In William Golding's classic novel, "Lord of the Flies," chapter four is a very important part of the book. This chapter contains key quotes which lead to turning points of the plot and furthers the development of the characters. In this essay, I will cover three important quotes found in this chapter; on theme, symbolism and irony. .
Golding visualizes the theme of savagery in pages 79 and 80 by describing Jack's new face; "He made one cheek and one eye-socket white, then he rubbed red over the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of charcoal across from right ear to left jaw."" Golding deliberately describes Jack's face again, even though he had already described the changes concerning his face. By re-describing Jack's savage like face, the author wants to emphasize the continuously more important getting theme of savagery at this point in the book. As the memory of an adult controlled civilization fades away, the savage like behavior increases. Jack's unnaturally colored face also resembles his will to hunt, to kill, to destruct. Jack's character and his look are unifying as his face and character slowly transform into an uncontrollable, savage like monster. Moreover, his new face's authority is immediately shown in the lines following the description of his face, in which the other are obeying his order to get him a coco-nut. .
Society as an illusion is nicely demonstrated on page 75 which states "They had built castles at the bar of the little river. These castles were about one foot high and were decorated with shells, withered flowers, and interesting stones. " This quote is explicitly clarifying the reader that society on the island is dead or an ancient memory at least. The withered flowers on the castle symbolize drained life, when one would see the castle as society, which was originally flourishing as it was beautifully decorated with flowers. However, at this point, the flowers more seem to resemble an overgrown layer of dead weeds, which indicate the lack of care and respect that has been shown to the maintenance of the castle and in this comparison, society.