9-12-2010

Here are two of my explanations/interpretations for why Golding made the decisions he did:
1. Why did he name the chapter "The Sound of the Shell"
2. Why did he provide no character names to begin with

My Answer to Number 1
Names are obviously important. They have special meanings that can describe a character, sort of like how my name means Jehovah saves. In this case, Ralph's name means: Wolf counselor. By not referring to the two boys by their names immediately, we get a chance to drill their physical description into our heads through repetition (e.g the fair haired boy). I think Golding did not mention names to take us back to older times, where not everything had a name yet and where described for what they literally were. Savage and barbaric times perhaps?

My Answer to Number 2

Most books that I read are so long, that naming each and every chapter probably makes it seem like writing another book to the author. Golding uses his chapter titles for obvious reasons: to highlight major points and symbols, and do some foreshadowing. For example, "The sound of the shell" is referring to the effect that sound has on humans and bringing up the major symbol of democracy and order. While we are on the topic of sound, in our day to day lives music is a large influence on the way we think and feel and it reflects the emotions and thought patterns that society had at a certain time. In the Lord of the Flies, the sound of the conch brought all the boys together, but at the end of the book, the sound of war whoops symbolized danger and drove Ralph away.