Recommended: Cruelty in works of literature
I think Roger might break out of his shell as the novel continues. Simon-Simon seems friendly and he is accepted by the group when he was chosen to go exploring with Jack and Ralph. Chapter 2: I think that rules are very important to the boys’ survival because without rules they would be doing whatever they wanted.
Roger chose to torture the boys, and eventually he chose to kill Piggy. The experience of the island pulled something ugly out of him specifically, but in all the ways that matter, he was fully aware and in control of his choice to murder another person. The other murder, Simon’s, is different in that no one person chose to kill the boy. No one in particular summoned the malice to beat him to death, but the group as a whole lost their individual values and assimilated into the group. Chapter 2 of Opening Skinner’s Box explains that people abandon their core beliefs in order to satisfy some primal need to conform.
So far the worst thing Roger has done is torture a pig, but he soon will take it up a notch and make his biggest act of cruelty: murder. In the middle of a stand off, Roger, “...[leans with] all his weight on the lever. … The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee…” (180-181) By committing murder, Roger has completed a heartless act, making him the most savage person on the island and revealing how his morals are wrong.
Initially, Roger reveals his cruel behavior by merely crushing the littleuns’ and castles and throwing stones around the boys. This demonstrates Golding’s theme of savagery as Roger realizes he can now do these things without punishment from adults or civilization. This is verified by the quote, “Roger led the way straight through the castles, kicking them over, burying the flowers, scattering the chosen stones” (Golding pg. 60). Yet, Roger’s evil is still slightly
(Golding 180-181) At this point in the story, Roger is acting on his primitive instincts and becoming the biggest savage on the island. Speaking about his savagery, Roger kills Piggy with a huge boulder, which not only kills Piggy but destroys the conch into smithereens. Savagery has overtaken Roger, and his murder of Piggy symbolizes savagery and the destruction of their civilization. This quote shows that Jack's cruelty is rubbed off on his people.
By using redirect devices, specific diction, and metaphors Golding illustrates that the young boys slowly but steadily are losing touch with their humanity and finally grasping onto their ancient ancestors way of life of savagery. In the first sentence Golding uses the rhetoric device anaphor to show the truly threatening actions Roger is fulling. The author is constantly stating that Roger is throwing rocks at a young kid, and even though Roger is purposefully missing the young boy Roger is still throwing the rocks. Not for any form of civilized or popularity gain, but for pure joy.
As the boys’ sense of morality dissolves, violence is promoted among them. In the following quote, something involuntary within Roger stops him from hitting Henry, “Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, which he dare
roger also isn't prepared to get into a fight and he just isn't a kid that would fight. although some people might argue and say that roger is more of the want kind of kid like the socs he isn't as rough and he isn't the kind of kid that would beat another kid half to death. if roger were to be a greaser he would
Application to case: Both the containment theory and the social bonding theory relate to the Columbine case, and can help us to understand why it may have happened. Both boys had their own significant issues whether they be internal or external. Looking at the containment theory first we can see that Harris had multiple problems in his external containment, he moved around a lot as a child meaning he never settles in one place. His relationships with friends were destroyed many times due to needing to pack up a move on, he one said “I have moved to different houses or locations about six times…I left behind some of the greatest friends I ever had…Loosing a friend is almost the worst thing to happen to a person” (Hong, 2011).
Finally, it was with the use of symbolism that showed the power of understanding someone else’s situation. An example can be the blue suede shoes that roger wanted to buy using the money he would have stolen. These shoes represent his poverty and loneliness: “I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy. (2). Roger is shown to be very frail and scared; I feel those shoes can be a representation of his want of something more in life and a new bond that was formed between him and Mrs. Jones.
Golding uses one character named Roger to show that there are those who resort to violence and savagery when laws against violence are not in place. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding is able to portray Roger as a dangerous character early on in the book. When Roger and Maurice disturb the littluns, the reader can sense Roger 's violent mentality. Consider the
When Piggy died at Castle Rock the novel states, “Roger with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever” (180). Roger had the choice to not push the boulder but his urge to hurt and kill made him push the lever to kill Piggy. He has became as savage as Jack has, he also does this to show how powerful their tribe is. Roger leaned all his weight on a huge rock and caused the rock to fall which smashed Piggy. Roger also disliked Piggy, Roger said “Piggy is different compared to the rest” him being different made Roger dislike him, which led to Roger killing Piggy.
His brutal behavior reveals when he kills the character of Piggy by throwing the stone. He throws it intentionally without any sorrow. Roger becomes a savage totally and brutal when he enjoys the murder of Piggy: “The storm of sound beat at them, an incantation of hatred high overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever” (Golding, 222).
Lastly, “A stick sharpened at both ends,” conveyed to the children the danger of each other and Roger, the wielder of the stick, used this symbol of destruction to lead them on a hunt to kill the protagonist Ralph. The symbols with the greatest influence and power were mostly derived from a negative connotation. William Golding used both power and symbolism to create an Allegory novel that gives insight on how they have a deadly end result. The washed up Conch and Sow’s head had many differences, the most simplistic being that the head was evil, containing fear, while the Conch wielded order and civility. The plot of this novel shifts around power and what the result is of having it fall into the wrong hands.
Furthermore, allegory strongly reveals the defect of the Puritan society and imperfection of all human beings by exposing abysmal agonies of each allegorical character coming from their intrinsic limits. Roger Chillingworth, the husband of Hester Prynne, is a good example of an allegorical character that shows the corruption
