Lord of the Flies, Chapter Four

During Chapter Four, the passage of time is addressed with descriptions of the boys’ appearances (hair growing, clothes falling apart, etc.) and the re-growth in the scar from the plane crash.  As time passes, the boys have fulfilled roles and taken the characteristics of certain archetypes. You should remember that an archetype is a character that dwells in your subconscious. Archetypes appear in various types of literature and are present in all cultures and time periods.

The idea of using a mask to hunt is also introduced.  Author William Golding uses foreshadowing to show a divide among the boys.  Foreshadowing is a literary device where the author hints at certain plot developments that perhaps will take place later in the story. Watch for all of these as your read Chapter Four.

After the boys put on their masks, they are finally able to successfully kill a pig.  This is significant because the mask seems to allow the boys to hide behind a little bit of paint to become more violent versions of themselves.  The chant the boys use both to hunt and to celebrate their success on their hunt is also introduced in this chapter and uses harsh and violent wording.  Why do you think Golding lets the reader know how much time has passed?  What significance is there to the hunters' masks?

Also in Chapter Four, you can clearly see the boys taking on specific, archtypical roles. Piggy is an excellent example of an outcast.  Although he is never fully accepted by the group from the beginning, when he is excluded from the hunt and almost excluded from eating the meat, that role is made clear and convincing.

 

Civilized vs. Savage

In this nongraded interactivity, read each statement from Lord of the Flies and decide whether it represents the civilized nature of the boys or the savage nature of the boys. To check your answer click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.