Lord of the Flies: Chapter 8 Response

Prompt: 5

Chapter 8 of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, is still depicting rising action, although the beast is exposed it is not the turning point of the entire novel. While reading this passage, a few intriguing things became evident to me and made me wonder why the author chose this prose. One quote that perplexed me was Ralph’s assertion, “The fire’s the most important thing. Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning. The fire’s the most important thing on the island, because, because” (Golding 142). This was interesting to me because in the previous chapter Golding had shown Ralph’s character enjoying brutal savagery, but here he has reverted to his civilized nature where he is still keeping alive the “fire” of hope in the society. This confused me, because if one is stranded on an inhabited island, then their sanity would most like slowly degrade and possibly not be restored. 

Another quote that perplexed me was, “ I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too” (Golding 127). This confused me because just prior to this statement, he was asking the boys if they still wanted Ralph as leader, implying that Jack wanted to be supreme leader. His thirst for power was so strong that he branched off to form his own society where he could be supreme ruler. This reminded me of the beast project we have just completed.  In this circumstance, Jack has become the beast, taken over by greed and the craving for power. He is separating the society into two distinct factions that will cause their small society to suffer. Personal greed on Jack’s part will change the collective goal to a personal one, which does not bode well for the future of the community.  The beast is alive.