Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

[S2Lit2008HCI]

1) Why do you think Jack's personality changes when he applies the coloured clay to his face?

2) The older boys call the small boys "littluns". What is the function of this label? What does the fact that they basically remain nameless convey about their purpose in the story?

[2chuyongda10]

1) Why do you think Jack's personality changes when he applies the coloured clay to his face?

Although Jack has been deeply envious of Ralph's power from the moment Ralph was elected, the two do not come into open conflict until this chapter, when Jack's irresponsibility leads to the failure of the signal fire and his deep desire to kill a pig. When Jack painted his face with clay, it shows himturning from an urban boy becoming into a savage wildman. Another point to prove this is when the fire, a symbol of the boys' connection to civilization¡ªgoes out, the boys' first chance of being rescued is thwarted. Ralph flies into a rage, indicating that he is still governed by desire to achieve the good of the whole group. But Jack, having just killed a pig, is too excited by his success to care very much about the missed chance to escape the island. Indeed, Jack¡¯s bloodlust and thirst for power have overwhelmed his interest in civilization. Whereas he previously justified his commitment to hunting by claiming that it was for the good of the group, now -after he had painted his face with clay- he no longer feels the need to justify his behavior at all.

[2bmarcuschong03]

Hey all, I am now giving my views on Question 2.

2)
The littluns represent the plebians and masses who are swayed from one leader to another, but are required by a leader to rule over. It could be argued that Golding uses them to demonstrate the masses' apathy of politics, as the littl'uns are more interested in falling off a log at meetings than in contributing their ideas.

At this point in the novel, the group of boys has lived on the island for some time, and their society increasingly resembles a political state. Although the issue of power and control is central to the boys¡¯ lives from the moment they elect a leader in the first chapter, the dynamics of the society they form take time to develop. By this chapter, the boys¡¯ community mirrors a political society, with the faceless and frightened littluns resembling the masses of common people and the various older boys filling positions of power and importance with regard to these underlings. Some of the older boys, including Ralph and especially Simon, are kind to the littluns; others, including Roger and Jack, are cruel to them. In short, two conceptions of power emerge on the island, corresponding to the novel¡¯s philosophical poles¡ªcivilization and savagery. Simon, Ralph, and Piggy represent the idea that power should be used for the good of the group and the protection of the littluns¡ªa stance representing the instinct toward civilization, order, and morality. Roger and Jack represent the idea that power should enable those who hold it to gratify their own desires and act on their impulses, treating the littluns as servants or objects for their own amusement¡ªa stance representing the instinct toward savagery.

So I think that the term "littleuns" actually has these functions and purposes within it.

Regards,
Marcus Chong 2B03

[2bmarcuschong03]

Hey all, I am here again to express my views on Question 1.
First of all, I really agree with Yong Da's points on this question. thumbs up! ^^

1) Why do you think Jack's personality changes when he applies the coloured clay to his face?

Jack was the leader of the choir at the boys' old school and competes with Ralph for the position of "alpha male" on the island. Basically, Jack is the exact opposite of Ralph. From the beginning of the novel, Jack desires power above all other things, and he carries a large knife as a symbol of this (possible allusion to Jack the Ripper?). He is furious when he loses the election to Ralph and continually pushes the boundaries of his subordinate role in the group. Earlier on, Jack still posses the a sense of civilisation, the first time he encounters a pig, he is unable to kill it. But Jack soon becomes obsessed with hunting and devotes himself to the task, painting his face like a barbarian and giving himself over to bloodlust after succeeding in killing a pig. He had let his huge and unstoppable urge for bloodlust and power overwhelming his senses of civilisation, law and order, 'knocking down' his past self when he was still pretty sensible, e.g. he justified his behaviour, his commitment to hunting by saying that it was actually for the benefit of all of them. But now he doesn't. It also serves as a liberation from shame and self-consciousness. With the painting on his face, he felt that for now, whatever he is does will be covered up, thus felt free to do as he wishes. Then as he further took it for granted, his whole personality changed 180 degrees to an uncivilised person, behaving like a barbarian.

Besides, I think the change in personality is *partly* because he is still a child. A child tend to be very interested in recognition and acceptance.(For example we heard many cases of children addicted to computer games, training powerful characters and be respected by the others playing) So Jack might thought that by being this kind of him, he might be more recognised, accepted, respected and worshipped as a more powerful person. He felt high pleasure in this and thus changed in personality to adhere to the above. However, though I am saying as if he had thought of all these about respect, acceptance, etc, he might not have even thought of anything but just innocently changed without himself knowing. Oblivious of his change, of his feelings and thoughts along the road to this personality turnover.

Regards,
Marcus Chong 2B03

[2cgalileoyap07]

Dear All,
I am replying question 1.
I feel that his painted face is rather significant in this point of this novel in that once he paints his face, his whole style of thinking and personality changes. In what way? you may ask. I would like to say that, it is rather obvious that once his face is painted, then Jack changes from a rather cruel boy, to a horrible savage who would not bat an eyelid at killing anything. This personality change makes the rest of them, who are the less significant ones in the story, think that Jack had finally turn into a person more capable of leading the whole group, rather than Ralph, who is portrayed in the story as a more benevolent and civilized leader in this novel as compared to the antagonist, who is in this case Jack.
This final transformation is depicted as the final straw, that would turn him into an inhumane, with rather animal-like behavior, something that reminds us all of a "devil" of some sort. Originally,he meant it to be sort of a motivation for him, to remind him that he is a hunter. It may had also served to him that this would make him more powerful than Ralph, who was the undisputed leader of the boys then. However,this face paint was the sign that any atom of civilization of any sort would not be apparent, or exist at all,in Jack's thinking and actions.
In all, this "battle" between Ralph and Jack can be accurately put as a struggle of Darkness and Light". Thank you.

[2balcanderseah01]

The older boys call the small boys "littluns". What is the function of this label? What does the fact that they basically remain nameless convey about their purpose in the story?

The function of ¡°littluns¡± is to generalize the whole cohort of smaller boys, whereby only a few of them were highlighted by their names specifically. This term ¡°littluns¡± also represents the general public, and Ralph, Jack, Simon as the more authorized personnel.

In this story, it mainly features the major conflict existing between Ralph and Jack, also representing the theme of civilization vs. savagery. With this major conflict going on, each party struggling for power over the group, the littluns, as the general public, sways from side to side towards the winning party. For example, at the start of the story, everybody was on Ralph¡¯s side as he was the chief. However, as the story progresses, when Jack forms his own tribe and slowly rose to power, he also made it clear that he was the more powerful side. This thus attracted the majority of the group to change sides, abandoning Ralph.

I think the fact that William Golding chose them to remain the smaller children nameless conveys the minority roles they play in the story and at the same time, to let everyone know the extent to how neutral they were, and would only crowd to the side with more abundant power, be it good or evil. This also reflects on the current society behavior whereby people flock to the newest emergent party, before leaving for another.

All in all, I feel that the function of ¡°littluns¡± represents the general public and William Golding chose to remain them anonymous as he wanted to show how neutral they were, flocking to the side with more power.

I will be answering question 1 later.

[2bwenkang04]

Hi all,
I shall be starting on question1 . I think that Jack's personality changes when he applies the coloured clay to his face. This is because Jack, when he applies the coloured clay to his face, has a 'mask' to hide himself under. He can thus do whatever he wants without showing any true sign of emotion. He could command anyone he wants to. I think that Jack, who is already quite arrogant, feels very powerful when he puts on the mask. Still bitter about losing to Ralph, I think he vents his anger by putting on this mask and shouting orders. This is evident in the text in which he shouted to Samaneric to bring him a coconut and asked them to shut up. The mask also serves as a liberation from shame and self-consciousness. This is evident in the text when Ralph accuses Jack of not tending to the fire. Jack, although feeling apologetic, rebutts Ralph by saying that they needed meat. At this point, I think that Jack is feeling pretty savage towards Ralph and is obsessed with power and aggression. Hence, it serves as a liberation from shame and self-consciousness.
I will be answering question 2 later.

[2cangenming02]

Hi everyone,
I will be replying to both questions.

1) Jack has an obsession for hunting and killing. He decides to paint his face with clay and charcoal to provide camouflage when hunting. However, as he looks at his newly painted face, a change comes over him: "The mask was a thing on its own behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness". This is a new beginning for Jack. He feels free from all the restrictions of the past; free to do as he wishes. It is the mask, not Jack, which "compels" the twins to join the hunt.

2) The smaller boys were aged about six and known by the generic title of "littluns". As their collective title suggests, they are presented in the novel more as a group than as individuals. The littluns "... led a quite distinct, and at the same time intense, life of their own." Moreover, "they seldom bothered with the biguns and their passionately emotional and corporate life was their own". Another characteristic was their fear. "They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort."

Hence, the littluns represent the helpless masses of people, who, unable to fend for themselves, depend on others. They can easily end up being excluded and exploited.

Regards,
Ang En Ming

[2bongyuhao17]

2) The older boys call the small boys "littluns". What is the function of this label? What does the fact that they basically remain nameless convey about their purpose in the story?

The function of this label placed on the small boys is to seperate them between the bigger boys. The bigger boys were obviously much more matured than the littleuns who are more engrossed in Ralph's motto 2 which is to have fun than Ralph's 1st motto which is to get rescued. This label is to show the readers how insignificant the littleuns were among the boys on the island. As shown from the word "little" as compared to "big", little obviously packs a smaller impact. Little is also often related to insignificance. As mentioned earlier, the littleuns remained nameless throughout because they were insignificant in Golding's story. This insignificance makes characters such as Ralph, Jack, Piggy stand out more because of the help they have contributed, the conflicts that they were engaged in, the savage things they have done as compared to the littleuns who were puerile and practically played their time away on the island instead of offering some constructive opinions or rendering their services during their stay there.

[2bongyuhao17]

1) Why do you think Jack's personality changes when he applies the coloured clay to his face?

From the time Jack smeared the clay on his face, he turned from a proud and outstanding British boy into a savage and wild boy obsessed with hunting. The coloured clay had gave him a feeling that he was like a real tribe member. He felt he was like in the war. From my point of view, I think that the coloured clay which had concealed his face provided him with a sense of belonging. Like in games, when we join clans, we feel proud of it and inspired us. He might have thought he belonged to some hunting tribes and this built on his fervor for hunting. The coloure clay had also made him feel that he had taken on a new personality and therefore, the old Jack was gone and in his new personality, his savagery started to build up. The coloured clay also made him look very bright and this might have made him feel very inspired and therefore, his passion for hunting took a wrong turn into savagery. With this new mask, it had changed Jack's mindset. It had changed him from a refined city boy into a savage island boy.

[2bwenkang04]

Hi all,
I will be answering question 2 now.
I think that the function of the name 'littleuns' is to classify all the young boys into a group so that it would be easier to call them. I think that this can show that the 'littleuns' are young (they're around 6) and they don't follow orders accordingly.

I think that the reason that the 'littleuns' are aptly named and are nameless is to classify all the young boys into a nameless group, in which they express the same type of emotion, how they act, how they feel, how they vote etc. As someone has mentioned above, I also think that the 'littleuns' are named to represent the general public in which to show the fact that they are neutral and would only crowd to the side with more abundant power, be it good or evil. I think that this shows the side of people in which 'majority wins', or 'lets follow the majority'. I think this also represents the people who have no views and opinions whatsoever about the whole topic, are neutral or just go with the flow.
Thank you
Wen Kang.

[2cpekjiehui27]

Hi people.

I shall post my views on question 1.

1) Why do you think Jack's personality changes when he applies the coloured clay to his face?

Firstly, from the beginning, before Jack had painted his face, he was still a civilized, typical and ordinary British boy. This is evident in him saying that "British are the best". This goes to show that he was still a very civilized person at the start of the story.

However, things changed when Jack and his hunters let the fire go out. Ralph placed the full blame on Jack for not tending the fire, missing the chance to be rescued. However, unlike Ralph, Jack was one who did not care about the bigger picture but instead the small problems of not having meat on the island. Also, due to Jack's rebellious character, his attitude towards Ralph after that incident, causing him to go off-track from a civilized British boy to a savage hunter.

When Jack coloured his face, it shows that he was obsessed in killing and catching a pig. This signified a large change in his character, showing that deep in his heart he was already a savage hunter, thinking of killing a pig and having power all day long.

Hence, Jack's personality changes when he applies clay to his face as it showed his obsession towards the killing of a pig.

Please post your views and comments.

Regards,
Jie Hui

[2cjamesquah28]

Hey guys, just wanted to express my view on Question 2.

Question 2

2) The older boys call the small boys "littluns". What is the function of this label? What does the fact that they basically remain nameless convey about their purpose in the story?

Firstly, i would like to express my view that the fact that the main reason why the older boys call the small boys "littluns" is largely due to the fact that the littluns are actually "USELESS" people as they do not contribute anything productive. All they do all day is just simply 3 things-

1) Eating

Quote from Page 74, " They ate most of the day, picking fruit where they could reach it and not particular about ripeness and quality."

2) Playing & sleeping

Quote from Page 74, "Apart from food and sleep, they found time for play, aimless and trivial, among the white sand by the bright water."

3) Crying

Quote from page 74. " They cried for their mothers much less often than might have been expected ". However, this does not indicate that they DID NOT CRY.

Hence, I believe that the main reason that they called the smaller boys "littluns" is because they were fed-up with them and discriminated against them.

What does the fact that they basically remain nameless convey about their purpose in the story?
From my point of view, the reason why they basically remain generalised as "littluns" rather than each and everyone of their names is because of a simple reason. They smaller boys did not take part in any major role or major plot twist. Hence, all in all, they were actually insignificant in this sense. Another possible reason is because since they did not play any significance, the author probably did not want to confuse the readers with additional names. Moreover, the "littluns" are in reality, a "Neutral party" slanting towards Ralph and Jack. However, this "Neutral party" actually became Jack's minions in the end for the lure of meat.

Therefore, i counclude the main point that the reason why they are generalised all throughout the book, is largely due to their INSIGNIFICANCE.

[2balcanderseah01]

1) Why do you think Jack's personality changes when he applies the colored clay to his face?

I think that Jack¡¯s personality changed when he applied the colored clay to his face because it sort of shielded him from the shame and reality he experienced whenever he quarreled with Ralph or other things.

When Jack applied colored clay to his face, it blinded and covered him from civilization and with the behavior of a savage man, he thus could not control himself as the savage instincts within him overwhelms his civilization instincts. It had also made Jack even more bloodlust and thirst for power and feels that there was no need to justify all his misdeeds to anyone anymore. Furthermore, it had made Jack bolder when he applied clay to his face as evident from this chapter when he began to hit Piggy openly whenever he had agitated him rather than glaring at him menacingly as from the start of the first few chapters. I will also like to add that other factors like leading wild chants etc also contributed to Jack¡¯s barbaric behavior.

All in all, I feel that Jack's personality changes when he applies the colored clay to his face because it acted as a sort of mask, shielding him from civilization and shame, making him more barbaric and bold.

That is all I have to say for now, Thank You.

[2btaytianwen28]

2.)The older boys call the small boys "littluns". What is the function of this label? What does the fact that they basically remain nameless convey about their purpose in the story?

The "littluns" , or the small boys, are given such a general an ambigious name, which perhaps refers to the general masses who are swayed by the tongues of whom they look up to as leaders. Thes people are, literally "minions" and servants of the bigger ones, and they would be used to satisfy Jack's desires in the later part of the book.

The general term "littluns" is ambigious it could also convey the message that they play only a minor role in the story. This can be supported by textual evidence. Most of the Story revolves around the affairs of the more influnetial and bigger boys on the island, whereas littluns just serve as an extra role throughout the story, but however this is also not entirely true. It is also known that the missing boy with a birthmark on his face served a vital role in the story too.

Also, the term "littluns" also conveys the message that they are weak mentally and physically, which is quite true and can also be supprted by textual evidence. Little boys generally do not have the stamina nor the strength to do what bigger boys can, and the "littluns" are easily swayed by Jack's malicious tongue.

All in all, the term "littluns" could refer to the above