What were the main differences in manuscript for each character vs their final versions?
main differences tho u should read the manuscript notes on my page lol
ralph:
fv ralph is honestly a lot less mean 😭 ov ralph was lowkey kind of an asshole. he was rlly egocentric and was one of simon’s main bullies in a way, even if i don’t think he was consciously trying to be cruel. he was also awful to piggy for most of the manuscript and it’s only right at the end that he genuinely starts feeling regret over how he treated both of them. with jack he’s pretty similar to the finished version but he seems a lot more disappointed than angry about the way jack turns out :(
jack:
ibsr he’s lowkey pretty much the same probably because golding based jack on his own teenage self so he already had him locked in 😭 the biggest difference is simon’s death. jack feels way more genuine guilt afterwards and you can actually see him coping by convincing himself simon was the beast...tbf though he never actually bullies simon that badly compared to some of the others. he’s way worse to piggy in the manuscript though and he’s also a lot more openly religious
piggy:
piggy is soooo much more desperate for ralph’s approval 😭 he’s constantly trying to get his attention and wanting ralph to like him. he’s also a lot wiser than in the finished novel. he has loads more scientific knowledge and he’s associated with modern technology a lot more
roger:
roger is written as much more of a loner. literally nobody seems to like him 😭 the only people who explicitly interact with him are maurice when they’re kicking down the sandcastles and robert when he tells him wilfred’s gonna get beaten. he’s also way more outward about enjoying hurting people. you can tell he gets genuine pleasure from inflicting pain but he’s also constantly looking around and making sure nobody’s watching him which isn’t really something we see in the finished version
simon:
simon probably changed the most tbh 😭 he literally talks to god. he’s written with a very explicit christian agape perspective and his relationship with ralph is so much more intense. he idealises ralph to the point where it almost feels like a prophet and his devoted disciple and honestly…ralph lets him down a lot. especially in one of simon’s visions which is genuinely heartbreaking if you’ve read the manuscript on my page 🥲
simon’s also way more reactive in general. when the boys pretend to kill robert he’s literally sobbing his eyes out. i also found it really interesting that when simon dies he actually fights back instead of just immediately being overwhelmed like he is in the novel. he feels much more like a terrified cornered animal desperately trying to escape than a betrayed martyr and i honestly think that makes it even sadder
maurice:
honestly i don’t think maurice changed that much 😭 he had a few scenes that ended up getting cut but i think golding just hadn’t fully figured out what he wanted to do with him yet. sometimes he’s a complete twat and other times he’s genuinely quite nice. compared to the finished version though he’s definitely more compliant with the cruelty around him
