Explain the significance of some of the symbols that can be seen in chapter four of Lord of the Flies.

Chapter Four, entitled "Painted Faces and Long Hair,"
introduces the concept of masks to the story.  The masks become a major symbol that
builds in significance throughout the course of the novel.  In this particular chapter,
Jack toys with the idea of camouflage, like "dazzle paint" (63).  Upon creating a mask,
Jack felt as though he were looking at an "awesome stranger" (63).  The mask becomes a
symbol of savagery; wearing one enables Jack to act bolder, fiercer and "liberated from
shame and self-conciousness" (64).  Jack originally concocts the idea of the masks and
paint as a way to conceal himself from the eyes of the pigs, but quickly the masks
become much more than camouflage; they liberate the boys from the confines of civilized
rules and expectations.