Lord of the Flies, Chapter 3 & 4: Questions about Key Phrases

1) On p. 62 – He passed his tongue along his dry lips and scanned the uncommunicative forest…The silence of the forest was more oppressive than the heat…Only when Jack himself roused a gaudy bird from a primitive nest of insects was the silence shattered and echoes set ringing by a harsh cry that seemed to come out of the abyss of ages. Jack himself shrank at this cry with a hiss of indrawn breath; and for a minute became less a hunter than a furtive thing, ape-like among the tangle of trees.

Why is silence described as “oppressive” in this passage? Explain Jack’s reaction to the call of the bird. Explain the use of the phrase “a harsh cry that seemed to come out of the abyss of ages.”

2) On p. 63 – seductive, maddening—the promise of meat

What do these words indicate about the way Jack feels about the meat? Why are the words “seductive” and “maddening” used here? What could the meat symbolize? Do you think Jack values the meat as much as Piggy values the conch? More?

3) On p. 64 – He (Jack) gesticulated, sought for a word.

What is the meaning of the word “gesticulate” in this sentence? People often gesticulate when searching for a word they’ve momentarily forgotten, but the fact that Jack is doing so in this chapter seems significant. Is there any significance? According to the gestural theory of language (refer to “The Origin of Human Languages” handout), human language first originated out of gestures. Do you see any connection here? What’s happening?

4) On p. 65 – He (Jack) tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up.

What is a compulsion exactly? Have you ever had a compulsion to kill? (I hope not.) What are some examples of ways in which everyday people might behave in compulsive ways?

5) Find a phrase or passage from Chapter 3 that you find interesting, unusual, or confusing. Write a question about that phrase/passage. (This is purely for discussion purposes; there need not be a clear answer to the question. Try to make it challenging!)

Page number: _________

Key words, phrases, or passages: ____________________________________________________________________

Your Question: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Your Viewpoint:

6) Find a phrase or passage from Chapter 3 that you find interesting, unusual, or confusing. Write a question about that phrase/passage. (This is purely for discussion purposes; there need not be a clear answer to the question. Some of the best questions have no answers.)

Page number: _________

Key words, phrases, or passages: ____________________________________________________________________

Your Question: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Your Viewpoint:

7) On p. 75 – They (the littluns) obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority…otherwise they seldom bothered with the biguns and their passionately emotional and corporate life was their own. They had built castles in the sand…

(…look further down)

Three were three playing here now—Henry was the biggest of them. He was also a distant relative of that other boy whose mulberry-marked face had not been seen since the evening of the great fire; but he was not old enough to understand this, and if he had been told that the other boy had gone home in an aircraft, he would have accepted the statement without fuss or disbelief.

(…further down the page)

Henry was a bit of a leader this afternoon, because the other two were Percival and Johnny, the smallest boys on the island. Percival was mouse-coloured…Johnny was well built, with fair hair and a natural belligerence.

What is the difference between the biguns and the littluns? What power dynamic exists between Ralph and the littluns? What power dynamic exists among the three littluns described here? Even though Henry seems to naturally lead the other two, does he seem to have a clear idea of what is happening? Does Ralph?

8) On p. 76 – In his other life Maurice had received chastisement for filling a younger eye with sand. Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of wrong-doing. At the back of his mind formed the uncertain outlines of an excuse.

Explain the underlined phrases. Would Maurice have sensed wrong-doing had he not been punished in the past? In your opinion, what is the difference between following the rules and doing the “right” thing? Are negative consequences all it takes to motivate people to be “good”?

9) On p. 77 – He (Henry) became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things. He talked to them, urging them, ordering them. Driven back by the tide, his footprints became bays in which they were trapped and gave him the illusion of mastery.

Henry is controlling the movements of tiny sea creatures brought in by the tide. He seems to be enjoying the power he has over them. Could there be any special significance to the way Henry feels right now? Is there any irony to it (keep in mind that Roger is hiding behind him and throwing rocks)? Do the little sea creatures even know he is there? Also, note the fact that “food had appeared” with the tide and that the little sea creatures “came scavenging over the beach.” (p. 77) Is this an allusion to the food chain? If so, how would that relate to what’s happening?

10) On p. 79-80 – “For hunting. Like in the war…Like things trying to look like something else…” Jack planned his new face…the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness…The mask compelled them.

Who is wearing the mask? Why is the mask compelling the others to follow, but not the person? Can a person lose his/her own identity when wearing a mask or adopting a new role? Is that person seen differently? For example, might a soldier lose his sense of individuality when he puts on his uniform? Do others view him differently? How can a mask be more powerful than a face?

11) On p. 81 – He (Piggy) was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow. Could this be symbolic in any way? What might hair growth indicate?

12) Find a phrase or passage from Chapter 4 that you find interesting, unusual, or confusing. Write a question about that phrase/passage. (This is purely for discussion purposes; there need not be a clear answer to the question. Do not be afraid to ask crazy questions. In fact, try your best to think up crazy questions!)

Page number: _________

Key words, phrases, or passages: ____________________________________________________________________

Your Question: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Your Viewpoint: