wgolding.lordoftheflies-第48章

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ctor　and　victim　can　there　be　significance　in　the　triumph　of　one　over　the　other。　Already　he　has　begun　to　obliterate　the　distinction　between　animals　and　men；　as　do　primitives；　already　he　thinks　in　terms　of　the　metaphor　of　a　ritual　drinking　of　blood；　the　efficacy　of　which　depended　on　the　drinker's　assumption　of　his　victim's　strength　and　spirit。　Ralph　and　Piggy　confront　him　with　his　defection　of　duty；　his　failure　to　behave　like　a　responsible　member　of　Western　society。
　
　The　two　boys　faced　each　other。　There　was　the　brilliant　world　of　hunting；　tactics；　fierce　exhilaration；　skill；　and　there　was　the　world　of　longing　and　baffled　monsense。　Jack　transferred　the　knife　to　his　left　hand　and　smudged　blood　over　his　forehead　as　he　pushed　down　the　plastered　hair　（65）。
　
　Jack's　unconscious　gesture　is　a　parody　of　the　ritual　of　initiation　in　which　the　hunter's　face　is　smeared　with　the　blood　of　his　first　kill。　In　the　subsequent　struggle　one　of　the　lenses　of　Piggy's　spectacles　is　broken。　The　dominance　of　reason　is　over；　the　voice　of　the　old　world　is　stilled。　The　primary　images　are　no　longer　those　of　fire　and　light　but　those　of　darkness　and　blood。　The　initial　link　between　Ralph　and　Jack　〃had　snapped　and　fastened　elsewhere。〃
　The　rest　of　the　group；　however；　shifts　its　allegiance　to　Jack　because　he　has　given　them　meat　rather　than　something　as　useless　as　fire。　Gradually；　they　begin　to　be　described　as　〃shadows〃　or　〃masks〃　or　〃savages〃　or　〃demoniac　figures〃　and；　like　Jack；　〃hunt　naked　save　for　paint　and　a　belt。〃　Ralph　now　uses　Jack's　name　with　the　recognition　that　〃a　taboo　was　evolving　around　that　word　too。〃　Name　and　thing　again　bee　one；　to　use　the　word　is　to　incite　the　bearer；　who　is　not　here　a　transcendent　or　supernatural　creature　but　rather　a　small　boy。　But　more　significant；　the　taboo；　according　to　Freud；　is　〃a　very　primitive　prohibition　imposed　from　without　（by　an　authority）　and　directed　against　the　strongest　desires　of　man。〃　11　In　this　new　society　it　replaces　the　authority　of　the　parents；　whom　the　children　symbolically　kill　when　they　slay　the　nursing　sow。　Now　every　kill　bees　a　sexual　act；　is　a　metaphor　for　childhood　sexuality；　an　assertion　of　freedom　from　mores　they　had　been　taught　to　revere。
　
　The　afternoon　wore　on；　hazy　and　dreadful　with　damp　heat；　the　sow　staggered　her　way　ahead　of　them；　bleeding　and　mad；　and　the　hunters　followed；　wedded　to　her　in　lust；　excited　by　the　long　chase　and　the　dropped　blood。　。　。　。　The　sow　collapsed　under　them　and　they　were　heavy　and　fulfilled　upon　her　（125）。
　
　Every　subsequent　ritual　fulfills　not　only　a　desire　for　munication　and　for　a　security　to　substitute　for　that　of　civilization；　but　also　a　need　to　liberate　themselves　from　both　the　repressions　of　the　past　and　those　imposed　by　Ralph。　Indeed；　the　projection　into　a　beast　of　those　impulses　that　they　cannot　accept　in　themselves　is　the　beginning　of　a　new　mythology。　The　earlier　dreams　and　nightmares　of　individual　children　are　now　shared　in　this　mutual　creation。
　
　11。Sigmund　Freud；　Totem　and　Taboo；　The　Basic　Writings　of　Sigmund　Freud；　trans。　A。　A。　Brill　（New　York：　Modern　Library；　1938）；　p。　834。
　
　When　the　imaginary　demons　bee　defined　by　the　rotting　corpse　and　floating　parachute　on　the　mountain　which　the　boys'　terror　distorts　into　a　beast；　Jack　wants　to　track　the　creature　down。　After　the　next　kill；　the　head　of　the　pig　is　placed　upon　a　stake　to　placate　the　beast。　Finally　one　of　the　children；　Simon；　after　an　epileptic　fit；　creeps　out　of　the　forest　at　twilight　while　the　others　are　engaged　in　enthusiastic　dancing　following　a　hunt。　Seized　by　the　rapture　of　re…enactment　or　perhaps　terrorized　by　fear　and　night　into　believing　that　this　little　creature　is　a　beast；　they　circle　Simon；　pounce　on　him；　bite　and　tear　his　body　to　death。　He　bees　not　a　substitute　for　beast　but　beast　itself；　representation　bees　absolute　identification；　〃the　mystic　repetition　of　the　initial　event。〃　12　At　the　moment　of　Simon's　death；　nature　speaks　as　it　did　at　Christ's　crucifixion：　a　cloud　bursts；　rain　and　wind　fill　the　parachute　on　the　hill　and　the　corpse　of　the　pilot　falls　or　is　dragged　among　the　screaming　boys。　Both　Simon　and　the　dead　man；　beast　and　beast；　are　washed　into　the　sea　and　disappear。　After　this　plete　resurgence　of　savagery　in　accepted　ritual；　there　is　only　a　short　interval　before　Piggy's　remaining　lens　is　stolen；　he　is　intentionally　killed　as　an　enemy；　and　Ralph；　the　human　being；　bees　hunted　like　beast　or　pig。
　Simon's　mythic　and　psychological　role　has　earlier　been　suggested　in　this　essay。　Undersized；　subject　to　epileptic　fits；　bright…eyed；　and　introverted；　he　constantly　creeps　away　from　the　others　to　meditate　among　the　intricate　vines　of　the　forest。　To　him；　as　to　the　mystic；　superior　knowledge　is　intuitively　given　which　he　cannot　municate。　When　the　first　report　of　the　beast…pilot　reaches　camp；　Simon；　we　are　told；　can　picture　only　〃a　human　at　once　heroic　and　sick。〃　He　predicts　that　Ralph　will　〃　'get　back　all　right；'　〃　only　to　be　scorned　as　〃batty〃　by　the　latter。　In　each　case　he　sees　the　truth；　but　is　overwhelmed　with　self…consciousness。　During　the　day　preceding　his　death；　he　walks　away　as　if　in　a　trance　and　stumbles　upon　a　pig's　head　left　in　the　sand　in　order　to　appease　the　demonic　presence　the　children's　terror　has　created。　Shaman…like；　he　holds　a　silent　and　imaginary　colloquy　with　it；　a　severed　head　covered　with　innumerable　flies。　It　is　itself　the　titled　Lord　of　the　Flies；　a　name　applied　to　the　Biblical　demon　Beelzebub　and　later　used　in　Goethe's　Faust；
　
　12。　Ibid。；　p。　834。
　
　Part　1；　to　describe　Mephistopheles。13　From　it　he　learns　that　it　is　the　Beast；　and　the　Beast　cannot　be　hunted　because　it　dwells　within　each　child。　Simon　feels　the　advent　of　one　of　his　fits。　His　visual　as　well　as　his　auditory　perception　bees　distorted；　the　head　of　the　pig　seems　to　expand；　an　anticipation　or　intuition　of　the　discovery　of　the　pilot's　corpse；　whose　expanding　parachute　causes　the　equally　distorted　perceptions　of　normal　though　frightened　children。　Suddenly　Golding　employs　a　startling　image；　〃Simon　was　inside　the　mouth。　He　fell　down　and　lost　consciousness〃　（133）。　Laterally；　this　image　presents　the　hallucination　of　a　sensitive　child　about　to　lose　control　of　his　rational　faculties。　Such　illusions；　or　auras；　frequently　attend　the　onset　of　an　epileptic　seizure。　Mythologically　and　symbolically；　it　recalls　the　quest　in　which　the　hero　is　swallowed　by　a　serpent　or　dragon　or　beast　whose　belly　represents　the　underworld；　undergoes　a　ritual　death　in　order　to　win　the　elixer　to　revitalize　his　stricken　society；　and　returns　with　his　knowledge　to　the　timed　world　as　a　redeemer。　So　Christ；　after　his　descent　to　the　grave　and　to　Hell；　returns　to　redeem　mankind　from　his　fallen　state。　Psychologically；　this　figure　of　speech　connoting　the　descent　into　the　darkness　of　death　represents　the　annihilation　of　the　individual　ego；　an　internal　journey　necessary　for　self…understanding；　a　return　from　the　timelessness　of　the　unconscious。　When　Simon　wakes　from　his　symbolic　death；　he　suddenly　realizes　that　he　must　confront　the　beast　on　the　mountain　because　〃what　else　is　there　to　do？〃　Earlier　he　had　been　unable　to　express　himself　or　give　advice。　Now　he　is　relieved　of　〃that　dreadful　feeling　of　the　pressure　of　personality。〃　When　he　discovers　the　corrupted　corpse　hanging　from　the　rock；　he　first　frees　it　in　passion　though　it　is　surrounded　by　flies；　and　then　staggers　unevenly　down　to　report　to　the　others。　He　attempts　to　assume　a　munal　role　from　which　his　strangeness　and　nervous　seizures　formerly　isolated　him。　Redeemer　and　scapegoat；　he　bees　the　victim　of　the　group　he　seeks　to　enlighten。　In　death…　before　he　is　pulled　into　the　sea…the　flies　which　have　moved　to　his　head　from　the　bloodstained　pig　and　from　the　deposing　body　of　the　man　are　replaced　by　the　phosphorescent　creatures　of　the　deep。　Halo…like；　these　〃moonbeam…bodied　creatures〃　attend　the　seer　who　has　been　denied　into　the
　
　13。Ibid。
　
　formlessness　and　freedom　of　the　ocean。　〃Softly；　surrounded　by　a　fringe　of　inquisitive　bright　creatures；　itself　a　silver　shape　beneath　the　steadfast　constellations；　Simon's　dead　body　moved　out　toward　the　open　sea〃　（142）。14
　Piggy's　death；　soon　to　follow　Simon's；　is　foreshadowed　when　the　former　proclaims　at　council　that　there　is　no　beast；　〃　'What　would　a　beast　eat？'　〃　〃　'Pig。'　〃　〃　'We　eat　pig；'　〃　he　rationally　answers。　〃　'Piggy'　〃　（77）　is　the　emotional　response；　resulting　in　a　juxtaposition　of　words　which　imply　Piggy's　role　and　Golding's　meaning。　At　Piggy's　death　his　body　twitches　〃like　a　pig's　after　it　has　been　killed。〃　Not　only　has　his　head　been　smashed；　but　also　the　conch；　symbol　of　order；　is　simultaneously　broken。　A　plex　group　of　metaphors　unite　to　form　a　total　metaphor　involving　Piggy　and　the　pig；　hunted　and　eaten　by　the　children；　and　the　pig's　head　which　is　at　once　left　to　appease　the　beast's　hunger　and　is　the　beast　itself。　But　the　beast　is　within；　and　the　children　are　defined　by　the　very　objects　they　seek　to　destroy。
　In　these　associated　images　we　have　the　whole　idea　of　a　munal　and　sacrificial　feast　and　a　symbolic　cannibalism；　all　of　which　Freud　discussed　in　Totem　and　Taboo。　Here　the　psychology　of　the　individual　contributes　the　configurations　for　the　development　of　religion。　Indeed；　the　events　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　imaginatively　parallel　the　patterns　which　Freud　detects　in　primitive　mental　processes。
　Having　populated　the　outside　world　with　demons　and　spirits　which　are　projections　of　their　instinctual　nature；　these　children…and　primitive　men…must　then　unconsciously　evolve　new　forms　of　worship　and　laws；　which　manifest　themselves　in　taboos；　the　oldest　form　of　social　repression。　With　the　exception　of　the　first　kill…in　which　the　children　still　imagine　they　are　playing　at　hunting…the　subsequent　deaths　assume　a　ritual　form；　the　pig　is　eaten　munally　by　all　and　the　head　is　left　for　the　〃beast；〃　whose　role　consists　in　sharing　the　feast。　This　is　much　like　the　〃public　ceremony〃　15　described　by　Freud　in　which　the　sacri…
　
　14。The　reader　will　find　it　worthwhile　to　pare　Donald　R。　Spangler's　〃Simon；〃　reprinted　on　pp。　211…215　in　this　volume；　with　Professor　Rosenfield's　view　of　Simon。…Eds。
　15。There　are　further　affinities　to　Sartre's　Les　Mouches。
　
　fice　of　an　animal　provided　food　for　the　god　and　his　worshipers。　The　plex　relationships　within　the　novel　between　the　〃beast；〃　the　pigs　which　are　sacrificed；　the　children　whose　asocial　impulses　are　externalized　in　the　beast…this　has　already　been　discussed。　So　we　see　that；　as　Freud　points　out；　the　〃sacrificing　munity；　its　god　＇the　'beast'＇；　and　the　sacrificial　animal　are　of　the　same　blood；〃　16　members　of　a　clan。　The　pig；　then；　may　be　regarded　as　a　totem　animal；　an　〃ancestor；　a　tutelary　spirit　and　protector〃；17　it　is；　in　any　case；　a　part　of　every　child。　The　taboo　or　prohibition　against　eating　particular　parts　of　the　totem　animal　coincides　with　the　children's　failure　to　eat　the　head　of　the　pig。　It　is　that　portion　which　is　set　aside　for　the　〃beast。〃　Just　as　Freud　describes　the　primitive　feast；　so　the　children's　festive　meal　is　acpanied　by　a　frenzied　ritual　in　which　they　temporarily　release　their　forbidden　impulses　and　represent　the　kill。　To　consume　the　pig　and　to　re…enact　the　event　is　not　only　to　assert　a　〃mon　identity〃　18　but　also　to　share　a　〃mon　responsibility〃　for　the　deed。　By　this　means　the　children