In the final chapters of William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, the island descends into savagery after Piggy’s death. When the wounded Ralph makes contact with the twins Samneric in the final chapter, they urge Ralph to flee for his safety and reveal that the hunters plan to encircle him using the same tactics they employ for boar hunting. Ralph initially seems to believe that they might miss him on purpose with the spears, but Samneric hint at an ominous weapon when they say,
Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.
This revelation is significant because it indicates that Roger’s stick is more than a spear. Ralph himself is struck by the realization that Roger’s weapon is of the same design as the one used to mount the sow’s head as a gift for the Beast.
Samneric’s remark about the weapons used by Jack's tribe marks a major shift in the level of savagery adopted by the marooned boys. The deaths of both Simon and Piggy could plausibly be excused as mistakes, accidents, or jokes gone wrong. The premeditated plan to kill Ralph and impale his head on a pole, however, cannot be explained away so easily. Any remaining veneer of civilization is completely abandoned in the final chapter, and the details about Jack’s weaponry support Golding’s message about the inner depravity of humanity.
Ralph uses a sharpened stick as his only recourse against Jack and his followers. He also dehumanizes his enemies by calling them "savages." As he dehumanizes these former comrades, he too becomes dehumanized. When he picks up his sharpened stick, his "spear" as he calls it—the same weapon used by his enemies to kill the pig and then as a pole on which to stick its head—he has made his final descent into savagery. He then reduces his enemies to the level of a "pig" that he can stick and make squeal:
Ralph picked up his stick and prepared for battle. But what could they do? It would take them a week to break a path through the thicket; and anyone who wormed his way in would be helpless. He felt the point of his spear with his thumb and grinned without amusement. Whoever tried that would be stuck, squealing like a pig.
Jack and his gang use primitive weapons, too. When they realize how well-fortified Ralph is, they attempt to roll two giant rocks on him from above. Finally, they try fire, setting a blaze that goes out of control. At this point, the weapons lack any sophistication and symbolize the boys' descent into barbarism.
As we approach the end of Lord of the Flies, Jack and his savages show no sign of relenting in their reign of terror. With Piggy dead and Samneric forced to join Jack's tribe, Ralph is all alone, crouching in the jungle like a hunted animal. And a hunted animal is precisely how Jack and his gang now regard Ralph. With that in mind, they've sharpened a stick at both ends, as they did with the Lord of the Flies. They're going to impale Ralph's severed head on one end of the stick while sticking the other end in the ground. The situation is desperate; Ralph needs to fight fire with fire, so he sharpens a stick of his own to use against the marauding savages.
The significance of the sharpened stick is twofold. First of all, it shows the utter depths of depravity to which Jack and his band of savages have sunk. Secondly, it represents Ralph's final abandonment of any attempt at establishing some semblance of order on the island. He's literally fighting for his life now; it's either kill or be killed. Ralph didn't ask to be placed in this position, but all the same, he's been reduced to the level of a savage himself, and the sharpened stick that he wields for dear life symbolizes this.
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