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Lord Of The Flies, Chapter 1 Essay

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Write an analysis of the opening chapter of Lord of the Flies. How effective is it at introducing the characters, concerns and language of the novel?

The first chapter of the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding is effective in establishing the characters, concerns and language for the remainder of the book, as well as introducing the main themes of the novel; that the problems in society are related to the sinful nature of man and good verses evil. In Golding's first chapter, the main characters are introduced, we see many ominous signs of what's to come through the authors choice of language and the beginning of rivalries, issues and concerns are portrayed which are to continue throughout the rest of the book. The …show more content…

That's a reef out to sea." These statements show Ralph to have intelligence to make conclusions on his own accord, and we are able to see the character can think for himself. Continuing through the first chapter, after the meeting with the conch, we see Ralph as a natural leader, "there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out…. Ralph raised is hand for silence" throughout the clamour of choosing a leader, we see Ralph is willing for others to get their say, yet he is still able to have control over the situation and manages to leave the group in awe of him. Throughout the first meeting, Ralph is perceived as someone who does good, such as calling all the boys together, yet he is not so out of touch that he can't relate to the normal temptations in life. These qualities Golding describes Ralph to have in this first chapter, and incredibly important for the remainder of the novel.

It is no surprise that Piggy's nickname is such. When Golding introduces the character, he has just come out of the bushes, after suffering from diarrhoea through eating too many unripe berries. The author continually relates to the fact that the boy is fat, and in many descriptions, Golding blatantly says this such as "The fat boy looked startled". As we progress through the early pages, we learn more of Piggy's appearance through the conversation between Piggy and Ralph. "I've been wearing specs since I was three". With these

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