Lord of The Flies

Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair
The Price of The Pig
Perspective: Simon

1. In England there was always meat and other foods on hand but on the island we have to go search and hunt for food. Also in England it wasn't as sunny. On the island I've been burnt by the sun many times. It has given me a swarthiness. I'm also having trouble living without my family.

2. The littluns don't understand how serious the situation we're in is. I feel bad about the older boys treating them badly. I'm jealous of the littluns ignorance of the situation.

3. The littluns spend their time off eating and playing. They explore the forest and play on the beach. They don't help with the work but they're young and they haven't officially been given jobs.

4. Jack believes the pigs have been evading the hunters because they can see them. The hunters paint their faces as camouflage so the hunter's presence will be impalpable.

5. I think the hunters painting their faces foreshadows the transformation of us into wild animals to survive. I think we'll become as wild as the marks on our faces.

6. The hunters get a rush of primitive aggression when they paint their faces. It makes them feel wild before the hunt.

7. The passing ship doesn't see us on the island because the signal fire goes out.

8. The fire went out because the hunters tending it went hunting with Jack and left the fire to burn out.

Simon Questions

1. Tensions are high due to the hunters letting the fire die right before a ship was spotted. Ralph and Jack both had a belligerent argument which neither won. The littluns are running crazy but are happy. The hunters seem somewhat happy because of their first kill and the now assured promise of meat. There are high tensions and no order.

2. I think there'll be more conflict. I think the gap between the hunters and everyone else will continue to grow malevolently larger until it breaks out into violence. I see no balm to our problems.