Amy Li 7/6/13
Global Literature
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
“Jack planned is new face…He looked at the mere for his reflection but his breathing troubled the mirror…no longer at himself but at a awesome stranger…the mask was a thing on its own, behind which jack hid, liberated from shame and self consciousness…The face of red and white and black” (Golding 66). At this moment jack has put face paint on himself and he is getting ready to hunt. As he wears this “mask”, he is no longer himself, but someone different and more powerful. The “mask” helps him hide from who he once was/really is. Before when he had attempted to hunt, he could have killed the pig but instead he let it go and said he would catch it the next time. The face paint gives him power and even the thirst to kill. This moment is important in the book because eventually almost everyone aside from Ralph and Piggy wears this face paint that makes them want to kill. It becomes such a big deal that rituals are created and then practiced, which leads to the point of the story revolving around constructing of a civilization/community and of bloodthirstiness. The author likes to make this part stand out by using literary elements throughout the book. This is so that we are able to see his point and it also helps us develop a better understanding of what the authors intentions are. During this moment of the story the author has used imagery to describe a setting in details so we are able to see the moment in great details. Like this scene the author describes the exact specific traits Jack is feeling giving the reader a sense of what’s going on. The author has used several different elements to help with the story and at different parts of the book. William Golding does a great job on showing rather than telling the reader what’s going on,