Write an analysis of the opening chapter of Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

Write an analysis of the opening chapter of Lord of the Flies Essay Lord of the Flies is a book about a group of school boys that land on a glorious desert island. At first the island seems like a boys paradise but the book shows the slow descent into an island of lawlessness and terror. Golding wrote this book to show us how quickly a group of civilised human beings can dramatically change to uncivilised savages. Golding had seen what humans can do to each over in World War 2 with bombs and shells. In the last chapter the naval officer says I should have thought that a pack of British boys- youre all British arent you? Would have been able to put up a better show than that- (p215) Golding also has written this book because of other desert island books such us Coral Island this book is about 3 English boys that get stranded on a desert island. In Coral Island everything is fun and games and this continues thought out the entire book In chapter two After the boys get back from climbing the mountain and exploring, they are telling everybody about how this island is such a paradise. But this is a good island. We-Jack, Simon and me-me climbed the mountain. Its wizard. Theres food and drink, and- Rocks- Blue flowers- Piggy, partly recovered, pointed to the conch in Ralphs hands, and jack and Simon fell silent. Ralph went on. While were waiting we can have a really good time on this island He gesticulated widely Its like being in a book. At once there was a clamour. Treasure island- Swallows and Amazons- Coral Island-. (p25) All the boys thought that this island would be the same magical desert islands in all those book But Golding knew that a group of English boys would never act that way and that it would not always be a paradise and that at some point something would go wrong at which everything would go wrong. Golding chooses an island as a setting because it is a microcosm, a world of its own with no way to get to other people or contact them so that Golding could really get his point across to the reader that when a group of normal school boys with no contact with the outside world slowly deteriorate into mayhem. Another reason Golding choose an island because it was a paradise, it was the complete opposite to hell, golden beaches, palm trees, plenty of wild boar to eat, A glorious sea to swim in , etc. but is this paradise such a paradise. Even in the first chapter Golding shows signs of hell. On page 1 there is a quote saying All around the long scar smashed into the jungle (p1) in this quote Golding uses personification by saying that the plane made a scar in the island when an island can not get a scar. Also in this quote Golding creates a dramatic scene of destruction of where the plane crashed into the island. This quote gives you a forewarning of the hell and destruction of what is to come later on in the book. At first the boys react very well to being on the island. Arent there any grown ups at all? I dont think so The fair boy said this solemnly; but then the delight of a realized ambition overcame him. In the middle of the scar he stood on his head and grinned at the reversed fat boy. No grown-ups! This shows us that quote shows us that he is overjoyed about being on this paradise island with no grown-ups they have the ability to do what ever they want. Even in the first chapter there are many signs that all is not well, on page sixteen there are some of the first signs of conflict. Youre talking too much, said jack Merridew. Shut up Fatty. Laughter arose. Hes not fatty, cried Ralph, his real names Piggy! Piggy! Piggy! Oh, Piggy! A storm of laughter arose and even the tiniest child joined in. For the moment the boys were a closed circuit of sympathy with Piggy outside: he went very pink Bowed his head and cleaned his glasses again. This quote shows us bullying and conflict for the first time in the book and everyone joins into bully him. Piggy is the smartest boy in the book but also the fattest and he cant join in with everybody swimming and hunting because of his asthma. Before piggy came to be on this island he lived with his auntie who owned a sweet shop which is stated on page 3. Piggy is the only boy that does not want to be on the island and is shocked to find out there are no adults at all on the island Arent there any grown ups at all? (p2) Quotes on Piggys appearance. The very fat boy (p1). And then he looked up through thick spectacles. (p2). He was shorter than the fair boy (p1). We do not find out Piggys real name because Golding is trying to show us that this person could be anyone of us or not just one person it could be a certain group of people, whether its a religious group, a group of people from a certain race. He represents all the people in the world that have been discriminated for some reason because of their race, religion, where they are from, etc. Golding wants to show us that if we do not stop killing people without a good reason soon we will destroy our world just like at the end of the novel where the whole island burns down to ashes. Jack Merridew loves being on the island except that he thinks he should be chief because he was head of choir. I ought to be chief, said Jack with simple arrogance, because Im chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp. (p17) But the only people that vote for jack to be chief is his choir. Jack is very authorities and commanding Choir! Stand still! (p16) which makes him a good leader. If it werent for jack on the island they would have nothing to eat because jack is the person who organizes the hunt and after many attempts sticks a pig getting meat for the boys. There are very alarming signs right from the start of this novel Golding starts the island as a paradise but even in the first chapter things deteriorate and take a turn for the worse for instants the group of boys bully piggy by calling him just calling him piggy when Ralph told them that his name was piggy even after he had said he wouldnt tell the others. At first there is order almost like a school where you have to have the conch to be able to speak but this never worked as people always interrupted the speaker. Another threat to the order they have is the ever running conflict between Ralph and jack for leadership of the colony of boys which splits up half way through the book starting a war between the boys.