The first chapter of Lord of the Flies by William Golding was not what I expected. I knew a couple of things going into this chapter: there was a plane crash and a bunch of little boys were left stranded on an island. What I was surprised to find out was how the author portrayed this sequence of events. Golding didn't give us an action packed scene or even flashbacks, just the basic facts about the boys and their situation. I think he did this to show readers that this is not your typical action packed book, it has a deeper meaning.
Also, in chapter one we meet all the boys: Ralph, Piggy, Johnny, Sam, Eric, Jack, Bill, Robert, Rodger, Harold, Henry, Simon, and others who were not named. We really got insight into Ralph and Piggy's lives before this and their personalities. The other boys have just been named and not much else. Their small civilization is split into two parts: the choir (Leader is Jack) and everyone else (leader is Ralph). To me it seems like the two parts represent good and bad; Jack is bad and Ralph is good. However, I am not sure this is completely true because at the end of the chapter Jack and Ralph begin to bond, maybe they both have different leadership skills. Lastly, there is a conch shell that Ralph uses to unite the boys and it symbolizes something very important that cannot be embodied, an idea of leadership and strength.
Wow! Very insightful observations. I definitely back you up on the conch shell. I think it represents power and will be significant to the book. And I never thought about Jack vs. Ralph (bad vs. good). That's a very analytical thought.
ReplyDeleteI also agree about the conch shell being an important part to the story. I don't think splitting up was the best idea, and it might lead to some trouble...
ReplyDeleteThis is really good! I agree about that because it seems like you talk about that a lot in class too. I wish I had your amazing skills to think very deeply into writing, and not just seeing what was written. You see it in many different ways that seem to work a lot! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI also thought the author was going to give us a huge dramatic scene with the plane crash, and everything else going on. Yeah I have a bad feeling about Ralph and Jack being together.
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