Lord of the Flies Group

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michelle-telford
michelle-tel...
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What is the purpose of the mimed dance at the end of Chapter 4 of "Lord of the Flies"?

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Posted by michelle-telford on Wednesday September 17, 2008 at 6:44 PM and tagged with chapter 4, characters, dance, lord of the flies, plot, themes.

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

    eNotes Editor

    Their savage song and dance is acting out the death of the pig.At the time it shows the boys are becoming more and more savage. Their chant--"Kill the pig, slit her throat, bash her in", also foreshadows some savage events. The song will be changed to "Kill the beast. . . just before Simon is killed for bringing the news that the beast is just a downed parachutist--thus echoing Simon's observation that ". . .the beast is us." It also foreshadows the death of Piggy, whose name is implied ( pig ) in the chant.

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Wednesday September 17, 2008 at 7:29 PM