Lord Of The Flies - Primitive Religion Essays - Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies - Primitive Religion "He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger? He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling? The face of red and white and black swung through the air?" In the novel Lord of the Flies, an account of primitive religion is evident in the behavior of the hunting party. Initially, we will explore chant and uniform action and it's spiritual effects on the human mind and soul. Secondly, it will be discussed how primitive peoples gain satisfaction from conducting the act of sacrifice. Moreover, this research will go into depth about the transformation into a higher being and development of a new identity through ritualistic actions. Finally, primitive society's emphasis on fear-provoking, irrational behavior in comparison to modern society's insistence on rationality will be addressed. In a primitive society, chanting is designed to provide a group with benefits such as the acquiring of material possessions, health, and monopoly over one's personal circumstances or those of another person. This ritual is performed until one feels satisfied, and/or has been led into spiritual contact with another realm. Another purpose of the chant is for one to feel a powerful being emerge within one's soul, resulting in a god-like sensation for a short amount of time. In the novel, one can perceive that the hunting party's vigorous chant ("Kill the beast! Spill her blood!") is one of their final retrogressions into savagery. Its repetitious, invigorating verse elates them, and when the procession finally ends, they behave in a trance-like, mystified demeanor. They begin speaking immediately in excited tones, feeling amazed at the feat they had accomplished. It is written that "the boys chattered and danced", obviously enthralled with their victory. It would be wise to conclude tha t the boys have derived a sense of power through performing the chant, and they are satisfied with their newfound strength and uniformity. For Jack, chanting is another means of manipulating others. Like one of its benefits to primitive cultures, the chant awards him ultimate control over his entire group.