In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding there are many different clear examples of the use of the literary technique juxtaposition in order to enhance all the dramatic and important scenes by adding many contrasts shown as a theme in the book. There will be three specific examples given. The first example is the raping of the sow, the second is the death of Simon, and the third is the appearance of the naval officer.
Roger ran round the heap, prodding with his spear whenever pig flesh appeared. Jack was on top of the sow, stabbing downward with his knife. Roger found a lodgment for his point and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her. The butterflies still danced, preoccupied in the center of the clearing. (Golding 135).
In this scene of the book the savage boys Jack, their savage leader, Roger and Maurice, the boys who are most loyal to him, hunt down and kill a sow. The killing of the sow serves as a direct comparison to a rape and the boys rape the sow. This is an intense violent and bloody scene when the boys kill the sow yet it takes place in a small clearing in the trees with flowers and beautiful butterflies fluttering in the background this whole time. The significance of this is that while this terrible raping and killing is going on there are also butterflies being juxtaposed in order to make this seem even more evil by nature.
The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the center, it's arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.… The edge of the lagoon became a streak of phosphorescence which advanced minutely, as the great wave of the tide flowed. The clear water mirrored the clear sky and the angular bright constellations. The line of phosphorescence bulged about the sand grains and little pebbles; it held them each in a dimple of tension, then suddenly accepted them with an inaudible syllable and moved on.… Somewhere over the darkened curve of the world the sun and moon were pulling, and the film of water on the earth planet was held, bulging slightly on one side while the solid core turned. The great wave of the tide moved farther along the island and the water lifted. Softly, surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simon’s dead body moved out toward the open sea.(Golding 153 154).
This is a very important scene at the end of chapter nine in which it describes the death of Simon and portrays it as a terrifying savage like sacrifice very much so alike as an Aztec sacrificial ceremony. William Golding juxtaposes Simon's death to once again beautiful scenery of the tides and the moon reflecting off the water. It's all of a sudden a very calm and peaceful environment. Golding ensures this to secure the fact that there is a looming evil within not just one, but all the boys and that Simon was right about the being themselves.
He stumbled over a root and the cry that pursued him rose even higher. He saw a shelter burst into flames and the fire flapped at his right shoulder and there was the glitter of water. Then he was down, rolling over and over in the warm sand, crouching with arm up to ward off, trying to cry for mercy. He staggered to his feet, tensed for more terrors, and looked up at a huge peaked cap. It was a white-topped cap, and above the green shade or the peak was a crown, an anchor, gold foliage. He saw white drill, epaulettes, a revolver, a row of gilt buttons down the front of a uniform. A naval officer stood on the sand, looking down at Ralph in wary astonishment. On the beach behind him was a cutter, her bows hauled up and held by two ratings. In the stern-sheets another rating held a sub-machine gun. (Golding 200).
This quote is an extremely important because it doesn't only give an example of juxtaposition, but it's also an allegory that represents the contrast between two societies. Anarchy and any other classed society. This scene juxtaposes the two societies, one being an anarchy represented by the man hunt for Ralph as well as the lack for order on the island while the other is a classed society with order and prosperity represented by the naval officer.
Roger ran round the heap, prodding with his spear whenever pig flesh appeared. Jack was on top of the sow, stabbing downward with his knife. Roger found a lodgment for his point and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her. The butterflies still danced, preoccupied in the center of the clearing. (Golding 135).
In this scene of the book the savage boys Jack, their savage leader, Roger and Maurice, the boys who are most loyal to him, hunt down and kill a sow. The killing of the sow serves as a direct comparison to a rape and the boys rape the sow. This is an intense violent and bloody scene when the boys kill the sow yet it takes place in a small clearing in the trees with flowers and beautiful butterflies fluttering in the background this whole time. The significance of this is that while this terrible raping and killing is going on there are also butterflies being juxtaposed in order to make this seem even more evil by nature.
The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the center, it's arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.… The edge of the lagoon became a streak of phosphorescence which advanced minutely, as the great wave of the tide flowed. The clear water mirrored the clear sky and the angular bright constellations. The line of phosphorescence bulged about the sand grains and little pebbles; it held them each in a dimple of tension, then suddenly accepted them with an inaudible syllable and moved on.… Somewhere over the darkened curve of the world the sun and moon were pulling, and the film of water on the earth planet was held, bulging slightly on one side while the solid core turned. The great wave of the tide moved farther along the island and the water lifted. Softly, surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simon’s dead body moved out toward the open sea.(Golding 153 154).
This is a very important scene at the end of chapter nine in which it describes the death of Simon and portrays it as a terrifying savage like sacrifice very much so alike as an Aztec sacrificial ceremony. William Golding juxtaposes Simon's death to once again beautiful scenery of the tides and the moon reflecting off the water. It's all of a sudden a very calm and peaceful environment. Golding ensures this to secure the fact that there is a looming evil within not just one, but all the boys and that Simon was right about the being themselves.
He stumbled over a root and the cry that pursued him rose even higher. He saw a shelter burst into flames and the fire flapped at his right shoulder and there was the glitter of water. Then he was down, rolling over and over in the warm sand, crouching with arm up to ward off, trying to cry for mercy. He staggered to his feet, tensed for more terrors, and looked up at a huge peaked cap. It was a white-topped cap, and above the green shade or the peak was a crown, an anchor, gold foliage. He saw white drill, epaulettes, a revolver, a row of gilt buttons down the front of a uniform. A naval officer stood on the sand, looking down at Ralph in wary astonishment. On the beach behind him was a cutter, her bows hauled up and held by two ratings. In the stern-sheets another rating held a sub-machine gun. (Golding 200).
This quote is an extremely important because it doesn't only give an example of juxtaposition, but it's also an allegory that represents the contrast between two societies. Anarchy and any other classed society. This scene juxtaposes the two societies, one being an anarchy represented by the man hunt for Ralph as well as the lack for order on the island while the other is a classed society with order and prosperity represented by the naval officer.