Lord Of The Flies Sow Quotes

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How does Golding make the killing of the sow such a symbolic moment in the Lord of the Flies?

The killing of the sow is made a particularly symbolic moment in Lord of the Flies through Golding’s detailed descriptions of the savagery and the implications of this for the reader.

The graphic, violent descriptions and imagery emphasise the idea that the boys no longer consider society or order, they are now only animalistic savages. This is demonstrated by Jack’s dedication to the kill and the ease with which he finishes his task, he “found the throat and the hot blood spurted over his hands”. The simple connective “and” implies a fast pace to his decisions, he did not think or take time to consider that he was taking a life, he just reached …show more content…
This is contrasted by the speed of the kill in this chapter, which is a stark juxtaposition to the “pause”, this helps mark the moment as significant, Jack no longer has to consider killing, it is an instinct. Furthermore, the instinctual human need to hurt and kill is demonstrated by Roger and his frenzied attempts to harm the pig. He “ran” to the pig, this verb carries connotations of panic and demonstrates clearly the effort he put into the kill. The declarative “prodding with his spear whenever pigflesh appeared” uses plosive sounds to emphasise the violence of the act. The “pigflesh” is almost personified in this sentence, the personification of flesh could foreshadow the later redirection of Roger’s violent nature- from animal flesh to a person. This violent, inhumane behaviour shows how, unlike earlier in the book, he is no longer “conditioned by a civilisation”, but rather he is giving in to his most primal instincts, considering only survival and power. Golding uses both Jack’s ruthless efficiency in murder and the frenzy like state Roger entered when faced with the prospect of …show more content…
The use of the noun “bliss” to describe the sow and the adjective “maternal” hint towards a feeling of normality, the boys are witnessing a family, together and peaceful and this peaceful image is created by Golding in order to emphasise the horror that occurs shortly after. The combination of shocking lexii such as “shriek”, “demented” and “squeal” then shatters the image of peace, and therefore also the image of family that had been built up. This sudden change represents the feeling of the boys, as they break free from their own ties to their families. The metaphorical description of the sow “bursting the advancing line”, has implications of war and could be representative of the struggle the boys face to free themselves from the morals imposed on them from their past and their parents. These two contrasting scene were implemented by Golding to show the rebellious nature of the boys and demonstrate to the reader a natural tendency to rebel against authority, if given the opportunity. This shattering of the peace, from sleeping family to brutal murder, is arguably one of the most symbolic moments in ‘the Lord of the Flies’ as it is an extended metaphor that symbolises their final break from any ties to their past life, the separation from their parents is the final step and now it is clear that they are no longer civilised humans, they are only
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