The Annoying Little Pratt Named Percival Everyone wants to own something, something tangible or abstract. To be able to call something their own is a human necessity, along with self-actualisation, belonging, and safety. The act of possessing something, whether it be materialistic or non materialistic, can give one a sense of security. Author, William Golding, wrote a book called Lord of the Flies in which a group of schoolboys are stranded on a deserted island. The entirety of the story is based off of their human needs to achieve, to be accepted, to belong, and to be protected. Many of the characters on the island base their judgments and primal instincts off of their needs to survive. During the story, the boys represent different aspects of civilization, for example, Piggy symbolizes the rational side of man. The story shows how each character undergoes transformation as they are changed by their island experiences. Golding uses many characters such as a littlun named Percival, throughout the book to demonstrate a…show more content… Near the beginning of the story, Percival could recite his name, address, and telephone number: “‘Percival Wemys Madison, of the Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony’" (86). He recites this phrase repeatedly and consistently, because he does not want to forget it. Unfortunately for him, in Chapter 6 he can no longer remember his incantation and manages to say, “‘Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telephone, telephone, tele—’” ( ). However, in the end of the story when the boys are being rescued, Percival cannot remember the phrase he has been repeating so feverishly. The book states that the incantation is “powerless to help” him. Percival illustrates the loss of things such as the domestic aspects of civilization; previously static character is changing from the island
