At the end of Chapter 5, the group is breaking up after
Ralph's council meeting the purpose of which was to establish more rules and structure
on the island. When he opens the meeting for discussion about the beastie, chaos
results. Ralph believes that even the conch cannot re-establish the order he has
lost.
The following conversation between Piggy and Ralph
shows their desire to have adult guidance:
"Grownups know things," said Piggy. "They ain't
afraid of the dark. They'd meet and have tea and discuss. Then things 'ud be all
right---."
"They wouldn't set fire to the island. Or
lose--"
"They'd build a
ship--"
The conversation
continues with the boys discussing how much better the island would be if the adults
were there. Yet, the reader is well aware of the fact that adult world is in chaos as
well. The adults are fighting a world war and are unable to settle their
disputes.
The children clearly need to follow the lessons
that the adults have taught them. Even Roger early on in the novel throws rocks at the
littluns, aiming just to miss. He has been taught by his parents and teachers that
hurting people is wrong. However, adults in Golding's world are not doing any better in
following their own teachings than the children.
No comments:
Post a Comment