Lord Of The Flies Q&A

1.)   In the opening scene Fear/Panic/Needs take over, do you see any difference between how children would behave and adults would behave in this situation.

I think the level of panic could have major correlations with the level of experience, knowledge and physical health of the individual. Generally speaking, adults would have a greater ability to rationalized strategy but once survival comes into question, that’s when I would expect to see feral behavior despite age.

2.)   Which character if any would you relate to? Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, the twins, etc.

When I initially looked at this question, my first thought was that regardless of how the characters behave throughout the story, they are most likely archetypes and therefore we should all be able to resonate with each character depending on the situation/ mindset we find ourselves in.  While watching the film however, I could not help but consistently identify with Ralph. His style of leadership. He didn’t even want to be a leader, he just had the character to do so. He was brave in standing up for himself and his friends even when outnumbered. He was patient when his peers asked him questions, he stood up for what was just, and he never let ego or pride get in the way of survival.     

3.)   What makes a person step up to a difficult task?

Originally I contemplated the existence of some sort of hero gene. Then I imagined stepping up to a difficult task could be a sort of hero worshipers attempt at replicating his or her idols. Ultimately I’m leaning towards saying it stems from faith. Faith in ones competency whether derived from a higher power or not. Faith in the justifiability of their decision to step up. Our textbook mentioned in regards to self esteem that adolescence with higher self esteem were more likely to take on bullies.                                                                 

4.)    How does a persons will and knowledge play into survival.

I touched on the role of knowledge when it comes to not panicking in a survival situation. I think will plays a huge role also. Studies have shown that rats who believe there is a chance of being rescued from drowning will tread water for a significantly longer period of time than those who are unaware of the potential of being rescued. This illustrates an example of knowledge increasing will power and will power increasing survival length.

5.)   How important are rules in life?

Rules are the instruments in place in which chaos and order are divided within a social context.

6.)   Do you think that if it were all young adolescent girls the story would have played out differently? How important was the environment to the behaviors demonstrated?

I think the environment was important in regards to the drastic behaviors. There was a threshold that was crossed in terms of civilized behavior when actual violence was reached. Up to that point, the boys seems to act as you would expect them to on a typical unsupervised playground I.E roughhousing, wrestling, climbing things, running around, all the testosterone induced behaviors. So if I was to consider the story playing out with girls, I would also imagine the original behaviors to be similar to behaviors girls would display on a playground. What I cannot conceive of however is the complete disintegration  of civilized behavior in regards to violence. At least not as quickly.

7.)   Why did the group split?

The straw that broke the camels back seemed to be the conflict over allowing the fire to go out during a hunt.

8.)   Why the paint on their faces and the spears and calling themselves hunters?

I think the spears were practical for hunting, the defining themselves as hunters was becoming more accurate and the face paint was symbolic. The interplay between these three elements allowed them to get into the spirit aka the psychological mindset of a hunter.  

9.)   Did the situation allow the children to forget who they were and what they were about.

It certainly gave them less categories by which to define their identities.

10.)                       Does being mean, aggressive, and tough looking bring about power?

          I think it depends on the context. In a football locker room for example, yes. In a prison, yes. In a debate club, or an intellectual, merit-based endeavor, no. Also, I don’t think being mean and aggressive are always synonymous with looking tough.

11.)                       Was there good vs. evil going on here in this situation?

Theres no humanly possible way for me to give a correct answer to this question by my estimation. And that’s what makes it a great question. To me, the answer is yes, definitely yes. I think it all depends on your framework of perception however; Some view the world through the lens of good and evil while others believe these concepts are subjective. I ponder that the latter would be inclined to defend the killings within this story.

12.)                       The quote, “See you tonight girls” why is it such a put down for boys to be called girls?

The same reason it’s offensive to be called by a mispronounced first name purposely, or classified into the wrong ethnic group or religion. The construction of our personal identities are vital to most of us. I know our textbook mentioned that girls are less offended by being called tomboys than boys are at being referred to as sissies, and while I cannot speak to that discrepancy in misgendering tolerance, I believe the heart of my point to be valid.

13.)                       Why did Piggy and Ralph stay together?

I have no idea honestly… Was it because Piggy valued friendship, and Ralph was nice to him? Did Piggy and Ralph just happen to be the most mature of the group?

14.)                       Why was there no remorse when they killed Simon on the beach and later Piggy by the cliff?

They seemed intoxicated by the forces of anger, pride, aggression, and boastfulness.

15.)                       Where do morals and conscience come into play in this story?

        One group seemed perfectly willing to steal, threaten, intimidate, and bully in a perceived pursuit of survival. Ultimately this group grew until Ralph stood as the lone representative of the moral individual vs the immoral collective.

16.)                       Do you think their behavior would have been different if they knew they would be rescued?

Absolutely. I think they would not panic nearly to the degree that they did. They would probably also understand that murder would have repercussions. They therefore wouldn’t adopt a devil may care attitude.   

17.)                       Did they lose hope?

I don’t think the tribe considered the possibility of survival at a certain point. So I guess that would mean yes, they did lose hope. Even Piggy seemed to lose hope at the end. While I saw signs of Ralphs hope wavering, it seemed like he was able to retain his until the rescue.

18.)                       Were they just being kids, pretending, playing a game?

They seem to be trying to survive but acting out internal representations of savage hunters simultaneously. I believe adults are also guilty of acting out their internal representations of being in dramatic ways.

       19.)              The quote by Piggy “We did everything the way grown ups did it.. Why didn’t it     work?” Why didn’t it?  

            This was the most profound line in the movie to me. Throughout the movie I kept getting a sense that Ralph and Piggy were representing the idea of doing the ‘right thing’ despite the crowd. When Piggy asked that question it sounded to me like he was saying “we did everything the ‘right’ way why didn’t it work?”   Part of what makes doing the right thing difficult is because there is no guarantee that it will benefit your chance of survival. Something about doing it regardless though, creates admiration for an individual. This story could have very well played out differently if two or more slightly smaller, slightly less aggressive kids stood up to Jack which they where close to doing. Maybe the kid who refused to call out to Jack when he spotted Ralph in the bushes would have stepped up at the shoreline had nobody come to rescue them. That actual could have very well created a domino effect.

20. )   What is it in a person that makes them determined to do the right thing regardless of the consequences? And if you knew you could get away with something and not be caught would you do it? Why? Or Why not?

It’s unknown at this time what exactly makes a person do the right thing regardless of consequences. Some speculate that it has a strong correlation to a gut feeling while others deem it to be more rational in nature. Therefore, some argue that emotional empathy helps in morality and others speculate that it could be a hindrance. I personally would not do the wrong thing even if I knew I could get away with it. I have a recognition of a God, of a karmic universe, and therefore my gut feeling won’t allow such.