Lord of the Flies Name______
Chapter 8 Notes
1. This chapter brings a physical break between hunters and non-hunters. An orgiastic pig hunt takes place followed by the establishment of the Lord of the Flies. Finally, Simon confronts and communicates with that horrendous symbol of evil.
2. Jack Calls an Assembly p. 125-127
· Jack sounds the conch inexpertly, symbolizing false leadership.
· Jack unknowingly condemns himself by saying, “the beast is a hunter.”
· Since Jack is unable to get Ralph voted out of office, he childishly announces, “I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you.”
· The hope caused by Jack’s departure is short-lived since a majority of the biguns follows Jack.
3. Piggy, the Fire-Bringer p. 129-130
· Has the intellectual daring to suggest moving the fire down to the beach.
· Ignores the sanctity of the meeting platform by gathering wood there.
· For the first time, Piggy lights the fire himself. He is the symbolic, “fire-bringer,” the bringer of knowledge.
4. The Juxtaposition of Simon and Jack in the Jungle p. 132
· After the meeting breaks up, Simon retreats to his jungle alcove. Notice the “arrow” of the sun falls on him (foreshadowing injury or death). For Simon, the jungle is a place of meditation and spiritual renewal, a place where the butterflies dance.
· Jack and his tribe go on their second pig hunt. Notice Jack “was happy and wore the damp darkness of the forest like his old clothes.” For Jack, the jungle is a place to hunt, kill, and express his basest animal passions.
· Golding juxtaposes the activities of Simon and Jack in the jungle to highlight the contrast between them. This contrast makes the activities and character of each more vivid.
5. The Climactic Pig Hunt p. 134-135
· This pig killing is even more ruthless and sadistic than the first because the victim is a sow with nursing piglets.
· The entire killing scene is couched in ritualistic and sexual terms.
· The boys follow the sow closely – they are “wedded to her in lust” as her trail of blood excites them.
· The boys are not mere children now – they represent humanity stripped of all vestiges of civilization, free to follow their basest instincts.
· The actual pig kill is described in terms obviously associated with rape.
· One of the more sadistic elements is Roger using the sow’s anus as a lodgment for his spear.
6. The Establishment of “The Lord of the Flies” p. 136-137
· The head of the sow is detached and placed on the end of a twice-sharpened stick. It is left standing upright as a “sacrificial gift” to the beast on the mountain.
· Two symbols now represent the beast (evil within each individual) – the fallen parachutist and the pig’s head on the stick (Lord of the Flies).
· As the boys watch the head, the whole atmosphere changes; there is a sense that something is wrong. The forest grows ominously silent and still; the boys flee the scene in terror.
7. Simon and The Lord of the Flies p. 137-138
· We know Simon had watched the killing of the pig from his jungle alcove since he immediately steps forward to inspect the totem of the raised pig’s head.
· It is thru Simon we get the closest view of the two beast symbols – the pig’s head on a stick (Lord of the Flies) and the fallen parachutist (Beast on the Mountain).
· When Simon looks at the pig’s head, its eyes remind him of the cynicism of grownups – everything, adults assure him, is rotten. And Simon answers that he realizes that is true.
8. The Irony of the Boy’s Sacrifice to the Beast
· The irony of the two symbols of evil, the Beast on the Mountain and the Lord of the Flies, is that the boys offer the second as an offering to appease the first.
· In offering the pig’s head as a gift to appease the Beast on the Mountain, the boys have ironically (and tragically)given themselves as a gift to the beast.
9. Invitations to Evil
Jack and his hunters invite Ralph and his group to join their tribe and their feast of roasted pig. p. 140
· Clouds swell and thunder roars; turmoil in nature increases the drama and intensity of the story’s action.
· Satanic looking savages rush out of hiding to steal coals of fire, scaring the littluns.
· Hiding behind the psychological mask of a painted face, Jack stands naked and unashamed as he invites Ralph’s group to join his hunters. “We hunt and feast and have fun. If you want to join my tribe come and see us. Perhaps I’ll let you join.”
· Jack is conscious of his own powerful image. He plays the dictator when he forces two of his reluctant savages to raise their spears and declare, “The chief has spoken.”
The Lord of the Flies invites Simon to join the others who are feasting and having fun, but Simon refuses and faints. p. 143-144
· Simon actually converses (in his extraordinary mind) with the sow’s head upon the stick. This is an example of the familiar “confrontation of the saint with the devil” pattern in literature.
· The Lord of the Flies says that he is part of Simon also; and Simon knows that to be true since evil exists in every individual, even the saint.
· When the Lord of the Flies is unsuccessful in tempting Simon, it then threatens him. “We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on…or else…we shall do you…See?”
· This metaphysical experience with the horror of evil so overwhelms Simon that he finds himself metaphorically (symbolically) inside the mouth of the Lord of Flies where he is swallowed up by evil. “Simon was inside the mouth (metaphor). He fell down and lost consciousness (physical reality).”