Lord of the Flies

Archetypes

The Hero

The one who saves the day; runs the show

The Hero Ralph

Ralph is the athletic, charismatic. Pg. 10-11 Elected the leader of the boys. “But there was a stillness about Ralph as

he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart” Pg. 24

The Hero Ralph

Ralph is the primary representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership in the novel.

Ralph uses the conch to maintain order Ralph sets about building huts and thinking

of ways to maximize their chances of being rescued.

Ralph represents the more paternalistic aspects of government, concerned with socialism, making sure there is housing and looking after everyone.

The Hero Ralph

Ralph’s commitment to civilization and morality is strong, and his main wish is to be rescued and returned to the society of adults.

“We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire”. Pg. 41

Ralph suggest special people for looking after the fire and restores order about when and where the conch still is in effect. Pg. 46-47

The outcast

has been kicked out of society or has left voluntarily, sometimes the "Christ" figure

The Outcast Simon

Simon embodies a kind of innate, spiritual human goodness that is deeply connected with nature and, in its own way, as primal as Jack’s evil.

Simon is in touch with nature and has a higher moral and spiritual awareness then the rest of the boys on the island

The Outcast Simon

Ralph describes Simon as queer and funny. Pg.59

He was a small, skinny boy, his chin pointed, and his eyes so bright they had deceived Ralph into thinking him delightfully gay and wicked. The course mop of black hair was long and swung down...” Pg.60

The outcast Simon

Simon is the Christ like figure, representing a higher moral order than the other boys. Simon is aware that good and evil come from within ones self and not from any imposed political system in which society has paced on them.

The other boys abandon moral behavior as

soon as civilization is no longer there to impose it upon them. They are not innately moral; rather, the adult world, the threat of punishment for misdeeds, has conditioned them to act morally.

The Outcast Simon

Pg. 61. This passage is reminiscent of how Christ was with his followers. Simon provided food to the hungry children, he could reach the berries that their little hands could not. Just as Jesus had multiplied the bread and fish so that he could feed many.

Simon acts morally not out of guilt or shame but because he believes in the inherent value of morality. He behaves kindly toward the younger children,

The Outcast Simon

Simon is the first to realize the problem posed by the beast and the Lord of the Flies.

Simon realizes that the monster on the island is not a real, physical beast but rather a savagery that lurks within each human being.

The sow’s head on the stake symbolizes this idea, as we see in Simon’s vision of the head speaking to him.

Pg. 157-159 The conversation between the Beelzebub which means The Lord of the Flies, also known as Satan.

Beelzebub

the Lord of the Flies is seen as a representation of the devil, for it works to promote evil among humankind.

The scene between the pigs head and Simon and the conversation they are having draws a parallel between the devil tempting Jesus in the desert.

YouTube clip

The Outcast Simon

Simon represents a contrary idea of essential human goodness. However, his brutal murder at the hands of the other boys indicates the scarcity of that good amid an overwhelming abundance of evil.

his brutal murder at the hands of the other boys indicates the scarcity of that good amid an overwhelming abundance of evil.

Just as Jesus Christ dies (sacrificed) on the cross for the sins of mankind, so too was Simon, who represented the very few of the truly good, was sacrificed for the evil that was present in the boys.

Kohlberg’s hierarchy of moral development

This obedience is compelled by the threat or application of punishment.

. The second level of moral thinking is that generally

found in society, hence the name "conventional.

The third level of moral thinking is one that Kohlberg felt is not reached by the majority of adults. Its first stage (stage 5) is an understanding of social mutuality and a genuine interest in the welfare of others.

The last stage (stage 6) is based on respect for universal principle and the demands of individual conscience.

Kohlberg’s hierarchy of moral development

The scapegoat

the one blamed for everything, regardless of whether he or she is actually at fault

The scapegoat/motherPiggy

Piggy is an archetype for both the scapegoat and a mother figure.

Piggy has a tendency of taking care of, and looking after others before self

Piggy is the intellectual with poor eyesight, a weight problem, and asthma. He is the most physically vulnerable of all the boys, despite his greater intelligence.

Piggy represents the rational world.

By frequently quoting his aunt, he also provides the only female voice. Chapter 1

The scapegoat/motherPiggy

Piggy's intellect benefits the group only through Ralph; he acts as Ralph's advisor.

He cannot be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys.

Piggy also relies too heavily on the power of social convention. He believes that holding the conch gives him the right to be heard. He believes that upholding social conventions get results.

The scapegoat/motherPiggy

intellectual approach to life is modeled on the attitudes and rules of the authoritative adult world, he thinks everyone should share his values and attitudes as a matter of course. Speaking of the deaths of Simon and the littlun with the birthmark, he asks "What's grownups goin' to think?" as if he is not so much mourning the boys' deaths as he is mourning the loss of values, ethics, discipline, and decorum that caused those deaths.

The trickster

THE CUNNING, CLEVER, AND DANGEROUS CHARACTER

The Father/ Trickster Jack Jack’s physical description is typical of

the villain, his appearance is the opposite of that of Ralph’s attractive appearance

p20He has red hair and is tall, thin and bony. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness. His fiery hair and his ugly appearance give us clues to his fiery, ugly character.

The father/tricksterJack

Jack represents both the father and trickster archetype.

As a father figure he is seen as authoritative, the man who brings home the “bacon”

He is the hunter Jack soon becomes obsessed with hunting

and devotes himself to the task, painting his face like a barbarian and giving himself over to bloodlust. The more savage Jack becomes, the more he is able to control the rest of the group

The Father/ Trickster Jack Jack desires power above all other

things. He is furious when he loses the election to Ralph and continually pushes the boundaries of his subordinate role in the group

Eventually, Jack has learned to use the boys’ fear of the beast to control their behavior—a reminder of how religion and superstition can be manipulated as instruments of power.