Loss of innocence/ Good versus evil

• "Lying there in the darkness, he knew he was an outcast." --> "darkness" = the inherent evil and savagery that has consumed the island. Ralph's awareness of this evil surrounding him underscores his alienation from the others who have embraced their primal instincts.

  Ralph retains his connection to civility, which further isolates him in a world now dominated by chaos and brutality.

  "darkness" = profound sense of isolation and despair --> clear understanding of his predicament

  also represents the loss of innocence: Ralph is an outcast where innocence has been overshadowed by evil.
• Lord of the Flies can be regarded as a morality tale exploring the two sides of human nature. Golding is exploring whether evil is inherent in human beings, or whether it is learnt.

  He seems to suggest all human beings have a natural capacity for evil
• "The boy with fair hair" --> connotation of inherent goodness, Ralph's initial introduction. He is then repeatedly called "the fair boy", serves as his identity

  
  

  this physical attribute can symbolise initial innocence and civilisation. In chapter 10, Ralph is described as having a "shock of yellow hair" (contrasts against his initial virtuous image); and in chapter 10 it described how Ralph "would like to have a pair of scissors and cut this hair... cut this filthy hair right back to half an inch" --> growing hair is symbolic of the breakdown of law and how far they are from civilisation
• "The fair boy" --> aligns with his initial role of order and rationality, he appears to embody the democratic process by which he was chosen as leader: his nickname carries a symbolic weight, representing the initial hope for order, morality and civilisation on the island
• "there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil" --> inherent goodness and purity to his character

  Also aligns with the his initial portrayal of Ralph as a character untouched by darker instincts: symbolises his pure intentions and genuine desire to maintain order and civilisation on the island

  emphasises the absence of evil and malevolent intentions; contrasts him against other characters

  however could also serve as a form of foreshadowing, and opens a theme of evil

  
  

  acts as a manifestation of his moral compass, and desire to maintain principles of order
• -as the story progresses the authority of the conch erodes --> mirrors the breakdown of order

  -this decline in respect reflects the boy's descent into savagery + their increasing disregard for rules

  -after the conch's destruction: signifies the complete collapse of order among the boys without the conch, there is no semblance of a structured society --> as the conch's authority diminishes, so does the social order

  this deterioration reveals the inherent chaos that can emerge when social structure breaks down

  illustrates how authority can be fragile in the face of anarchy
• -as the story progresses the authority of the conch erodes --> mirrors the breakdown of order

  -this decline in respect reflects the boy's descent into savagery + their increasing disregard for rules

  -after the conch's destruction: signifies the complete collapse of order among the boys without the conch, there is no semblance of a structured society --> as the conch's authority diminishes, so does the social order, this deterioration reveals the inherent chaos that can emerge when social structure breaks down

  illustrates how authority can be fragile in the face of anarchy
• "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart" (Chapter 12)

  -earlier in the novel, the morning after Simon's murder- Ralph acknowledges his part in the killing "That was Simon... That was murder."

  -here, he reflects on the actions and behaviour of the entire group, and cries as he realises how terrible they have become (how far from being "innocent" children)

  -Ralph's weeping is prompted by coming in contact with a figure who represents the society he tried to recreate
• "the snake-thing" --> religious imagery, may be symbolic of the Snake in the garden of Eden temping Eve