Two separate illustrations of an animal head and a fire on a mountain

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

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Discussion Topic

William Golding's use of language and structure in Lord of the Flies

Summary:

William Golding uses language and structure in Lord of the Flies to enhance the novel's themes and character development. His descriptive language vividly portrays the island's setting and the boys' descent into savagery. Golding's use of symbolism, such as the conch and the "beast," and his non-linear narrative structure emphasize the loss of innocence and the inherent evil within humanity.

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How does William Golding reveal Jack's character through language and structure in Lord of the Flies?

William Golding employs figurative language and a rather long descriptive paragraph to create an image of Jack that conjures the revelation of an antagonistic and confrontational character. 

In Chapter One after the emergence of Ralph and Piggy from the wreckage of the plane, the two boys revel in the beauty of the area in which they find themselves, climbing onto tree trunks, shedding their clothes and swimming in the lagoon, and, then, discovering a large conch that Piggy takes and demonstrates its use as a horn. After Ralph blows the conch, "signs of life" appear. As the boys file into the area, Piggy takes their names. Then, Ralph first notices "something dark was fumbling along."

In metaphoric terms, then, the choir led by Jack is compared to "a creature." Further, this creature steps "from mirage onto clear sand" and Ralph and the others who look see that the visual imagery

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imagery of "the darkness was not all shadow"; instead, clothing becomes apparent. At this point "the creature" begins to assume individual forms as a group of boys, marching in parallel lines and dressed in "strangely eccentric clothing" that moves toward Ralph and Piggy and the smaller boys who have also arrived. With tactile and visual imagery, Golding further describes the boys:

The heat of the tropics, the descent, the search for food, and now this sweaty march along the blazing beach had given them the complexions of newly washed plums.

Out of this group emerges the boy who leads them, Jack, with his "cloak flying." He asks for the "man with the trumpet" and is told by Ralph that there is only he. Foreshadowing the future conflicts of the two boys, Golding writes of Jack, "What he saw of the fair-haired boy...did not seem to satisfy him. He turned quickly, his black cloak circling."

With a second mention of this black cloak swirling about him, Golding subtly suggests the stock character of villain; added to this, Jack is "tall, thin, and bony"--skeletal--and his face is "crumpled and freckled and ugly without silliness." This language certainly reveals that Jack will play the role of antagonist in Golding's narrative.

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What language techniques did Golding use in Lord of the Flies?

Clearly as this novel is a renowned example of literature we can assume that there are many excellent examples of language techniques such as imagery and figurative language that are used to make the novel come alive to the reader. I am going to focus on one particular paragraph to highlight some of these, but really, the novel is full of them, so after reading my example I would really encourage you to examine the novel again and try and find your own examples. Consider this quote:

The shore was fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the air. The ground beneath them was a bank covered with coarse grass, torn everywhere by the upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with decaying coconuts and palm saplings. Behind this was the darkness of the forest proper and the open space of the scar. Ralph stood, one hand against a grey trunk, and screwed up his eyes against the shimmering water. Out here, perhaps a mile away, the white surf flinked on a coral reef, and beyond that the open sea was dark blue. Within the irregular arc of coral the lagoon was still as a mountain lake - blue of all shades and shadowy green and purple. The beach between the palm terrace and the water was a thin stick, endless apparently, for to Ralph's left the perspectives of palm and beach and water drew to a point at infinity; and always, almost visible, was the heat.

This is an excellent example of imagery - where writers appeal to the five senses to build a picture and make it real to the reader. Also, there are some great examples of figurative language. Consider how the leaves of the palm trees are described as "feathers" - this metaphor comparing them to birds' feathers, but also emphasising the shade and softness that they provide. The description of the ground with its "coarse grass, torn everywhere" and "fallen trees" and "decaying coconuts" and the mention of the "scar" create stark visual images that help us imagine the impact of the plane on the land. Note too the use of colour to describe the water of the lagoon, which is "blue of all shades and shadowy green and purple." Then finally consider the metaphor which describes the beach as a "thin stick", separating the palm trees from the water.

Hope this helps! Now go and look for some more examples yourself! Good luck!

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