Rhetorical Analysis of Death in "Lord of the Flies"

William Golding, author of the novel Lord of the Flies, draws out Simon's death with many details but only simply outlines Piggy's death to indicate the significance of each character's passing. Golding indicates, "The air [is] cool, moist, and clear; and presently even the sound of the water [is] still" to set a calm atmosphere. This symbolizes Simon's calm nature. Whenever Simon was around another character, that character would be more at peace. Because Simon is now gone, the calm setting of the island is gone as well, and it is replaced with a more heightened, savage setting. Golding also describes the water "[dressing] Simon's coarse hair with brightness." This brightness is metaphoric for a halo around Simon's head. With this analogy Golding is further carrying Simon as a Christ figure on the island. Simon is there to subconsciously remind everyone the differences between what is right and what is wrong. After his death, there is no longer a figure to keep the savages subconsciously in line. Piggy's grotesque death, however, had little effect on the children.

They seemed accustomed to the death that had already permeated their existence. Having lived on the island and reverted to their feral instincts, the children are little more than savages. Even after watching as that boulder smashed into Piggy, they could not but feel indifferent. Golding uses the word "stuff" to describe Piggy's organs to represent insignificance. Piggy's death was insignificant to the kids because they had already killed a human; another murder is just a normal occurrence for them at this point. Golding also tells how "the body of Piggy [is] gone." Golding illustrates that the body is the only thing leaving the island because Piggy's death did not take anything away from the kids; everything they had to lose had already been lost. Overall, Golding depicts each death the way he does to explain, through symbolism, that Simon's death was a vital moment during the boy's decent to savagery whereas Piggy's death had little significance other than his physical presence leaving. This novel clearly demonstrates how easily sanity and the morals and limits set by society can be lost when venturing out into the wilderness.