Lord Of The Flies Essay

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Words: 762
Pages: 4
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Caitlin Helm
Ms. Herman
English 2323
12 May 2015
Killing the Sow When babies are born, they are filled with innocence. Even into their toddler years their minds and hearts are innocent. The older they get, however, the more corrupt they become due to worldly exposure. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, a similar concept is portrayed. When the school boys first arrive on the island, they set rules and maintain order. However, the longer they stay on the island, the more like savages they become. William Golding demonstrates this in one particular scene when the boys are hunting a sow. Diction, phallic symbols, and a parallel to a gang rape help Golding portray the savagery of the boys and how corrupt they have become. First, Golding cleverly uses diction in the scene of the boys killing the sow to show how harsh they have become. His choice of diction provides imagery that vividly displays the boy's actions. The pigs are described as "bloated bags of fat" (134) which give off the idea that they are relaxing and have perhaps just eaten. The pigs are calm and are causing no trouble when the chaotic boys arrive to appoint one to its death. Once the boys start chasing the sow they are described as being "wedded to her in lust" (135). Although the lust described is a desire for control and has no sexual connotation, the word itself helps portray how badly the boys want to overpower the pig. The place where the pig is murdered is described as being "where bright flowers grew and butterflies danced round each other" (135). Again, this word choice suggests the atmosphere was calm and serene but is contrasted with the brutality of the murder. This contrast compares the amount of evil that has inhabited them to the goodness that they once were. Besides using diction, Golding cleverly uses phallic symbols, or sexual symbols, to prove how corrupt the boys are. Spears are the phallic symbols used and are coincidentally their only weapons. Not only do they murder the sow with their spears, they also torture the sow with them. "Roger ran around the heap, prodding with his spear whenever pig flesh appeared" (135). Roger is not fulfilled with just stabbing the pig; he feels the need to severely torture her. "Roger found a lodgment for his point and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream" (135). Roger has lodged his spear into the butt of the sow and has found satisfaction in doing so. This illustrates how corrupt he has become and how detached from civilization he is. These symbols reveal the boy's desire for control. By inflicting pain on the sow, they are controlling her life and the life of her piglets. This overwhelming need for control shows how far the boys have come from civilization. Similarly, Golding also parallels the murder to gang
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