Literary/ Critical Analysis Paper: Lord of the Flies

846 Words4 Pages
During the novel Lord of the Flies, each character goes through a dramatic change. Their self identity disappears as their innocence is taken from them. Responsibility, civilization, and sanity become a blur in their minds. With each character losing their self identity throughout the book, chaos and devastation is brought about. Loss of identity is a predominant theme of the novel. In the beginning of the novel Lord of the Flies, the most important/significant character is Ralph ,an innocent young boy who is focused on being a motivating leader, but he didn't know what he was in for. At times he was over ruled by Jack and the other boys on the island who all became savages and uncontrollable. Ralph starts out as the calm, mellow protagonist who organizes the boys by setting rules such as the conch. He starts to take part and witness violent acts such as the boys on the island hunting pigs. Although as the novel progresses, Ralph's self identity begins to disappear. He is part of Simon's "accidental" death and he constantly argues with Jack. Towards the end of the book, it's obvious to see that Ralph completely forgets why he was leader in the first place. "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy."(LOFTF, pg 207) These lines from the end of Chapter 12 occur near the close of the novel, after the boys encounter the naval officer, who appears as if out of nowhere to save them. When Ralph sees the officer, his sudden realization that he is safe and will be returned to civilization plunges him into a reflective despair. Another important character in the novel is named Jack. Jack is the antagonist in Lord of the Flies. also lost his individual appearance, individuality, and personality. In the beginning Jack had a little sensitivity
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