Lord of the Flies - character essay plan

‘Choose a novel in which the fate of a main character allows the author to explore his chosen theme.’


1. Introduction
‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding is an example of a novel in which the fate of Ralph allows the author to explore his chosen theme, of civilisation and savagery. By the end of the novel, Ralph is one of the last survivors who hasn’t turned into a killer as part of Jack’s ‘tribe’. In this essay I will show how the author sets the scene and creates a turning point, with the deaths of Simon and Piggy.

2. The climax
At the end of the novel, Ralph is pursued by the boys to the beach, where he meets the perplexed group of soldiers who have just landed. He is asked:
“We saw your smoke. And you don’t know how many of you there are?”
“No, sir”
• dramatic way to end the novel - the soldiers show the contrast between an orderly society and a chaotic one
• smoke symbolises the hunters fire; and the fire Ralph and Piggy tried to keep alive
• pessimistic ending to the novel –Ralph was unable to achieve a fair and peaceful society.
• Ralph had neither the knowledge or experience to do this on his own, and his relationship with Piggy was not close enough for him to be able to use Piggy’s intelligence
• Without civilisation’s rules, savagery triumphs

The choir
Ralph’s fate is foreshadowed by the arrival of the choir in the first chapter of the novel:
‘Within the diamond haze of the beach something dark was fumbling along.’

• Ralph and Piggy called the meeting after blowing in the conch
• interrupts the meeting with his arrival, along with the rest of the choir. This foreshadows the novel’s tragic ending
• suggests that Ralph’s rule on the island will come to an end
• Description of the ‘creature’: continued with the idea of the ‘beast’ later on
• Religious overtones – black cloaks suggest monks
• The boys represent the irrational forces of religion, superstition and violence

The beast / the murder of Simon
Ralph becomes like a hunted animal at the end of the novel, in the same way that Simon becomes a ‘beast’ when he is murdered by the hunters –
‘A thing was crawling out of the forest. It came darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain.’
• Reminds the reader of the ‘creature’ image which describes the choirboys’ arrival
• Simon is sceptical but finally he is murdered because he is mistaken for the beast
• Simon represents individuality and creativity – this cannot be allowed in Jack and Roger’s violent society, so he is sacrificed
• Suggestion that he is a ‘Christ-like figure’, who is destroyed by a senseless mob
• the island descends into tyranny under the rule of Jack and finally murder, the ‘beast’ shows how the situation deteriorates.


The death of Piggy
Falph’s fate is also determined by the death of Piggy:
‘The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’
• Piggy’s death – killed by Roger’s stone; foreshadowed by Roger tormenting younger children with stones earlier on
• Gruesome – Piggy’s brains are splattered, suggesting the end of intellect and science
• Destruction of the conch – the end of civilisation
• Roger has become Jack’s right-hand-man in the same way that Piggy was to Ralph – yet Roger is only interested in torture


Conclusion
I would therefore argue that Golding uses symbols to emphasise the failures of Ralph and Piggy’s leadership and the ascendancy of Jack and Roger. The book’s pessimistic tone contains a message that, without competent leadership, society descends into superstition and violence.

The Great Gatsby – Setting essay

Alternative wordings introduced by ellipses (…)

Introduction

A novel which is set during a time of political and social change is ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F Scott Fitzgerald.

… F Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ explores the era of social and political change known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, through the narrator, lowly stockbroker Nick, and the self-made millionaire, Jay Gatsby.

The writer uses key techniques such as setting, symbolism and characterisation to convey the theme of the American Dream and the political and social views of the period in which the story is set.

… Through this protagonist, the author is able to capture the essence of an age where it was possible to ruthlessly pursue the ‘American Dream’ of material wealth and popularity; yet his success is also hollow, because he fails to win over Daisy Buchanan from her husband Tom; and in the end, he is tragically killed.

First impressions of Gatsby

Gatsby has made his wealth partly from bootlegging and shady business associations. He exemplifies the extravagance of the ‘Jazz Age’. Nick’s first impressions of his wealthy neighbour are through his wild parties:

[oranges quote]

This conveys the great waste that occurs in order for the wealth to have their fun. The ‘pyramid’ also shows Gatsby’s need to show off. It is not enough for him to have found success – other people need to know as well.

Gatsby and Daisy

In this historical period, Gatsby is something of a paradox. Although he has great wealth he is a poor man with respect to loved ones. He has few friends and little contact with his family. This is ironic as the size of Gatsby’s parties would suggest he is popular. However, this flamboyance is actually designed to impress Daisy, his first love. We are given an insight into this in the scene where he shows off his wardrobe to Daisy and Nick:

[shirts quote]

Everything about Gatsby is extravagant, down to his choice of clothes. Strangely, Daisy starts weeping – perhaps her feelings of love for Gatsby are confused with her need for security and pampering; as if love and money are the same thing to her. This conveys the emptiness of life for wealthy people in the Twenties.

Symbolism of Ash Valley

Yet while the novel conveys the glamour of the Jazz Age, it also shows a seedier side through the symbolism of the Valley of Ashes, a derelict strip of land between East and West Egg. Only the poor characters of the book live here, and the valley’s physical and moral ruin is evident in Fitzgerald’s description:

[eyes quote]

Eckleberg perhaps symbolises the failure of capitalism, as it ruins the environment and makes people destitute; yet his sign also suggests a fallen idol or a false God, who has abandoned the poor. It embodies the fact that in the middle of growth, optimism and decadence there is also neglect and apathy. It is in this setting that the climax occurs, when Daisy runs down Myrtle and her husband goes after Gatsby for revenge. The rich have somewhere to run to, away from the desolate valley, but Gatsby cannot evade retribution the same way as Daisy and Tom.

East Egg – the upper classes

The people of East Egg are born rich and have no idea of the real value of money, or the worth of ordinary people. Daisy kills Myrtle and thinks she can escape punishment as she is rich; and throughout the book there are examples of Tom’s adultery. This is a carefree, but immoral society. The rich answer to no-one and don’t suffer consequences:

[car quote]

This shows the arrogance of East Egg residents. Tom has no need for the extra money but Tom wants to emphasise his control over Wilson. In this episode, the American Dream is shown to have a false side – Wilson is a hard working mechanic who has earned everything he owns, but he has to defer to Tom, who inherited his wealth. In this way, the ability to live the life you want by working for it is shown to have its limitations.

Conclusion

Therefore, ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a novel which evokes the time of political and social change known as the Roaring Twenties. Although Gatsby shows a genuine love for Daisy, he tries to win her back by living a shallow, materialistic life. The author’s use of symbolism, setting and characterisation convey the idea that extravagance can’t be confused with real happiness.