
Piggy
• Also a representation of civilization,
intelligence and rationality (superego)
• Assists Ralph in decision making; using
the conch, regulations, etc.
• Believes they will be rescued
• Dislike by many boys, they just want to
have fun
• Piggy’s death- destruction of society
Piggy
Jack
• Representation of savagery and violence,
contrast to Ralph (Id)
• Contains himself only in the beginning;
driven by total control & power
• Tries to do what he thinks is best; result
rather than process
• Manipulates and controls other boys,
using their fear
Jack
Twins- Sam/Eric
• Not as cruel or barbaric as Jack and his
gang
• Used by Jack; the need for food and
survival
• Doesn’t believe in the “monster”
• Helps Ralph escape
Twins- Sam/Eric
Simon
• Prophet; sees things to come
• Special bond with nature; innate goodness
within him
• Different from Ralph and Jack
• Takes care of other younger boys and
Benson
• Not a follower
• Death of Simon, vanishing of goodness
Simon
Symbol
Jessie and Eva
Ralph’s Group
Jack’s Group
Conch:
Conch:
whoever holds the conch have the
right to talk and hold the assembly.
the conch has lost its function. No one
Hidden Meaning:
Democracy. Discipline and rules
Food (Survival) comes first, rules are
not necessarily needed.
Glasses:
Glasses:
Belongs to Piggy. Sometimes serve
the function of make a fire.
Piggy’s glasses was broken during the
fighting. It became merely a tool.
Hidden Meaning:
Glasses is the product of civilization.
Sometimes Ralph borrowed it to
make fire. Fire is the way to being
found.
The disappearance of civilization.
Eager to have the fire.
Fire= Means of Production
cares about the conch.
Ralph’s group
Jack’s group
Captain Benson:
Captain Benson:
Although Benson’s unconscious. They
still decide to take care of him.
Because in civilized world, adults are
more powerful than children.
The kids agree not to take care of
Benson because he has fever, and
weak.
Captain Benson became an unknown
monster in the cave. The hunter’s
group is afraid of the “monster”
Spears:
If you are in the hunter’s group, you
must hold the spear.
Stigma (Face marks):
A mark that means you are conform to
the hunter’s group.
Ralph’s group
Helicopter:
a gleam chance of survival and it is a
transition of the whole story (from
peace to dispute)
* 39:21 – 40:
Accordion:
a gleam chance of survival and
civilization
*01:11:09 – 01:11:23
Flies:
flies fly around the rotten pig’s head is like the
children who obey a leader without any
reasonable reason
Jack’s group
Pig’s head:
For Jack’s group, hanging the pig’s head
is a solution of dealing with unknown fear
How does the text relate to the world?
Sylvia
Phenomena of “Blind and Follow”
A. Shopping Bag of Enya Hindmarch
– phenomenon of making lines
– people do not really know why they do this,
they just do it blindly
– ideological control
• Limited edition
Phenomena of “Blind and Follow”
B. Contagious Laughing in Class
-- afraid to be abandoned by people
-- peer pressure
-- they do not see the reasons in doing it
Phenomena of “Blind and Follow”
C. Collecting dolls (McDonald’s ) and
Collecting toys ( 7-11 )
-- ideological control
( rare and special, a must-have )
-- obsessed with certain ideology
Phenomena of “Blind and Follow”
D. 3 college students robbed a foreign labor
-- influenced by “bounding power”
( some joined the fight and some did not )
-- controlled by “id”, impulsive behaviors
-- “superego” has been repressed
Conclusion
• When we are under “peer pressure” and
“bounding power”, it is extremely crucial to
make our own judgments and not to be
controlled by the ideologies created by the
crowds.
Thank You! =)
Kate’s Response
Between Collectivity and
Individual Will
1.
2.
3.
4.
If complete autonomy or freedom from ideology is
impossible, we try to discuss and negotiate their
‘meanings’ from within.
Instead of being fixed on a certain position, we try to
think and judge and adjust ourselves all the time
among the competing hegemonies.
Instead of being completely disciplined and used, we
try to use the regulatory power on us ‘meaningfully.’
But are there times when discussion does not work,
and power means violence? (ref. Robinson Crusoe;
The Coral Island -Ralph, Jack and Peterkin)
Violence vs. Rationality
• Jack’s group
1. “Monster”
2. Robs the survival knife
-- “Home” chant, MonsterHunting ritual; Denies the
conch, kills Simon
-- Whipping
3. Robs the glasses
-- Kills Piggy
-- Hunt for Ralph
• Ralph and Piggy
1. No monster—many left
2. “you have no right.”—Simon
checks out on the cave;
R&P go talk to them (1st
time)  Simon killed.
• (accordion)
3. “You’ve got no right”  go
talk to them (2nd time) 
Piggy’s death
4. -- Ralph alone
• * goes talk to the twins “all
his slaves” (3rd time) 
Ralph hunted.
Why does irrationality reign?
• Piggy’s proposal: “What we need here is positive people,
not people scaring people.” “We got to be sensible and
make things work.”
• Why does violence happen? Why can’t they work
together?
• Possible Reading
(1) appropriation: See analogies in us (our blindness to
ideological control)
(2) Contextual reading: Golding’s pessimism about his time,
anti-war/totalitarianism sentiment. “I am thinking of the
vileness beyond all words that went on, year after year,
in the totalitarian states. … I believed then, that man was
sick-- not exceptional man, but average man.” (Spitz)
(2) Contextual Reading
The Kids’ Connections to the War
• From an army school, singing an army
song.
• Helicopter and soldiers as the only
possible rescue.
• TV programs as their ways of telling time.
• Talks about the Russians red scare
(2) Contextual Reading
The Army Song –Ironic Signs of
degradation and control
Mama, mama can't you see? /
What the Army's done to me? /
They put me in a barber's chair. /
Spun me 'round, I had no hair./
I used to drive a Cadillac. /
Now I'm marching in a pack. /
I used to drive a Chevrolet. /
Now I'm marching for my pay. /
They took away my T.V. / Got me doing I.T.
(2) Contextual Reading
The Lord of the Flies as
Human Evil
The General Implication:
Flies – blind followers, meaningless lives. "As flies to wanton
boys, are we to the gods, — They kill us for their sport".
(King Lear Act IV, Scene 1)
Symbol of Evil -- the name of the biblical name Beelzebub, a
powerful demon (SparkNotes)
The Historically Specific:
The Lord of the Flies is expanding his Reich (德國).
All treasures, all blessings are swelling his might. . . .
Down, down with the handful who doubt him!
•
—Stefan George, 1907 (Stefan George is one of the most
important poets of the early twentieth century, and became a
source of inspiration for Fascist circles in Germany.) (Diken)
(1) Appropriation: Lord of the Flies
and The Human Stain
•
Between Violence vs.
Rational Control
–there can be
Negotiation;
Amidst SelfCenteredness,
Segregation, Strict
Regulation and SelfRighteousness
there has to be desire
crossing the racial and
class boundaries,
and—sympathy.
Crises, risks and
instabilities can disrupt our
sense of boundaries,
reduce our sense of
correctness and lead to
violence of different kinds;
they can also help
stimulate human
sympathy and
solidarity.
e.g.
The strike in France (over special interest pension
plan our 18%?);
US’s sub-primary mortgage market crisis,
rise of wheat price, etc.
Taiwan – endless political conflicts
For Next Week
• Quiz 2 – due 12/24 (6 multiple-choice Q’s
and two short-essay Q’s. One ¶ each.)
• Watch-- The French Lieutenant’s Woman
and
• Read-- the excerpt from the text book &
chap 10.
Reference
• Diken, Bülent and Carsten Bagge Laustsen.
“From War to War: Lord of the Flies as the
Sociology of Spite.” Alternatives 31 (2006), 431–
452. Source Database: POA
• David Spitz, “Power and Authority: An
Interpretation of Golding's 'Lord of the Flies.‘”
The Antioch Review, 30.1 (Spring 1970): 21-33.
Source Database: Contemporary Literary
Criticism