“Lord of the Flies” – Island Description

The following are quotes and a photo that describes the island from LOTF.

Shore:

The shore was fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the air 4

Scar:

“All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat,” (Golding 6 e-book).

Lagoon:

“within the irregular arc of coral, the lagoon was still as a mountain lake – blue of all shades and shadowy green and purple” (Golding 4).

Beach:

“The beach between the palm terrace and the water drew to a point at infinity; and always, almost invisible, was the heat” (Golding 4).

Platform and Meeting Place:

“a great platform of pink granite thrust up uncompromisingly through forest and terrace and sand and lagoon to make a raised jetty four feet high. The top of this was covered with a thin layer of soil and coarse grass and shaded with young palm trees.” (Golding 13 e-book).

The Jungle:

Ralph disentangled himself cautiously and stole away through the branches. In a few seconds the fat boy’s grunts were behind him and he was hurrying toward the screen that still lay between him and the lagoon. He climbed over a broken trunk and was out of the jungle. (10)

The Mountain:

“It was roughly boat-shaped: humped near this end with behind them
the jumbled descent to the shore. On either side rocks, cliffs, treetops
and a steep slope: forward there, the length of the boat, a tamer descent,
tree-clad, with hints of pink: and then the jungly flat of the island, dense
green, but drawn at the end to a pink tail. There, where the island petered
out in water, was another island; a rock, almost detached, standing
like a fort, facing them across the green with one bold, pink bastion.
The boys surveyed all this, then looked out to sea” (Golding 26)

Coral Reef:

“Out there, perhaps a mile away, the white surf flinked on a coral reef, and
beyond that the open sea was dark blue. Within the irregular arc of coral
the lagoon was still as a mountain lake—blue of all shades and shadowy
green and purple. The beach between the palm terrace and the water
was a thin stick, endless apparently” (Golding 4)

The Scar:

He looked up and down the scar. “And this is what the cabin done.” The fair boy reached out and touched the jagged end of a trunk. For a moment he looked interested. “What happened to it?” he asked. “Where’s it got to now?” “That storm dragged it out to sea. It wasn’t half dangerous with all them tree trunks falling. There must have been some kids still in it.” He hesitated for a moment, then spoke again. (8)

The Jungle:

beyond falls and cliffs there was a gash visible in the trees; there were the splintered trunks and then the drag, leaving only a fringe of palm between the scar and the sea. (26,27)

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