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the lord of the files What can be inferred about the boys’ feelings after the fire gets out of control
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Do you mean the first signal-fire that gets out of control (and the mulberry-birthmark boy disappears) or the final fire that Jack’s tribe lights to smoke Ralph out at the end? The boys’ reactions differ, but the same basic emotions are present. Briefly:
- Early/out-of-control signal fire (the littlun probably burned): the boys feel fear, guilt and helplessness. They are frightened by what their carelessness has done and ashamed that they cannot control the dangerous force they created; at the same time there is an undercurrent of exhilaration at the power of the fire. This incident also weakens their confidence in adult rules and in Ralph’s authority.
- Final fire that spreads across the island: the mood is panic and frantic violence while it’s happening; afterwards, when the naval officer appears, many boys (and especially Ralph) feel shock, shame and sorrow. Ralph’s final tears—“for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and for Simon and Piggy”—show the moral awareness and grief that have finally come over at least some of them.
If you tell me which scene you’re analyzing, I can give specific textual details or quote lines to support the inference.
- Early/out-of-control signal fire (the littlun probably burned): the boys feel fear, guilt and helplessness. They are frightened by what their carelessness has done and ashamed that they cannot control the dangerous force they created; at the same time there is an undercurrent of exhilaration at the power of the fire. This incident also weakens their confidence in adult rules and in Ralph’s authority.
- Final fire that spreads across the island: the mood is panic and frantic violence while it’s happening; afterwards, when the naval officer appears, many boys (and especially Ralph) feel shock, shame and sorrow. Ralph’s final tears—“for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and for Simon and Piggy”—show the moral awareness and grief that have finally come over at least some of them.
If you tell me which scene you’re analyzing, I can give specific textual details or quote lines to support the inference.
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