Significance of the Mock - Hunts in Lord of Flies

The mock-hunts in Lord of the Flies are symbols of primitivism and barbarism. The mock-
hunt begins as a pure sport for the sake of fun but gradually it turns into savagery and cruelty.
There are three mock hunts in thenovel.

The first mock hunt is really a pure fun. It occurs after the dinner arranged by jack on having
killed a pig and roasted it to be eaten by the boys with great relish. Though Ralph is a mood of
annoyance, jack goes on describing his hunting adventure. While Maurice pretends to be a pig,
the boys, forming a circle round him begins to dance, singing, "Kill the pig, cut her throat, bash
her in!’’ This is a pure fun and the participants enjoy it even though Ralph remains resentful
during this game.

The second mock hunt is held by the boys in the course of their search for the beast which has
been reported by Sam and Eric. Finding no beast they begin to enjoy a mock hunt. This time
Robert pretends to be a pig and squeal, while the boys forming a ring round him, shower blows
upon him with singing and dancing. The blows are two severe for him and with much difficulty
he frees himself from their clutches, sustaining some injures. Thus the second mock hunt marked
as a primitive ritual. Here jack becomes so spiteful that he proposes to treat one of the Litt’luns
as a real pig and beat him to death. This shows the savagery that lies hidden in Jack’snature.

The third mock hunt takes place later in the story after jack has established himself as the chief
of a large number of Biguns who have deserted Ralph. Ignoring Ralph’s leadership, jack invites
all the boys to hold a mock - hunting and this time roger pretends to be the pig and the hunters,
dancing in a ring pretend to attack him. As they become more and more excited, Roger saves
himself by leaving the centre of the ring empty and joining the party of the hunter’s. Now the
attention of the hunters is turned to a figure crawling out of the forest. This is Simon, the Christ
figure who has just come down from the mountain top to rid the boys of their fear of the beast.
But ironically he himself is taken to be the beast and becomes the victim of their cruelty. He is
killed by their blows. Thus this mock-hunt marks the climax of the series. The participants have
now developed a lust for blood.

To sum up, the successive mock-hunts show the boys gradual alienation from and moving
farther and farther from civilized behavior, and going backward to barbarism. In fact, Golding’s
purpose behind the mock-hunts is to display the degeneration of human heart under favorable
circumstances.

Significance of the Title Lord of the Flies

―Lord oftheFlies‖asa title ismostappropriatefor thisnovelofGolding, as it gives us a
definite clue to the major theme of the novel. The title clearly shows that the novelwas
intended to have an allegorical purpose. The Lord of the Flies is Beelzebub, mentioned
in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Beelzebub is the prince of demons
and Milton used this name for one of his fallen angles. For a novel to have this title,
evidently shows that the theme of the story would be evil, or a clash between the forces
of evil and the forces of good. And, indeed such a clash is the principal theme of this
particular novel.

The phrase ―Lord of theFlies‖first comes in chapter-8,whenwefindSimonaloneinthe

jungle. He is looking from his hiding place in the forest at the fly covered head ofdead
pig killed by Jack and his hunters. Jack cut off the Sow’s head, offered it as a
sacrifice to the beast in order to appease the beast. This is a ―gift for the
darkness.Simon has observed the doings of Jack and his hunters and the Sow’s head
seems toSimon to be Beelzebub – the lord of the flies. He feels as if the head the lord of
the flies,was speaking to him. It wars Simon that he cannot escape him, the beast, for
he is apart of everyone and he is responsible for all of their difficulties. He threatens
Simonrepeatedly and finally Simon faints. This hallucination is described at the end of
chapter-8 and it explains the title of the novel and the allegorical significance of the
whole story.The head of the pig hung on a stick, becomes a symbol of terror. Golding
gives it thetitle Lord of the Flies which is a translation of the Arabic word Baal-zebub,
the name ofa devil. The head of the pig represents the evil of unreason. The Flies that
buzz over theguts of the Sow are instinctive beings and they represent the primitive
urges thatdominate the boys. He (Lord of the Flies) asks Simon to go away. Simon
insists that the
Lord of the flies is only a ―Pig’s head on a stick‖.
In fact this whole episode is a symbolic representation of the conflict between
thehighest and lowest impulses in man. Lord of the Flies explains that the boys
wouldnever be able to hunt or kill the beast. And, then the Lord of the Flies says:

“You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?”

It answers the question why the civilization of boys is a total failure. The
destructiveelement is in the boys themselves. Golding wants to say that whatever
name you giveto the evil – devil, sin, neurosis, hate, violence, brutality – the fact is that
evil existsinside man. The symbolic encounter between Simon and the lord of the flies
representsthe conflict between good and evil — as it is found in every man.

To be curt, we can say that the title Lord of the Flies is most appropriate for this novel
because it very beautifully presents the theme of the novel man is by nature evil. And
when Jack presents a sacrifice to the beast Golding succeeds in dispelling the notion
that man is basically good. Golding believes that man is follower of the Lord of the Flies.
As Lord of the Flies utters:
“I’m part of you.”

Role of Hallucination Scene

In Chapter 8 after seeing the hunters kill the sow and display its head on a stick, The
sight mesmerizes him, and it even seems as if the head comes to life. The head speaks
to Simon in the voice of the ―Lord of the Flies,‖ominously declaring that Simon will
never be able to escape him, for he lies within all human beings Simon has
a hallucination in which the pig's head seems to talk to and threaten him. Then he
faints (or has a seizure). Simon is not interested in hunting, but stays hidden while the
others kill the sow.

Simon has a deep human insight in the glade, for he realizes that it is not a real,
physical beast that inspires the hunters’ behavior but rather the barbaric instinct that lies
deep within each of them. Fearing that this instinct lies embedded within himself as well,
Simon seems to hear the Lord of the Flies speaking with him, threatening him with what
he fears the most. Unable to stand the sight any longer, Simon collapses into a very
humanfaint.

In all, Simon is a complex figure who does not fit neatly into the matrix framed by Jack
at the one end and Ralph at the other. Simon is kindhearted and firmly on the side of
order and civilization, but he is also intrigued by the idea of the beast and feels a deep
connection with nature and the wilderness on the island. Whereas Jack and Roger
connect with the wilderness on a level that plunges them into primal lust and violence,
Simon finds it a source of mystical comfort and joy. Simon’s closeness with nature and
his unwaveringly kind nature throughout the novel make him the only character who
does not feel morality as an artificial imposition of society.

Instead, we sense that Simon’s morality and goodness are a way of life that proceeds
directly and easily from nature. Lord of the Flies is deeply preoccupied with the problem
of fundamental, natural human evil—amid which Simon is the sole figure of
fundamental, natural good. In a wholly nonreligious way, Simon complicates the
philosophical statement the novel makes about human beings, for he represents a
completely separate alternative to the spectrum between civilization and savagery of
which Ralph and Jack are a part. In the end, Simon is both natural and good in a world
where such a combination seems impossible.