In The Lord of the Flies, during the first assembly on the island, the boys discuss their names; “'We’d better all have names,' said Ralph, 'so I’m Ralph.' 'We got most names,' said Piggy. 'Got ’em just now.' 'Kids’ names,' said Merridew. 'Why should I be Jack? I’m Merridew.' Ralph turned to him quickly. This was the voice of one who knew his own mind. 'Then,' went on Piggy, 'that boy—I forget—' 'You’re talking too much,' said Jack Merridew. 'Shut up, Fatty.' Laughter arose. 'He’s not Fatty,' cried Ralph, 'his real name’s Piggy!'" (Golding 27). During the discussion, Jack declares that his name will in fact not be Jack, but Merridew. Similarly, Piggy also has his name assigned to him. However, Jack is immediately identified as cool and adult-like, whereas Piggy is compared to a pig for the remainder of the book. The others view him as fat, lazy, and whiny from this point onward.

The song portrays a similar idea as that Jack is trying to emulate. The freedom of the island has provided the characters a blank slate, and the ability to mold themselves and others into whatever they see fit.

In The Lord of the Flies, after the hunters let the fire go out, Ralph calls an unexpected assembly, and thinks to himself, "If faces were different when lit from above or below—what was a face? What was anything?" (Golding 109). Later in the assembly, when asked his name, Percival replies, "'Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telephone, telephone, tele—' As if this information was rooted far down in the springs of sorrow, the littlun wept. His face puckered, the tears leapt from his eyes, his mouth opened till they could see a square black hole. At first he was a silent effigy of sorrow; but then the lamentation rose out of him, loud and sustained as the conch," (Golding 122-123). The island has caused Ralph to question his identity and sense of self. Percival, who has forgotten information deep rooted within himself, has also lost a part of himself on the island.

The boys have obtained an uncertainty and fluidity in their sense of self, which is captured by the feeling of "Aquarium." Just as water casts bending light and shadows, and as the twinkling pianos wripple through the chords, their identity has become warped and clouded. A shadow has been cast on their previous lives, and the island is shaping them into unknown people.

In The Lord of the Flies, after Roger has been relieved of duty at the fire, he watches a littlun play, "Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins," (Golding 86-87). Roger is then called over by Jack, "He knelt, holding the shell of water. A rounded patch of sunlight fell on his face and a brightness appeared in the depths of the water. He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger. He spilt the water and leapt to his feet, laughing excitedly. Beside the pool his sinewy body held up a mask that drew their eyes and appalled them. He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness," (Golding 89). Civilization still has a lingering effect on Roger. Even with no adults on the island, he still holds himself to the same standards as if they were there. Jack however, through the anonymity of the mask, is able to escape these societal constraints.

Roger finds himself in the position of the schoolboy. His mind is still filled with the rules of a society that has all but forgetten him. By painting his face Jack can act outside of the rules, an act of defiance akin to that spoken in the song. Only by concealing his identity can Jack circumvent his own. In making his face a blank slate, Jack has the power to truly shape who he is.

In The Lord of the Flies, Jack and his newly formed tribe hunt a pig, "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," (Golding 194). Jack and his hunters pursue the pig with a zealousness that is unlike the tiredness they feel. At this point in the story, the hunters have broken off from Ralph's tribe, seperating from the last remnant of civilization they had. They have almost fully regressed to their primal urges of lust and violence, and have become vulgar and disorganized.

Painting his face allows Jack to rebel against Ralph's order and form his own tribe, and without the pressures of social organization, Jack's tribe quickly becomes animalistic and wild. In the movie, the thing puts up a sort of mask as well by turning into it's victims. In fact, we never see it's true form in the movie. Anonymity allows the thing to stay out of harms way, making it the ultimate predator. Through transforming themselves, Jack and the thing become animals in a human body, and hunt and kill if only for the instinct to. Meanwhile, the U.S. researchers also lose their humanness, both for being in isolation and being hunted by the thing. They cover their faces and become nothing but prey animals fighting to survive. In abolishing their identities, the characters in both The Lord of the Flies and The Thing become animals, or at least as much of animals as people can become.

I consulted Ms. Bain on what gives a feeling of chaos and anonymity to a piece. She suggested the song "Madness" by Ruelle, stating, "I'm not sure this song addresses the element of anonymity, but I think it definitely matches the descent into chaos." I decided to search for a piece that matched the confrontational bass in the song, so as to keep the element of chaos, but with more subtelty, like it had something to hide. I considered some other film soundtracks, but I ultimately decided on the score for The Thing, if not for the movie's story.

In The Lord of the Flies, Simon sees a hallucination of the pig's head, which says, “'Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!' said the head. For a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. 'You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?'" (Golding 206). The pig's head explains that the Beast isn't an animal on the island, but rather an inner evil in the boys, as Simon had predicted. The boys have neglected the flaws inherent within themselves, and this has caused division and disorder among them.

The true nature of the Beast serves as a warning of man's imperfections. By making the Beast out to be a monster, the boys ignore its warning, just as with the Iron Man. They have detached their flaws from themselves and externalized them as the Beast, which threatens to throw their lives into disarray. In forming an identity around the Beast, the boys remove any moral responsibility rooted in their own identities as humans.