Naming
English Lit: AQA GCSE Lord of the Flies, topic 5.1.4
Naming
Names in the novel are very significant.
Jack Merridew
- Jack is the only main character for whom Golding provides us with a surname.
- There may be a number of reasons for this:
- Jack is important to the story and the wider moral around the inner savagery of humans and how dangerous it can be.
- Jack himself feels that he is the most important person on the island – he is arrogant and self-centred.
Jack cont.
- Reasons cont:
- Jack feels that social class is important – his surname is his family name, and he comes from an upper-class family.
- Therefore, he feels that the other boys ought to know his social status. He also looks down on Piggy, who is from a lower class.
Piggy
- Near the start of the novel, Piggy wants Ralph to ask him his name but Ralph does not.
- Piggy tells Ralph that he just doesn’t want anyone to use the nickname he gets in school: Piggy.
- Ralph immediately latches on to the name, and he is the one who reveals it to everyone else.
Piggy cont.
- Piggy is never viewed as important enough by the other boys to deserve a real name (possibly due to social class, possibly due to him being visibly different to them).
- Jack has an unhealthy, violent obsession around hunting and killing pigs – this links to his pure hatred of Piggy, as well as Piggy’s violent death.
The Littleuns
- This collective name refers to the young group of boys on the island.
- These boys represent the younger, weaker, more vulnerable members of society.
- The very adjective “little” suggests that these boys need to be protected and cared for.
Roger and the Littleuns
- The name of this group shows Roger’s evil nature immediately.
- Rather than caring for them (like Simon does), he throws rocks near them to scare them – with no provocation from them.
- Most of their names are not known to the reader.
Pawns
- The Littleuns are used as pawns in the fight for power on the island.
- Eventually, they join Jack’s tribe because he offers some protection from the “beast”.
Test yourself on Naming
Which is the only main character for whom Golding provides us with a surname?
Who reveals Piggy's nickname to all the other boys?
Why do the Littleuns join Jack's tribe?