Lord of the Flies Group

Question:

soda-pop
soda-pop
Student
High School - 11th Grade

The author says Jack wore something "like his old clothes". What literary device is used and what is the irony of this?

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Posted by soda-pop on Saturday October 4, 2008 at 4:12 PM and tagged with chapter 8, irony, lit device, lord of the flies.

Answers:


  1. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The phrase "something like his old clothes" is a simile, a comparison using the words "like" or "as". The irony is that he is wearing what used to be his old clothes, but they have become so tattered and torn with time spent on the island, that they no longer look the same. Jack has begun to look more like a savage than a choir boy.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/flies/

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Saturday October 4, 2008 at 7:16 PM

  2. amelia779
    amelia779 Teacher
    Middle School

    Also it is important to remember the symbolism in that as well.  The boys have changed since coming to the island.  The clothes represent what they once were. The author is reminding the reader of the sharp contrast of what once was and what is now.  By putting on the clothes, Jack also shows us that he remembers what he was and it may foreshadow the change in his heart which happens towards the end of the book. 

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    Posted by amelia779 on Tuesday October 7, 2008 at 4:22 PM