Reading Response 3: The Identity

It begins at the beginning of the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding when Ralph implicates Piggy's nick name in the place of his real name and his true identity. Then, at the first assembly when the boys on the island establish their names to everyone, Merridew says “Why should I be Jack? I'm Merridew.” (Golding, Lord of the Flies 17). These are the first betrayals towards their identities and their old customs that made them human once, and it is also the first step towards weakening their walls for the 'beast' to penetrate their thoughts. As the novel progresses the boys edge farther and farther away from civilization as they start giving themselves general terms such as 'littluns' and 'biguns' as well as 'Samneric'. This breaks them into classes, not by their individuality, but by their similarities. As a result, they all become more vulnerable to losing their grip on their identities. Yet, there still remains a remnant of their past lives lingering in their actions at this point in the novel. Not all hope is lost, for the time being. “Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life.” (LOTF 65) However, the boys' walls begin to crumble as their identities fade and a new identity begins to take its place; that of the 'beast'. One weapon that hides the true identity of the boys is the mask; it is almost like the 'beast's' protection once it has penetrated the mind of Jack, as the wall is the protection of Ralph's humanity and identity. “[Jack] was safe from shame or self-consciousness behind the mask,” (LOTF 154), and it destroyed Jack's identity. He admits it himself when he looks at his painted face in the water and “he no longer [looks] at himself but at an awesome stranger,” (LOTF 66). So, here is another barrier like the wall and the curtain all exemplified in the novel. But, the mask is meant for keeping the 'beast' inside the mind and the identity out. This is the exact opposite of the function of the wall.

Though the boys in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding do not know enough to try to preserve their identities, Christopher Hadley, a man stranded on a rocky island in William Golding's novel Pincher Martin knew enough to think “I am in danger of losing definition. I am an album of snapshots, random, a whole show of trailers of old films,” (Golding, Pincher Martin 132-133). Even though he understood this and tried to keep his identity, he failed as well. The boys in Lord of the Flies frequently sought the knowledge and responsibilities of adults, but here an adult could not even save himself. It is another example of the survival of the fittest, and it looks as if the fittest is the 'beast' once again. It does not matter if you are a man or a child, if you lose your identity to that of the 'beast', you also lose your humanity.