Lord of the Flies

Chapter 6 - Arielle, Manoj, Robbie, Yana

Beast From Air

Characters: Samneric● Samneric: Upon seeing the body of the parachuter faintly in the dark, Sam

and Eric freak out and immediately assume that it is the “beastie.”○ act, work, and function as one unit

■ “Then as though they had but one terrified mind between them they scrambled away over the rocks” (Golding 98). ● shows how Sam and Eric truly are "Samneric" - one person

○ magnifies the fright that the boys have: over exaggerate the beastie, giving it eyes, teeth, and claws that did not exist ■ “The circle of boys shrank away in horror” (Golding 100).

Characters: Ralph● Ralph: Throughout this chapter, Ralph once again assumes a leadership role.

○ able to take charge with sense and caution, illustrating good leadership○ volunteers to be the first to explore the cave, also illustrating good leadership○ panics upon realizing the signal fire goes out, keeping necessities in mind

rather than having fun, displaying responsibility■ “‘I’m chief. We’ve got to make certain. Can’t you see the mountain?

There’s no signal showing. There may be a ship out there. Are you all off your rockers?’” (Golding 108).

Characters: Jack● Jack: Jack’s desire to gain more power becomes greatly evident by his

actions.○ refuses to let others contribute, would rather take full control for

himself■ “We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say

things… its time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us” (Golding 102).

○ attempt to assert power and dissuade Piggy from talking○ Jack trying to take authority away from Ralph by

invalidating the rules they set

Characters: Piggy● Piggy: As seen in previous chapters, Piggy’s ideas continue to be pushed aside.

○ idea to restrict themselves to living just around the platform - not as well-though out as Piggy’s previous attempts to contribute to the group, illustrates decline in his mentality ■ Ralph immediately rejects the idea - shows Piggy’s irrelevance

○ silenced by Jack - Piggy's input not wanted○ delegated to watch over the littluns, showing how his role in the group has

become increasingly unimportant

Characters: Simon● Simon: Simon continues doubting the presence of a literal “beastie” with claws and

wings. ○ only one who pieces little bits of information together, revealing intelligence

■ “...a beast with claws that scratched, ...that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Samneric. However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick” (Golding 103).

○ Simon’s belief that the beast is really themselves is shown

Freud, Maslow, and Human Behavior● In general, we see their society digress because of the “beastie” and the fear that it instills in all of the boys.

● Samneric think they see it, the rest of the boys become even more scared. They slowly start to move away from their ego- a

balance between their primitive needs and their moral ethical beliefs, towards just their id- their animal instincts and drives.

● The balance between civilization and savagery on the island shifts, and Ralph’s control over the group weakens

● In the beginning, Ralph’s hold on the other boys is quite secure: they all understand the need for order, even if they do not

always want to follow the rules.

● Jack is able to manipulate Ralph in front of the rest of the boys by asking him if he is frightened. By this point, however, as

the conventions of civilization begin to erode among the boys, Ralph’s hold on them slips, while Jack becomes a more

powerful and menacing figure in the camp.

● Ralph is controlled by his ego, while Jack by his id, and this slight shift in power represents a larger shift in their society.

Freud, Maslow and Human Behavior Jack

● Freudian Psychology- controlled by his “id”● “We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things... it’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep

quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us” (Golding 102). He acts uncaring to others, has a selfish attitude because he wants power for himself- he claims that this situation is “a hunter’s job” in which Ralph is not qualified to command

● Selfish- He wants to build a fort on the mountain top even though Ralph says no.● Human Behavior Theory- Bernard Russell- “the simple fact that we humans must eat other life or else starve is probably

the contemporary and historical moral evil.” this idea because he is very focused on hunting and killing pigs so that they don’t go hungry- he finds this his number one priority.

Ralph

● controlled by his ego● he takes charge of all of the boys because he is mature and usually rational- he declares that since he’s the chief, he’ll go

looking for the beast first.● “I’m chief. We’ve got to make certain. Can’t you see the mountain? there’s no signal showing. There may be a ship out

there. Are you all off your rockers? Mutinously. the boys fell silent or muttering” (108). ● He demands respect and people listen to him,which shows that on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, he is at the level of

esteem.

Freud, Maslow, and Human BehaviorPiggy

● humans are inherently good- he wants to help all the boys survive and he knows what to do to help, but nobody wants to listen to him

● he thinks about who’s going to look after the “littleuns” when the “bigguns” leave to hunt the beast (while Jack doesn’t care about them at all)

● on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, he seeks to be respected by the other boys so he is at the esteem level

Simon-

● he’s the only one who understands what's really going on with the beastie- it represents their own inner nature that will cause destruction and create fear

● he is very wise→ self actualization on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs- acceptance of facts and his ability to analyse their situation with the beastie

● human behavior theory that mankind is essentially good, he is the most pure/good character- always wants to help (he represents Jesus who helps those who cannot help themselves)

The superego of both Piggy and Simon are shown in this chapter because they accept responsibility and know right from wrong. Simon has a “saintly” personality and wants to help Ralph, and Piggy accepts that he is the only one who actually cares for the littluns so he stays with them and tries to take care of them. They strive for a civilized society and they are very intelligent, but they don’t have the confidence of respect of others so nobody really listens to them.

Symbolism:The Beast● On a literal level,the Beast from the Air is represented by the dead

airman who parachutes over the island. ● The beast symbolises the boys’ fear of the unknown and the stories

of the beast throughout the island represents the terror and panic the boys show.

● On a biblical point of view, the beast is attested to the concept of original sin and Satan as the island is a paradise much like the Garden of Eden and the savagery of the boys is represented as the fall from God’s favor.

1. “There was a sudden bright explosion and corkscrew trail across the sky;then darkness again and stars. There was a speck above the island, a figure dropping swiftly beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs”(Golding 95).

Visual Representation of the Beast

Symbolism:The Conch● On a literal level, the conch is used to govern the boys’ meetings as

the possessor of the conch has the right to speak.● The conch acts as a powerful representation of order and civilization

despite the gradual descent to savagery shown by Jack and the hunters.

1. "Conch! Conch!....We don't need the conch any more. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It's time some people knew they've got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us."