High
School English / name ______
period ______
date ______/ Ms. Fischer
English 2
Literature
Lord of the Flies
Close Reading of Chapter 3
Emerging Theme: The need for organization and cooperation.
1. Look back at the end of chapter two. List the different things that the fire might stand for.
· DESTRUCTION
o Human actions lead to destructive forces
§ War (bombs)
§ Boys irresponsible behavior leads to BIG fire
· CIVILIZATION
o Hope of rescue
o Functional- cooking & heat
o Separate the human species from the animals
2. What / Who may be the beastie? Make a comprehensive list.
· Collective Fear
· Snake
· Boys’ vulnerability
· Unknown dangers
· Shadows
· Pig / Boar
3. Look back at chapter two. Why is it symbolic that the little one with the birthmark on his face is the child that dies?
Symbolically their innocence dies with him. This island and its dangers are real. This is not a game.
First person to recognize, or at least vocalize, the dangers of their situation, and his death demonstrates that these dangers are real.
This child is also marked. The birthmark symbolically singles him out and marks him apart from the others. This child is somehow physically flawed (birthmark), therefore if the island represents an uncivilized society where only the strongest survive, his weakness marks him as a victim (Darwin). If the boys were acting in a civilized society, they would look out for each other. Here they are every man for himself, therefore the weakest are sacrificed.
4. Make a list of quotations from chapter three [any line that William Golding writes is a quotation—it need not be a line of dialogue] that describe Jack using animal imagery.
5. Why do you think William Golding depicts Jack using animal imagery?
Jack is the best example of someone who is slipping back in terms of evolution. He is compared to an ape, he is hunting on all fours, he is animal-like in both actions and his desires. He symbolizes the primitive nature that remains dormant in most people, but can be activated if certain circumstances come to pass.
Inner caveman.
6. On page 49 Golding describes shadows playing across Jack’s face. How might this shadow imagery work on a symbolic level?
Shadow / Light Bad / Good
Shadow – blackness = symbol of death
Jack is hunting, seeking death, becoming a primitive man. He is part of the shadow descending on civilization.
Ralph, building the huts, attempting to create civilization and order, is part of the light.
7. What is the symbolic meaning of Jack’s obsession with hunting for meat?
Exhibits his inner primitive nature, his power, and also his moral / mental decay. He is after killing. Contrast with Ralph who is more domestic in orientation.
8. What is Simon like?
Independent thinker, community oriented, loner, helps others (kind), very mature for his age.
9. What do Jack and Ralph argue over?
Ralph wants help with the shelters and feels that Jack’s hunting is useless—they haven’t caught any food, are not paying a lot of attention to the fire, and they all need shelter. Jack is somewhat obsessed with hunting. Also, symbolically Ralph is being maternal—wanting to tend to the home, whereas Jack is being paternal—wanting to be the man who brings home the meat. They are symbolically having a domestic dispute (the littleuns are the children who need caring, but are quite neglected).
Ralph is trying to create civilization (housing/huts)
Jack is acting on animal-instinct (savage/need for meat)
10. What does this argument suggest about each of their priorities?
See above
Bonus: Snakes are mentioned several times in the novel. What symbolic meaning does the snake traditionally hold?
Betrayal / Evil – Snake is Garden of Eden