1 / 10

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Chapter 7: “Shadows and Tall Trees”. What happens in the “Shadows and Tall Trees”?. Ralph feels filthy and longs for a bath and haircut. He realizes that they may never be rescued.

dane-dodson
Download Presentation

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Lord of the Fliesby William Golding Chapter 7: “Shadows and Tall Trees”

  2. What happens in the“Shadows and Tall Trees”? • Ralph feels filthy and longs for a bath and haircut. • He realizes that they may never be rescued. • Simon joins him and, as though reading his mind, prophesizes (predicts) that Ralph will make it back home safely. • They hunt for a pig. • After the boar gets away, the group begins a mock hunt that gets out of control and hurts Robert, the bigun’ acting as the pig.

  3. Ralph, Jack and Roger finally climb the mountain. • Simon volunteers to cross the island alone to inform Piggy that the others won’t be home until after dark. • As they search for the pig, Ralph asks why Jack hates him. • Jack turns away onto the pig tunnel. • Once they reach the burnt patch, Ralph challenges Jack to go on by himself; Jack returns from the mountaintop terrified. • When Roger and Ralph locate the “beast”, they flee in terror. • Who is the “beast”?

  4. Analysis of “Shadows and Tall Trees” • All about shedding light on the boys’ personalities • Displays the growing tensions between Jack and Ralph. • Concentrates on the theme of identity. • THE MOST TELLING SCENE: The mock (fake) killing of the pig (Robert) that succinctly (pointedly) reveals Golding’s hypothesis of the inherent defect in man’s character - evil or beast within.

  5. Jack • A complex figure • Rival’s Ralph’s leadership • Constantly mocks/ challenges Ralph • Not a fit leader himself – why? • Runs away from charging boar • Fails in his exploration of the island • Runs from the beast • Excellent manipulator • Careful to appear brave in front of others.

  6. Ralph • Dichotomy: good leader and unable to lead • Good intentions • Wants to protect Piggy • Wishes to relight the fire, yet he is always derailed from this • Jack tends to manipulate Ralph away from his responsibilities • His good deeds go unnoticed • The boys do not note of any of his bravery in facing the boar because Jack turns the attention onto himself • No one really ever observes that it is Ralph who truly leads them - and Ralph, unlike Jack, is rarely distracted from his duties

  7. Ralph’s Character Flaw • As a leader, he lacks insight (awareness) • Not a good strategist (admits he is not a good chess player) • Not observant • Ralph notices Jack’s hesitation for the first time when he does not follow Ralph up the mountain immediately • There have been other instances of Jack hesitating, for example Jack hesitating in attempting to kill the pig in Chapter 1 • Ralph is actually beginning to notice how much he hates Jack

  8. Simon • Proves himself to be insightful and brave (traveling alone through the dark forest to bring a message to Piggy) • Understands Ralph’s longing for home • Understands the abstract - he has the ability to see within the character of human nature • He is not afraid of the beast - he realizes that when he is away from the others he is away from the beast

  9. Loss of Identity • The longer they are on the island, the more away from their civilized selves they get • Ralph realizes this in his longing to cut his hair and bathe

  10. Pivotal Scene • Pretend to kill the pig, yet hurt Robert in their enthusiasm • This revelas Jack’s growing cruelty - he is always willing to prey on weaker beings (littluns’) • Ralph is easily seduced by the blood - he willingly participates in the dance and hurting Robert • He does not realize how close they came to killing him • This slip on Ralph’s part - showing his Jack-like side is a glimpse into Golding’s philosophy on man (we all have a beast within)

More Related