Lord of the Flies Group

Question:

wolferanch
wolferanch
Student
High School - 9th Grade

In  Chapter 4 of "The Lord of the Flies," how does Golding use the killing of the pig by the boys to represent savagery?  

Is there a situation where this activity would not be considered savage?

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Posted by wolferanch on Sunday October 26, 2008 at 6:32 PM and tagged with chapter 4, characters, lord of the flies, pig, plot, themes.

Answers:


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

    You are correct! When they pig is killed, they are showing their transition from civilized boys to little savages. Notice that the violence grows in steps. At first, Jack cannot bring himself to kill a pig. Finally, with his primal mask on, he and the other boys savagely kill a sow, a female pig. Even though they want meat and are killing for food, their actions show that their main motivation is a blood-thirsty desire to kill. When people kill for food, they do not brag about the amount of blood that was spilled. As Golding describes the situation, I can't think of any other way to describe the action than savage.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/flies
    http://www.enotes.com/flies/chapter-4-summary-analysis
    http://www.enotes.com/flies/themes

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Sunday October 26, 2008 at 7:07 PM