Lord of the Flies Post I

Warning: If you haven't read up to Chapter 8 of Lord of the Flies and don't want any spoilers, stop reading this!

Things just took a really strange turn in Lord of the Flies. Everything got so much more dark and abstract.

When the boys first arrived on the island, they seemed very innocent. Well, for the most part. They were happy to not have any adults, and they just wanted to have fun. Eventually, they started to notice just how wrong they were about living standards. It's not just fun and games.

Ralph was the one who took the initiative to lay out rules. I personally feel that he has enough sense as to knowing how to be a leader, but he can't really lead this specific group of boys that he's stuck with. It's not his fault though. There are way too many little kids, or "littluns," who don't understand the big picture of anything. Then there's good ol' Jack, who will never seem to accept terms with Ralph. He's been wanting to be leader since the beginning, but he never got his chance. So, he decided to make the most out of his so-called awesomeness and be leader of the hunters - the ones responsible for obtaining food for everyone. This went on for a while, and then came a twist.

Jack thought that after everything he's done for the group, such as obtaining food for them, the boys would look up to him more and make him the new leader. They took a vote once more, and Ralph won yet again. Jack was disappointed and hurt by his loss. The poor thing started crying, and left them to be on his own. He's a lone wolf now.

I can't believe I just called Jack a "poor thing." I've always hated Jack, but I felt really sorry for him in this scene, especially with the way I pictured it in my head. I didn't want him to be leader, but I still felt bad.

Anyway... he wasn't really a lone wolf for long. Eventually, some of the other littluns sneaked over and joined his hunter group. This is where things turn dark. All of the boys on the island were sweet, innocent, lost children at first. However, they've become savages now, especially Jack. He used to feel disgusted when trying to attack a pig, but he's nothing like that now. I don't like thinking/talking about this, but he hunted down a pig and just destroyed it. It wasn't just an attack - it was outright destruction. He and his hunters had no mercy on this pig. They totally slaughtered it. Oh, the poor creature... anyway, the point is that they're not exactly sweet, innocent children anymore. It's as if they've taken a step over to the dark side. They're monsters.

Jack reaching towards the dark side...
(in my vision)

Stepping away from the dark side now, time to get really abstract. Jack left the remains of the pig for the "beast" to eat it as an offering. Simon kind of just stayed there while the tribe left. It was so unbelievably hot, and he started to hallucinate. He stared at the pig... and the pig spoke to him. The pig was the Lord of the Flies. She (the pig) sounded like an adult. She was scolding, warning, and saying so many bizarre things to him. Simon just stood and stared. He passed out afterwards.

I read that scene so many times, but I just couldn't be able to decipher it. Eventually, I found out what this scene was really about. Simon may have been hallucinating, but he was also coming to a realization. We're kids on an island. We're fighting and hunting. None of these are good things. We're in a really, really bad situation. We're lost, and probably won't get home. We should be afraid. What are we even doing?!

I don't know. That's what I got from it. Basically, Lord of the Flies has taken a big leap away from a normal, straightforward life and onto the realities and hardships of life.