analytical essay lord of the flies

Themes and Analysis

Lord of the flies, by william golding.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a powerful novel. It's filled with interesting themes, thoughtful symbols, and a particular style of writing that has made it a classic of British literature.

About the Book

Article written by Lee-James Bovey

P.G.C.E degree.

Several key themes are prevalent throughout the book. It is sometimes referred to as a “book of ideas” and these ideas are explored as the plot unfolds.

Lord of the Flies Themes

The impact of humankind on nature.

This is evident from the first chapter when the plane crashing leaves what Golding describes as a “scar” across the island. This idea is explored further in the early chapters the boys light a fire that escapes their control and yet further diminishes what might be considered an unspoiled island. Some interpret the island almost as a Garden of Eden with the children giving in to temptation by slaughtering the animals there. The final chapter furthers the destruction of nature by mankind as the whole island appears to have been ruined thanks to the effects of the boy’s presence on the island.

Civilization versus savagery

This can be seen throughout as the boys struggle with being removed from organized society. To begin with, they cope well. They construct a form of government represented by the conch that theoretically draws them together and gives them all a voice. As they break away from society this adherence to the rules they have constructed is evident. Golding’s ideas of what savagery is might be outdated and rooted in colonial stereotypes but they are evident for all to see as the boys use masks to dehumanize themselves and their increasing obsession with hunting leads to an increasingly animalistic nature.

Nature of humanity

Perhaps the biggest underlying theme is the idea of the true nature of mankind. Golding explores the idea that mankind is innately evil and that it is only the contrast between society and civilization that prevents that nature from being prevalent. Of course, this overlooks that civilization is a human construct and if all men’s biggest motivation were their inner evil, then that construct would never have existed. Golding’s views largely spring from his role in the navy where he was witness to the atrocities of war but are also informed by his work as a teacher.

Analysis of Key Moments in Lord of the Flies

There are many key moments in ‘ Lord of the Flies ‘ that highlight the boy’s descent into savagery.

• Blowing the conch – this introduces us to the conch which acts as a symbol of society and civilization throughout the novel. It is both the device that brings the children together and in theory the object which allows them all to have a say and therefore run a democratic society.
• The fire gets out of control – This shows the effects that the boys are already having on the island. It also demonstrates how lost the boys are without adults there to guide them as they lose one of the boys and nobody even knows his name.
• Jack fails to kill the pig/Roger throws stones – both of these events show how the boys are currently constrained by the expectations of society. We see as time passes these restraints are lifted and that firstly, Jack can kill a pig and finally, and perhaps more dramatically, Roger is not only okay with hitting somebody with a stone but taking their life with one.
• The hunters put on masks – By covering up their faces, they seem to become free from the constraints of society. It is if it liberates them from humanity and allows them to act on more primal, animalistic urges.
• Sam and Eric find “the beast” – When Sam and Eric feel they have discovered the beast it sets a ripple of panic throughout. This fear sways the boys towards Jack’s leadership as he continues to manipulate the situation to his advantage. If not for this then Simon might never be murdered.
• Creating of the Lord of the Flies – Successfully killing the pig is itself an iconic moment but then leaving a pigs head on a pole is both a gruesome image (one worthy of the book’s title) and also plays a pivotal role in Simon’s story arc.
• Simon’s death – Simon is the one character who never seems to succumb to primal urges and therefore his death if looked at symbolically could be seen as the death of hope for boys.
• Piggy’s death – Piggy’s character represents order and reason. With his death, any chance of resolving the issues between Jack and Ralph vanishes. The conch being smashed at the same time is also symbolic and represents the complete destruction of society.
• The rescue – This is not the happy ending that one might expect with all the boys crying due to their loss of innocence. There is an irony as well as the boys will not be rescued and taken to a Utopia but rather to a civilization plagued by a war that mirrors the war zone they have just left.

Style, Literary Devices, and Tone in Lord of the Flies

Throughout this novel, Golding’s style is straightforward and easy to read. There are no lengthy passages nor does he choose particularly poetic words to describe the events. His writing is powerful without these stylistic devices. The same can be said for his use of literary devices. When used, they are direct. For example, the use of symbolism (see below) and metaphor is very thoughtful but not hard to interpret.

William Golding also employs an aloof or distant tone throughout the book. This reflects the way that the boys treat one another.

Symbols in Lord of the Flies

The conch shell.

The conch shell is one of the major symbols of this novel. It’s used from the beginning of the novel to call the boys together for meetings on the beach. It’s a symbol of civilization and government. But, as the boys lose touch with their civilized sides, the conch shell is discarded.

The Signal Fire

The signal fire is a very important symbol in the novel. It’s first lit on the mountain and then later on the beach with the intent of attracting the attention of passion ships. The fire is maintained diligently at first but as the book progresses and the boys slip farther from civilization, their concentration on the fire wanes. They eventually lose their desire to be rescued. Therefore, as one is making their way through the book, gauging the boys’ concentration on the fire is a great way to understand how “civilized” they are.

The beast is an imaginary creature who frightens the boys. It stands in for their savage instincts and is eventually revealed to be a personification of their dark impulses. It’s only through the boy’s behaviour that the beast exists at all.

What are three themes in Lord of the Flies ?

Three themes in ‘ Lord of the Flies ‘ are civilization vs. savagery, the impact of humankind on nature, and the nature of humanity.

What is the main message of the Lord of the Flies ?

The main message is that if left without rules, society devolves and loses its grasp on what is the morally right thing to do. this is even the case with kids.

How does Ralph lose his innocence in Lord of the Flies ?

He loses his innocence when he witnesses the deaths of Simon and Piggy. These losses in addition to the broader darkness of the island change him.

Join Our Community for Free!

Exclusive to Members

Create Your Personal Profile

Engage in Forums

Join or Create Groups

Save your favorites, beta access.

About Lee-James Bovey

Lee-James, a.k.a. LJ, has been a Book Analysis team member since it was first created. During the day, he's an English Teacher. During the night, he provides in-depth analysis and summary of books.

There was a problem reporting this post.

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

• See blocked member's posts
• Mention this member in posts
• Invite this member to groups

Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

A Summary and Analysis of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Lord of the Flies was first published in 1954, although it very nearly wasn’t published at all. Its author, William Golding, was a struggling grammar-school teacher when he wrote it, having been given the germ of the idea by his wife, Ann.

The novel’s title is a reference to Beelzebub, a name for the Devil, which means literally ‘lord of the flies’ (at least in most translations ). Given the fact that power, devilry, and, yes, flies are all central aspects of Lord of the Flies , the title is especially apt.

Golding (nicknamed ‘Scruff’ by his pupils) struggled to get the novel accepted by numerous publishers before Faber and Faber took it on. However, even there it was initially rejected (the initial reader at Faber dismissed it as ‘absurd and uninteresting fantasy’ and ‘rubbish and dull’) until a young editor, Charles Monteith, saw potential in the manuscript and got it accepted. It still sells tens of thousands of copies every year.

But how should we interpret this tale of post-apocalyptic barbarism? Before we offer an analysis of Golding’s novel, here’s a brief reminder of the plot.

Lord of the Flies : plot summary

The novel begins with a plane carrying a group of British schoolboys being shot down; the boys land on a desert island. Two of them, Ralph and Piggy, find a conch shell on the beach, and they use it to signal to the rest of the schoolboys, who then start to form their own ‘society’, with a leader elected among them.

Ralph is named the leader while Jack is his sort of second-in-command, in charge of finding food on the island.

After they start a fire to try to signal for help, they accidentally burn down a large part of the nearby forest, killing one boy. When a ship does sail past, it doesn’t stop to rescue the boys because Jack’s band of hunters have carelessly allowed the signal-fire to go out.

Jack and his gang have managed to hunt and kill a pig for them to eat. Things start to get out of hand, and some of the younger boys in particular are terrified that some sea-monster will come and kill them.

When a parachutist – part of a team of fighter-pilots flying overhead – lands on the island, several of the boys think his flapping parachute is the wings of the mysterious island ‘beast’, and they run away, terrified, and spreading fear to the other boys, who organise a hunting trip to try to catch the beast.

Jack and Ralph fall out, with Jack trying to oust the more senior boy from the position of leader – a move that the rest of the boys resist. Jack stomps off with his hunting band, and many of the other boys subsequently desert Ralph’s ‘side’ for Jack.

Jack, emboldened by his new supporters, ritually sacrifices a pig, which is decapitated, its head placed on a stick. Simon sees it, and thinks it’s talking to him: some devil-like figure known as ‘Lord of the Flies’. When Simon returns to the others, they set upon him and kill him, not realising who he is. Jack and his hunters run off with Piggy’s glasses. Jack and Ralph fight, and Piggy is killed with a rock.

Jack and the others hunt Ralph, who flees, only to be rescued by a British sailor who was on board a ship that spotted the fire raging on the island and came ashore. The other boys turn up, and when the officer confronts them over their appearance, they all break down in tears.

Lord of the Flies : analysis

Golding conceived Lord of the Flies as a sort of dark counterpart, or response, to the classic Victorian boys’ adventure novel, The Coral Island by R. M. Ballantyne, in which three boys are marooned on a Pacific island.

But whereas in Ballantyne’s 1857 novel the stranded children encounter evil as an exterior force on the island, Golding inverted this: he shows us, unsettlingly, that evil is always lurking within ourselves, and is only ever just beneath the surface in so-called ‘ordinary’ or ‘civilised’ people.

Golding’s working title for his novel, Strangers from Within , makes it clear that the devil – that ‘Lord of the Flies’ – is within us, all of us, rather than outside, elsewhere.

But although Golding’s novel is often viewed as a dystopian tale about ‘human nature’ and how, in times of desperation and disaster, certain people will seize power and others will be the victims of their oppressive control, Lord of the Flies actually has its roots in something more specific than this: the British class system.

The three principal characters of the novel – Ralph, Piggy, and Jack – represent the three main classes in England, much as the famous class sketch from The Frost Report captured in a sketch just over a decade after Golding’s novel appeared.

As John Sutherland argues in his discussion of Lord of the Flies in How to be Well Read: A guide to 500 great novels and a handful of literary curiosities , Ralph is a grammar-school boy, Piggy the product of a working-class ‘tech’ school (a short-lived post-war phenomenon), and Jack the privileged public school boy.

Ralph, therefore, is riddled with self-doubt about his middling position in English society: the Jacks of the world are above him and the Piggies below him. Jack has all of the confidence of someone born into privilege and with an almost innate sense of their right to lord it over everyone else.

The message of Lord of the Flies , then, is that if you remove these schoolchildren from Britain, the British class system will still reassert itself as they construct their own stratified ‘society’. The island on which the boys are stranded becomes like the island of Great Britain which they left.

Piggy, however, is working-class. As Sutherland argues, his use of phrases like ‘the runs’ instead of, say, ‘an upset tummy’ are subtle ways in which Golding, without hammering home Piggy’s origins, reveal his status to the reader. He was always destined to be the scapegoat because the English class system dictated it. Coupled with his physical or evolutionary disadvantage (his extreme myopia and reliance on glasses) and he was doomed from the start.

The British class system, then, informs the novel, making it a peculiarly British dissection of power structures. According to Sutherland, Golding – himself a teacher at the sort of grammar school which produced the decent and honourable Ralph – once said that he would happily blow up every public school in England, and Lord of the Flies shows how it is the Jack Merridews produced by the English public school system which are the most capable of wreaking destructive power over others.

But it’s also true that Lord of the Flies bears the influence of another important experience in Golding’s life: his experience in the Second World War fighting in the Royal Navy, which showed him first-hand how ordinary men could become capable of performing acts of great evil.

Of course, the horrors of Nazi Germany were also an important source for Golding’s depiction of evil, especially the way the other boys merrily join Jack’s command.

Along with its searing commentary on the inherent evils of the British class system, Lord of the Flies is a powerful narrative about how fear is all it takes to persuade many ‘normal’, ‘decent’ people to behave horrifically.

Discover more from Interesting Literature

Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.

Type your email…

1 thought on “A Summary and Analysis of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies”

We “did” this at school. I don’t know why they thought a book about badly-behaved boys would interest a class of girls!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Lord of the Flies

William golding, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Golding's Lord of the Flies . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Lord of the Flies: Introduction

Lord of the flies: plot summary, lord of the flies: detailed summary & analysis, lord of the flies: themes, lord of the flies: quotes, lord of the flies: characters, lord of the flies: symbols, lord of the flies: theme wheel, brief biography of william golding.

Historical Context of Lord of the Flies

Other books related to lord of the flies.

• Full Title: Lord of the Flies
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1954
• Literary Period: Post-war fiction
• Genre: Allegorical novel / Adventure novel
• Setting: A deserted tropical island in the middle of a nuclear world war
• Climax: Piggy's death
• Point of View: Third person omniscient

Extra Credit for Lord of the Flies

Beelzebub. The phrase "lord of the flies" is a translation of the Greek "Beelzebub," a devil mentioned in the New Testament. In the Bible, Beelzebub sometimes seems to be Satan himself, and at other times seems to be Satan's most powerful lieutenant.

Coral Island. William Golding based several of the main ideas in Lord of the Flies on Coral Island (1858), a somewhat obscure novel by Robert Ballantyne, a 19th-century British novelist. In Coral Island , three English boys create an idyllic society after being shipwrecked on a deserted island. They battle wild hogs, typhoons, hostile island visitors, and eventually Pirates on the South Seas.

Lord of the Flies

Introduction lord of the flies.

The novel , Lord of the Flies was written by a British writer, William Golding , who made a name in fiction writing with unique thematic strands. It was first published in 1954. The novel sheds light on the behavior of the children left stranded on a long island, who start behaving entirely different from what they have been in their schools and under the guidance of a parent or a teacher. The groups are divided as they begin to think differently for survival. They fight for individuality, rationality while continuing their playfulness after they are left with none to guide them. The novel won huge applause around the world for his enticing storytelling techniques also bestowed the writer with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.

Summary of Lord of the Flies

During a war, a British plane involved in evacuating British schoolboys crash lands on a deserted island. It is somewhere located in tropical regions. Two young boys, Ralph and Piggy, find a conch when they stroll on the seashore. Piggy, the fatter than most boys but an intellectual one, tells Ralph, the quiet one, how to blow a horn with it. He teaches him how to use it to establish his authority over the other boys. Ralph becomes the leader of the boys and appoints Jack as in charge of the food hunters with Piggy as his unassuming adviser.

Soon after the boys assemble, Ralph takes Jack and Simon with him to explore other parts of the island for the likely existence of life. When they come back, Ralph plans to light a fire to signal the authorities or rescue them about their presence. The rest of the boys continue to roam around the island to collect woods and use Piggy’s glasses to light a fire. However, instead of keeping it alive, they quickly engage themselves in their plays and soon forget about it except Piggy. It soon dawns upon them that the youngest boy is injured and dead.

As time passes, the boys start making fun of each other as well as enjoying without having any authority of the adults around them. Ralph, as the conscious leader, however, starts complaining about the direction of Piggy that the boys are not paying attention to the fire, nor or they interested in preparing huts for them. On the other hand, Jack, with his hunters, is engaged in catching a pig, though, they fail in their act. Meanwhile, Piggy points Ralph’s attention toward a passing ship that disappears on the horizon and they lament the negligence of the boys toward keeping the fire alive. The hunters, however, do not pay much attention to his complaints despite the fury of Ralph when he points their negligence at the troublemakers with Jack as their leader. In their wild frenzy of having their first catch, they ignore the leader, Ralph, and start dancing around. When Piggy rebukes Jack, he hits him, making his glasses flying away.

As hinted by Piggy earlier, Ralph immediately catches the conch and blows it to declare his authority, yet nobody pays attention, while the “littluns” are feeling neglected, expressing their fear of some ghost or beast lurking somewhere on the island. Despite the other boys’ argument that there is no such thing, the littluns do not feel safe. When the meeting is over, a parachutist from some fighting planes land on the island but is caught in the trees to rot there. When the twins, Sam and Eric, find the man hanging on the trees, they take him as a beast and spread the terror in the camp with the news. Soon the boys form a group to hunt that monster despite a difference between Jack and Ralph, the two leading boys. They, then, inform others about that parachute and the monster that they think it is, develops further differences about the leadership of Ralph. Jack alleges his fear for further removal from the authority, while the majority of the boys veto this move. Despite this defeat, Jack takes the hunters with him to part ways, while Ralph rallies others around him to light the fire, though. Ironically, most of them flee and join Jack in his hunting game.

Soon Jack takes lead and declares himself the leader of his hunters. They hunt a sow and leave its head on a stake. When Simon dreams about it, he thinks it the Lord of the Flies that is speaking to him. He soon becomes unconscious and when comes to senses he leaves for the mountains where he comes across that dead soldier hanging with his parachute. He takes it to the Lord of the Flies and runs away to tell others, creating a mess that all the boys including Ralph and Jack, who were busy enjoying the feast of the sow, consider him a monster and kill him. However, only Piggy and Ralph are conscious of what they have done, while Jack and his hunters soon realize the loss of fire and steal the glasses of Piggy to make their own. When Ralph tries to argue with Jack, he orders his hunters to chase him to kill him. Roger, his main hunter, kills Piggy with a boulder and Ralph flees for his life, seeing the conch also shattered to pieces under the boulder.

Jack, the hunters, and other boys including Ralph chasing the game soon come to an end when British officers appear on the seashore, admonishing the boys for their mess and filthy looks, while Ralph heaves a sigh of relief after seeing an adult who has saved him from the hunters.

Major Themes in Lord of the Flies

• Loss of Innocence: The loss of innocence in the novel is shown from the way the children go astray without adults. The right path is to lead a normal life, take care of the “littluns”, pay homage to the authority, and wait for the elders to come to their rescue. Ralph’s attitude toward the littluns and Samneric is of a leader and an adult having responsibility. However, when Jack parts ways with him and Piggy, it seems that they have lost the innocence, for Jack becoming a hunter is identical to savagery.
• Savageness and Society: Lord of the Flies shows savagery in the society that is part of its members as shown through Jack and hunters. The author believes that innocence is not just an integral part; savagery is also an integral part of human nature and finds ways to come out when the times are appropriate. That is why when Ralph finds an officer on the seashore, he heaves a sigh of relief, thinking that he has saved himself from the savage hunters.
• Vice against Virtue : The novel also shows vice pitted against virtue as Ralph and Piggy represent order and virtue, while Jack and his hunters represent vice or disorder. When Ralph is made to flee from the hunters, it seems that virtue has given way to vice. However, soon the officer appears, which becomes a signal of some authority that does not let virtue face defeat.
• End of Rationalism: Piggy, the supporter of Ralph and his authority, is a lone voice of rationalism who can think with a rational mind and devise ways. However, he is physically inferior to all others except “littluns.” Therefore, Jack is always wary of him that he does not let Jack stand a chance to assume leadership. When he finds Piggy, he orders his associates to roll a boulder on him, killing him on the spot. It shows the end of rationalism, a thematic strand that appears for a short time in the storyline.
• Absence of Social Norms: The pack of children on an isolated island without the presence of an adult having authority presents a real dilemma about the social traditions, norms, and their evolutions. The author proves this thematic idea of how a person. with limited intelligence. copes with the situation of dealing with other persons in the absence of social norms. Piggy is killed on the want of laws and social regulations that emerge from norms; such as the norm of blowing a conch.
• Dehumanization: The novel shows the dark side of human nature that is to live a life of the might is right and dehumanization of nature as shown by the hunting nature of Jack, while the rational side, such as Piggy, soon witnesses his end. The hunting spree of Jack and other boys without thinking an iota about their colleague is a dehumanization of nature.
• The Nature of Evil or Vice: Evil resides in human nature side by side with virtue which comes out when authority is absent. Jack shows this side of nature when he forms his pack of hunters and attacks Piggy, killing him on the spot.
• Community against Individual: community and individual are other minor themes of the novel. The would-be leader, Ralph, is left alone in the end against the whole community of the boys chasing him. It means that an individual is left alone if he does not stand on his guard.
• Progress of Civilization: Lord of the Flies is also a critique on the progress of civilization in that a pack of English boys with rational and leading minds like Piggy and Ralph respectively go to dogs without thinking as Ralph later says what the other people will say to them that British, the crown of the civilized nation, has children as such.
• Absence of Laws: The hunting expedition of Jack, killing of Piggy, and several other such incidents show that the law protects the weak. The absence of the law is similar to giving authority to a tyrant to rule a country or allowing the criminals to roam free without fear of consequences.

 Major Characters in Lord of the Flies

• Ralph: The leader and good-looking but moderately intelligent, Ralph leads the boys with Piggy as his advisor, who advises him to use the conch to establish authority. As such he proves not only the hero but also the protagonist of the novel after assuming leadership. Eventually, he loses the hold on the group to Jack and his hunters who drive almost all the boys to useless hunting, which resultantly leads them to savagery. In the end, he is left alone when Jack murders Piggy and chases Ralph to gain from him his authority, but he saves himself by running to a British officer, who just appears on the scene.
• Piggy: Piggy, though is quite weak, but a rational boy, who advises Ralph to assume the leadership, seeing in him a vision to lead. He takes care of the little boys and suggests lighting up the fire to save them from perishing on the island. However, he soon becomes the target of hunters, while Jack eyes him a likely opponent, not leaving any opportunity to either admonish, tease, or even to kill him, which he does by the end. His murder makes Ralph feel lonely when he wishes the presence of an adult and the British naval officer appears on the scene. His murder is the end of rationalism among the boys.
• Jack Merridew: The antagonist , Jack Merridew, is a powerful leader but has a vicious touch in his nature. He does not exhibit rationality or true leadership. As soon as he sees Piggy, a symbol of rational thinking among them, he becomes his staunch opponent. He forms a choir of the boys and manipulates their thinking to turn them into barbarous killers who start chasing Ralph, their own leader, after having shown their exploits in hunting a sow and dancing around it to celebrate this achievement. By the end, he assumes leadership of the savagery and hunts down Ralph, who runs away in the forest for his life.
• Simon: Simon is attached to nature and shows a spiritual aspect of life. That is why he stays alone and does not join any group, though, he stays with the group. A Christ-like figure, the author presents Simon to show how some people understand the arrival of evil but does not have the ability to confront or express it. Simon is also an example of staying neutral in times when you cannot choose.
• Samneric: They are twins. These two brothers are identical not only in nature but also in their appearances. They follow Ralph loyally but when Piggy is killed, they also lose direction, and soon they seem lost in the maze of the chase of Ralph.
• Maurice: A healthy boy, Maurice, proves a great hunter and starts training other hunters for Jack’s pack. He shows the mob mentality in blindly following the leader.
• Percival: A little boy, Percival, represents innocence, as he always needs some adult to take care of him. He becomes hysterical at times for the loss of his parents and home comfort.
• The Naval Officer: The British officer represents the authority and adulthood which stops chaos and brings order in the chaotic world. His appearance reminds the readers of the civilized western world.
• The Beast: Despite its hazy presence, the beast represents something unknown that is not only causing fear to the boys but also showing them a way to create something out of nothing. Jack uses this invisible beast for his own purpose to make others follow him.

Writing Style of Lord of the Flies ‎

William Golding ’s writing style in Lord of the Flies is pretty simple and straightforward. It carries great alluring subtleties, bordering a multiplicity of meanings for all types of readers. Despite its allegorical nature, the characters and objects along with the description seem quite realistic and direct. Most of the ordinary thematic strands and ideational presentations have brought a type of enticement in his style that is unique in its language and mesmerizing in its narrative .

Analysis of Literary Devices in Lord of the Flies

• Action: The main action of the novel comprises the crash landing of a British airplane having school children, who live a messy life on the island, making two groups; one wants to rescue the boys and the other intends to enjoy merrymaking. The rising action is Ralph’s struggle for order, safety, and organized life. The falling action , on the other hand, is his escape to save his life when Jack and his hunters chase him.
• Allegory : Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel that shows it shows that when the civilization or leadership is absent and there is no fear of law and authority, human nature has more inclination to fall prey to vice. Savagery has the power to take over as the beast, despite its absence, takes over the entire group of the boys and terrifies the “littluns.” It could also be an allegory that when a war is taking place between the adults, another war is between innocence and savagery.
• Antagonist : Jack Merridew is the antagonist of the novel, Lord of the Flies, because he stands against the order and civilization that Ralph and his rational friend want to bring. He rather indulges in savagery and killing whatever comes in the way of him and his hunters.
• Allusion : There are various examples of the Biblical allusions given in the novel, Lord of the Flies. Simon alludes to Jesus Christ, while the head of the pig alludes to Satan that makes human being to go astray from the true path. On the other hand, Jack is the representative of Juda and the lone island is an example of paradise.
• Conflict : There are two types of conflicts in the novel, Lord of the Flies. The first one is between man and nature as it goes on between the boys and the situation on the island where they are to live. The second is about man and man and man and self which goes on between Ralph and Jack and Ralph and his thinking.
• Characters: Lord of the Flies presents both static as well as dynamic characters. Ralph is a dynamic character , as he goes through various changes and has several issues to deal with, while Jack Merridew is also a vibrant character on account of his ambitious and unpredictable nature. Piggy, however, is a static character in that he does not witness any change in his thinking from the first day to the last. Simon, too, is a static character.
• Climax : The climax in the novel arrives when Simon sees Lord of the Flies and realizes that it is a beast but then realizes that every boy has a beast in his mind. That is why when he tries to come back and join the boys, they kill him, considering him as prey. However, when Jack engineers the killing of Piggy, this is the anticlimax of Lord of the Flies.
• Foreshadowing : There are several examples of foreshadowing in Lord of the Flies. The first example of foreshadowing in the novel occurs when the boys gather together for voting and it is voiced that there may be a beast. The ensuing argument shows that it would be there soon, even if it does not exist. The second example is of Piggy who continuously refers to his aunt which shows that he always needs somebody to depend on him. The third good example is the discovery of conch and advice of Piggy, which points out that Piggy is the supplier of ideas to Ralph, who is nothing without him.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole or exaggeration occurs when Piggy and Ralph find the conch on the seashore and Piggy thinks that the conch will bring order and authority to Ralph that he will use with his ideas. However, it proves a pipedream for him, for how a simple conch can bring order and authority among the unruly children.
• Imagery : Imagery means to use to present an image that shows the use of sense by the readers or audiences to identity it such as Ralph is shown having landed like a cat, Jake is shown behaving as an ape, while the littluns are shown as inspects. Also, the sea is shown as a creature, while the fire is shown as a jaguar. In fact, Lord of Flies is full of natural imagery as the location and the characters demonstrate it amply.
• Metaphor : Lord of the Flies shows decent use of various metaphors . For example, i. Then the creature stepped from mirage on to clear sand, and they saw that the darkness was not all shadow but mostly clothing. (Chapter-1) ii. He was a shrimp of a boy, about six years old, and one side of his face was blotted bout by a mulberry-colored birthmark. (Chapter-1) iii. On one side the air was cool, but on the other, the fire thrust out a savage arm of heat that crinkled hair on the instant. (Chapter-2)The first metaphor shows the comparison of darkness with the clothing, the second boy with the shrimp, and the third fire with a savage creature.
• Mood : The novel, Lord of the Flies, shows a serious mood of horror and grief. Even though the start is quite interesting and entertaining, it suddenly transforms into somber and then sorrowful when the boys start making groups, hunting and finally killing each other.
• Motif : Most important motifs of the novel, Lord of the Flies, are the conch, glasses of Piggy, and the beast.
• Narrator : The novel, Lord of the Flies, uses the third person as a narrator of the story , which is also called an omniscient narrator. Here the author, William Golding is the narrator of the story.
• Personification : Personification means to attribute human acts and emotions to non-living objects. For example, i. Smoke was rising here and there among the creepers that festooned the dead or dying trees. As they watched, a flash of fire appeared at the root of one wisp, and then the smoke thickened. Small flames stirred at the trunk of a tree and crawled away through leaves and brushwood, dividing and increasing. (Chapter-2) ii. The flames, as though they were a kind of wildlife, crept as a jaguar creeps on its belly toward a line of birch-like saplings that fledged an outcrop of the pink rock. iii. Then the roof of leaves broke up and they halted, breathing quickly, looking at the few stars that pricked round the head of the mountain. (Chapter-7)These three examples show smoke, flame, and then roof as if they have human emotions.
• Protagonist : Ralph is the protagonist of the novel. He starts the novel and captures the interest of the readers until the last page when he flees for his life. Besides, he is the primary motivator of the order and civilization on the island.
• Paradox : Lord of the Flies shows the use of paradox in the behavior of the boys that fear is not outside but in their minds. Therefore, it is a paradox.
• Theme : A theme is a central idea that the novelist or the writer wants to stress upon. The novel, Lord of the Flies , not only shows the theme of conflict between vice and virtue, but also various other themes such as loss of innocent, value of the order, and above all the nature of man.
• Setting : The setting of the novel, Lord of the Flies, is the sea and the coastal area as well as the lonely island with thick forest.
• Simile : The novel shows great use of various similes such as; i. A rock, almost detached, standing like a fort , facing them across the green with one bold, pink bastion. (Chapter-1) ii. The breezes that on the lagoon had chased their tails like kittens were finding their way across the platform and into the forest. (Chapter-2) iii. One patch touched a tree trunk and scrambled up like a bright squirrel . (Chapter-2)The first simile compares a rock to a fort, the second breezes to kittens, and the third the patch to a squirrel.
• Symbol: Lord of the Flies shows that the symbols of the best, glasses, fire, adults, ocean, and the island.
• Irony : The novel shows irony when the boys are engaged in talking about the beast but only Simon knows it, though, he is unable to express it.

Related posts:

• Lord of the Flies Quotes
• Lord of the Flies Themes
• Lord of the Flies Characters
• Lord of the Flies Symbolism
• As The Crow Flies
• Alfred Lord Tennyson
• William Golding

Post navigation

• Lord of the Flies

William Golding

• Literature Notes
• Concept, Identity, and Manifestations of the Beast
• Lord of the Flies at a Glance
• Book Summary
• About Lord of the Flies
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Character Analysis
• Character Map
• William Golding Biography
• Critical Essays
• Major Themes
• Golding's Use of the Fable Structure
• Famous Quotes
• Film Versions
• Full Glossary
• Essay Questions
• Practice Projects
• Cite this Literature Note

Critical Essays Concept, Identity, and Manifestations of the Beast

Golding uses the boys' fear of a mythical beast to illustrate their assumption that evil arises from external forces rather than from themselves. This fearsome beast initially takes form in their imaginations as a snake-type animal that disguises itself as jungle vines; later, they consider the possibility of a creature that rises from the sea or the more nebulous entity of a ghost. When they spot the dead paratrooper who has landed on the mountain, the boys feel sure that they have proof of a beast's existence. In fact a beast does roam the island, but not in the form the boys imagine.

Golding wanted to illustrate in this novel the dark side of human nature and make the point that each member of humankind has this dark side. The boys conceptualize the source of all their worst impulses as a beast, some sort of actual animal or possibly supernatural creature inhabiting the island. Yet all along the boys take on the persona of the beast when they act on their animal impulses. There is no external beast.

Golding conveys the beast's identity through the literal actions of Jack and his tribe and through the abstract concept conveyed in Simon 's vision. Simon's revelation about the beast comes upon him after he witnesses the sow's death and beheading. As an observer instead of a participant, Simon is able to comprehend the brutality of the act. The sow's head becomes covered with flies, creatures that lack the capacity to feel compassion for or empathy with the dead sow, occupied entirely by their need to eat and multiply. That compassion is one of the key dividers between humanity and animality; tellingly, Jack lacks compassion for the littluns and the vulnerable Piggy . Soon his hunters lose their compassion as well, seeking only to hunt meat and increase the numbers of their tribe or kill those who will not join.

When Simon hallucinates that the staked head is speaking to him, his perception of the other boys as the island's true threat is confirmed. The Lord of the Flies confirms that "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?"

Note that the literal translation of the Greek word Beelzebub, a term used for the Judeo-Christian idea of Satan, is "lord of the flies," and flies feast on dead animals and excrement. When Simon asks the assembly "What's the dirtiest thing there is?" he looks for the answer "evil" but also included in that answer is decay and death. Ironically, Jack's excretory answer is partially correct.

Jack provides more insight into the beast's identity when he asserts that "The beast is a hunter," unwittingly implicating himself as part of the problem, a source of the boys' fears. His lust for power and authority causes him to commit and encourage savage acts against his own kind — an accurate measure of his depravity. Sitting in front of his tribe, "Power . . . chattered in his ear like an ape." The figurative devil on his shoulder is his own animality, looking to master other creatures.

Golding pairs the devolution of Jack's character with Simon's hallucinatory revelation to paint a complete picture of humankind's dark side — that which the boys call "the beast."

Manifestations

Part of Golding's intent was to demonstrate that the evil is not restricted to specific populations or situations. On the island, the beast is manifest in the deadly tribal dances, war paint, and the manhunt; in the outside world that same lust for power and control plays out as a nuclear war. Prior to the war, some of the boys, such as the perpetually victimized Piggy, experienced the brutality of others on the playground, an environment often idealized as the joyous site of a carefree childhood. Within civilized society the beast expresses itself in various ways: through acceptable venues such as the military; in unacceptable forms such as madness or criminality, which carries punitive repercussions; or concealed in the maneuvers of politics and other nonviolent power plays. In Lord of the Flies Golding illustrates that evil is present in everyone and everywhere; humankind's work lies not in the impossible mission of eradicating it but in the struggle to keep it from becoming the dominant force in our lives.

Previous Major Themes

Next Golding's Use of the Fable Structure

89 Lord of the Flies Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🔝 top-10 lord of the flies research paper topics, 🏆 best lord of the flies essay titles, 📌 creative lord of the flies thesis ideas, 👍 good titles for lord of the flies essay, ❓ lord of the flies: important questions.

• Ralph’s character development in “Lord of the Flies.”
• The main theme in “Lord of the Flies.”
• The success of William Golding’s debut novel.
• “Lord of the Flies”: a discussion of innocence and power.
• The role of the conch in “Lord of the Flies.”
• Civilization vs. savagery in “Lord of the Flies.”
• William Golding’s commentary on human nature and evil.
• The symbolism of fear in “Lord of the Flies.”
• A literary analysis of “Lord of the Flies.”
• “Lord of the Flies”: a summary of events.
• “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding The reader will wonder that all the boys respond in the same manner to the sound of the blown shell. The author uses aesthetics to drive emotions out of the reader about the value of […]
• Evil in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding The idea is that we are born with both the capacity of good and the capacity of evil and that the way we are raised, or the environment in which we live determines how we […]
• Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding In The Lord of the Flies, the fire in the story is lit as a symbol of hope and rescue. The island in The Lord Of The Flies resembled the perfect type of Utopia at […]
• Lord of the Flies, an Allegorical Novel by William Golding As the auction proceeds, the reader follows the heartbreaking events of the book. Boys hunt down a pig and place its head on a stick as an ‘offering’ to the ‘beast’.
• Writing on the Novel I Love: Lord of the Flies In a given Lord of the Flies essay, one needs to illustrate the different themes used by Golding in his novel.
• Lord of the Flies: Novel Analysis The sinister nature of the novel is inferred in the title which derives from the Hebrew word, Ba’al-zvuv which means god of the fly, host of the fly or literally the Lord of Flies a […]
• Human Nature in “Lord of the Flies” by Golding Considering this, the present paper will analyze the validity of the given statement by drawing on the experiences of characters in Lord of the Flies and evaluating the conditions in which they lived.
• Literature Studies: “Lord of the Flies” by W. Golding Although Jack Merridew, one of the lead characters of William Golding’s shockingly unforgettable Lord of the Flies novel, is a child and still has a lot to learn in terms of how society works, the […]
• A Comprehensive Analysis of the Key Elements of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• The Role of Simon in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Literary Comparison of Ballantyne’s “Coral Island” and Golding’s Island in “Lord of the Flies”
• Attitude Towards Children in the Story “Lord of the Flies”
• Jack as a Symbol of Savagery and Anarchy in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• A Description of the Potential for Evil in Everyone as One of the Theme in the Novel “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Evil in Humanity in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Savagery and the Beast Theme in “Lord of the Flies”
• The Fall of Civilization Into Savagery in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• An Allegory of Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis Theory in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”
• A Literary Analysis of the Symbolism in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• A Comparison Between the Movie and Novel “Lord of the Flies”
• Abuse of Power and the Effect of Tyrannical Leadership Between “Lord of the Flies” and “The Chrysalids”
• Fear of the Unknown in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• A Comparison of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding and “A Separate Peace” by John Knowles on Peer Pressure
• Internal and External Conflicts in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Importance of the Extract in the Development of the Main Themes in “Lord of the Flies”
• Destructiveness of Jealousy Depicted in “Lord of the Flies” and “Woman Warrior”
• A Demonstration of the Influence and Power of People Over One Another Through the Character of Piggy in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• A Character of Piggy as the Character Who Most Deserved to Be Saved in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• The Role of Government in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Moral Consequences in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• The Symbolism of Power in “Lord of the Flies”
• An Analysis of Human Behavior in “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “Lord of the Flies”
• Changes in the Conception of God in “Lord of the Flies”
• Inate Evil in “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and “Lord of the Flies”
• A Look at Disturbing Events Highlighted in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”
• Allegory of Social Dissolution “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Ralph as a Good Leader in “Lord of the Flies”
• An Analysis of Democratic and Authoritarian Power in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Leaders and Leadership in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Golding’s Pessimistic View on People and Society in His Book “Lord of the Flies”
• Analyzing the Themes of Innocence and Fear in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”
• A Description of the Occurrence of Civilization in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Importance of the Beast in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”: A Dream of a Deserted Island Into Reality
• Adventures, Conflicts, and Struggles in “Lord of the Flies”
• Good and Evil in Human Nature in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Failure of Paradise in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”
• Immorality of Human Nature Depicted in Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”
• Formation of Rules and Perception of Civilisation in “Lord of the Flies”
• How Golding Presents the Decline From Civilisation to Savagery in “Lord of the Flies”?
• What Does Piggy Symbolize in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does the Second World War Reflect on “Lord of the Flies”?
• What Ideas About Human Nature and Behavior Golding Was Trying to Express in “Lord of the Flies”?
• What Does the Plane Crash Symbolize in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does William Golding Present the Character of Jack in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does Golding Express His Ideas About Leadership in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does Roger Change in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding?
• How the Society Suppresses Evil in the Novel “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does Golding Create a Setting in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does the Author Present Human Nature in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does William Golding Show Evil at Work in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Anybody Could Regress Into Savagery in Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Is the Author’s Characterisation and Language Attributed to the Novel of the “Lord of the Flies”?
• Why Did William Golding Name His Novel “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does Golding Present Death in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does the Setting Affect the Story “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Children Are Treated in the Story of “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does Golding Make the Physical World Seem Important in “Lord of the Flies”?
• What Is Ralph’s Attitude Toward Piggy in the First Chapter of “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Many Boys Are in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Golding Creates Tension in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does the Opening Prepare the Reader for the Rest of the Novel “Lord of the Flies”?
• Why the Boys Were Doomed to Fail in “Lord of the Flies”?
• What Influenced William Golding to Write “Lord of the Flies”?
• Ways That Golding Presents the Island in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Golding Uses Symbols in “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does William Golding Use the Setting to Develop the Main Theme of His Novel “Lord of the Flies”?
• How Does Piggy’s Character Develop Through Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”?
• What Ruined Ralph and Jack’s Friendship in “Lord of the Flies”?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, December 8). 89 Lord of the Flies Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/lord-of-the-flies-essay-examples/

"89 Lord of the Flies Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 8 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/lord-of-the-flies-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '89 Lord of the Flies Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 8 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "89 Lord of the Flies Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." December 8, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/lord-of-the-flies-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "89 Lord of the Flies Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." December 8, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/lord-of-the-flies-essay-examples/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "89 Lord of the Flies Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." December 8, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/lord-of-the-flies-essay-examples/.

• To Kill a Mockingbird Topics
• Letter From Birmingham Jail Titles
• Brave New World Paper Topics
• A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay Ideas
• Call of the Wild Questions
• Hills Like White Elephants Essay Ideas
• Shooting an Elephant Essay Titles
• 1984 Essay Titles
• Heart of Darkness Essay Ideas
• Grapes of Wrath Ideas
• Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Research Topics
• Of Mice and Men Essay Topics
• Catcher in the Rye Topics
• The Outsiders Essay Titles
• Slaughterhouse Five Titles

Lord of The Flies: Summary and Detailed Analysis

Lord of the Flies is a well-known book by William Golding, who won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983. Interestingly, it's his first novel. The story unfolds with a group of boys finding themselves stranded on an island after a plane crash. They attempt to survive and establish order. However, without the influence of civilization, they gradually descend into savagery.

Notably, the book was published in 1954 and later adapted into two movies, one in 1963 and another in 1990. It's often compared to The Coral Island, a book from 1857. Now, this article, crafted by our expert coursework writer , is here to guide students like you in better understanding the plot, themes, symbols, and facts about Lord of the Flies. So, without further ado, let's delve into it!

Feeling Swamped by the Book?

Let us help with our top-notch essay for a clear breakdown and deep dive!

Major Characters in Lord of the Flies 

Let's start by getting to know the characters. In Lord of the Flies, the characters are teenage boys from Great Britain, evacuated because of an unspecified war. Most didn't know each other before landing on the island, except for a group of choir boys led by Jack. The main characters – Ralph, Jack, and Piggy – show different reactions to the crisis. Ralph is the fair-haired leader, trying to maintain order amidst chaos. However, as the others descend into savagery, they hunt him.

Piggy , Ralph's smart friend, supports him but faces physical limitations due to his weight and other impairments. Despite his practical ideas, Piggy tragically dies trying to retrieve his stolen glasses.

Jack , initially well-behaved, becomes a dominant hunter, challenging Ralph's authority. Roger, a typical bully, enjoys harassing others and kills Piggy.

Sam and Eric , inseparable twins, symbolize conformity. Simon, a gentle character, helps others but suffers a tragic fate at the hands of the hunters.

The Beast , a mysterious creature, represents the group's fear. Initially dismissed, it becomes a symbol of their primitive emotions and fears.

The naval officer , resembling a character from The Coral Island, sarcastically remarks on the boys' conditions when he arrives to rescue them.

Before proceeding to the next section, learn how to cite a poem APA style to alleviate one academic burden in school.

6 Key Facts on Lord of the Flies: A Brief Study Guide

Here are some key facts about Lord of the Flies to help you understand the book better. Meanwhile, if you would rather pay for my research paper , we are here to handle it with expertise.

• The book was written as a response to The Coral Island by Robert Michael Ballantyne, published in 1857. However, Lord of the Flies takes a completely opposite turn from its predecessor.
• Initially, the youngest kids on the island notice a mysterious 'beastie,' but the older boys mock them. Eventually, it's revealed that some of the older boys themselves were the feared monsters.
• Simon is the one who gives the pig's head, mounted on a stick, the nickname Lord of the Flies.
• The exact number of boys on the island in Lord of the Flies is unclear. However, two of them, Piggy and Simon, become victims of the hunters' violence and die.
• The text of Lord of the Flies features a lot of teenage slang, adding to its realism. The younger kids are referred to as 'littluns,' while the older boys are called 'biguns.'
• The main themes of Lord of the Flies include the role of civilization, the integrity of the human soul, and the equivocation of values. It's a great source for essays on topics like friendship, the challenges of growing up, maintaining civil order, and how the mind responds to difficult situations.

Summary of Lord of the Flies and Analysis

The chapter summaries of Lord of the Flies showcase a gradual descent into madness as the boys are cut off from civilization. Since the author doesn't provide dates, it's unclear how long they stay on the island. The text flows smoothly with abundant monologues, making it easy to read. Throughout the chapters, hidden instincts emerge, highlighting key symbols and showing how people adapt in the absence of external constraints. Now, let's delve into the detailed analysis of each chapter prepared by our essay writer for you .

Summary of Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell

The events begin on the island, where two boys – Ralph and Piggy – talk about the plane crash that landed them there. Piggy doubts that anybody is coming to their rescue since he heard something about an atomic bomb during the flight, and therefore, believes that the whole world has been destroyed and that they are all alone. The boys talk a little bit about themselves – Ralph talks about how his father is "a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he'll come and rescue us" (Chapter 1). Piggy is the complete opposite of Ralph; he says: "I used to live with my auntie. She kept a candy store. I used to get ever so many candies. As many as I liked" (Chapter 1). He is chubby, suffers from asthma, and doesn't know how to swim. 

Ralph swims in the bay, where he finds a pretty shell:

Chapter 1: " In color the shell was deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink. Between the point, worn away into a little hole, and the pink lips of the mouth, lay eighteen inches of shell with a slight spiral twist and covered with a delicate, embossed pattern ."

He uses the shell to call a general meeting. Other kids come from around the island—among them are the members of the boys' choir led by Jack Merridew. Jack obviously has a lot of authority among his "group of cloaked boys." All in all, the boys seem disappointed that there are no grownups on the island. They discuss the need to organize themselves. Since Ralph was the one to call the meeting, the boys voted him to be "chief" of the group. 

Jack is dissatisfied with such a decision since he proposed his own candidacy for the leadership position:

Chapter 1: " I ought to be chief… because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp" (Chapter 1). Ralph wants to make peace with Jack and offers him leadership over the choir boys: "Jack's in charge of the choir. They can be—what do you want them to be? "

From this day on, Jack proclaims his group "hunters." 

Summary of Chapter 2: Fire on the Mountain

After the meeting, the kids explore their new homeland. From the highest point, they realize that it's an island:

Chapter 2: "We're on an island. We've been on the mountain top and seen water all round. We saw no houses, no smoke, no footprints, no boats, no people. We're on an uninhabited island with no other people on it ."

On their way back, they encounter a pig; Jack wants to stab it but doesn't dare. The boys decide that they are going to have a good time on the island before the adults come to rescue them. They notice flowers, fruits, and the sea:

Chapter 2: " This is our island. It's a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we'll have fun" (Chapter 2). Suddenly, the younger boys, who have been staying somewhat aloof, raise a question about the island beast: "He wants to know what you're going to do about the snake-thing ."

The boys laugh and try to convince the youngsters that there are no beasts on the island:

Chapter 2: " You couldn't have a beastie, a snake-thing, on an island this size… You only get them in big countries, like Africa, or India ."

The boys decide that they will make a fire on the top of the mountain to ensure that the rescue ship finds them. They use Piggy's glasses to burn the dry leaves and tree branches. At first, they have trouble with lighting it, then keeping it alive, and then the fire spreads into the nearest woods. Finally, Jack assumes responsibility for keeping the fire going:

Chapter 2: " Ralph, I'll split up the choir–my hunters, that is–into groups, and we'll be responsible for keeping the fire going ."

Summary of Chapter 3: Huts on the Beach

During the first days, the only policies established by Ralph were to survive, to have fun, and to keep the fire going while waiting for a rescue mission. The boys attend regular meetings, but nobody seems to work too hard: Jack hunts all by himself, the choir boys spend more time swimming than working, and the younger kids hang out on the beach and eat fruits. The boys quickly realize that their only sources of food are fruits and wild pigs. Simon puts the most effort into the construction of shelters – he is kind, soft, and protective of the younger kids. Meanwhile, Piggy experiences more and more bullying from the ex-choir hunters:

Chapter 3: " There had grown up tacitly among the biguns the opinion that Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labor "

The fragile order on the island begins to fail. 

Summary of Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

Discipline on the island was absent from the very beginning, and the leftovers of ascertaining order were lost soon thereafter. The boys roamed the island and spent their days lazily. In the abundance of free time, they started to notice mysterious things in the woods. The idea of some beast hiding somewhere grew in their minds. Ralph continues to appeal to the kids' reason; however, Jack uses this opportunity to undermine his rival. Jack fed their fears and promised to find and kill the Beast to keep everybody safe. 

Jack summons all of the hunters to explore the island in pursuit of pigs and beasts. This meant that nobody was watching the signal fire on the top of the mountain. On one of their hunting trips, Jack, Bill, Sam, and Eric find a river with white and red clay. Jack smears his face with the clay:

Chapter 4: " For hunting. Like in the war. You know—dazzle paint. Like things trying to look like something else ."

The hunters then kill their first pig and bring it to the camp. During this time, a ship passes the island but doesn't stop since there is no smoke for a rescue signal. Jack triumphs on account of his hunting victory, and Ralph is upset because of the fire that has been lost. This leads to their first major argument. Piggy tries to express his support for Ralph, which makes Jack even angrier as he breaks one side of Piggy's glasses. 

Summary of Chapter 5: Beast from Water

Ralph calls another meeting where he reiterates the rules: the fire should be maintained at all times, the toilet should be in one designated place, and the food should be prepared only on the fire on the top of the mountain. As tensions between boys intensify, the younger kids continue to complain about the Beast. One of the boys, Percival, claims that the Beast comes from the waters. It becomes harder and harder to convince them that the Beast is the product of their imagination:

Chapter 5: " … the littluns were no longer silent. They were reminded of their personal sorrows, and perhaps felt themselves sharing in a sorrow that was universal. They began to cry in sympathy, two of them almost as loud as Percival" (Chapter 5). The meeting turned into chaos. Ralph, Piggy and Simon discuss the need for adults: "Grownups know things… They ain't afraid of the dark. They'd meet and have tea and discuss. Then things 'ud be all right ."

Summary of Chapter 6: Beast from Air

One night, there is an air battle not far from the island:

Chapter 6: " … there were other lights in the sky, that moved fast, winked, or went out, though not even a faint popping came down from the battle fought at ten miles' height "

The dead body of a man with a parachute lands on the island. When the twins – Sam and Eric – take their guard positions around the fire, they see the body and run away—calling Ralph for help. However, Ralph and Jack can't find anything when they examine the island. The boys notice that the fire is out again and decide to go up the mountain. It begins to get dark. 

Summary of Chapter 7: Shadows of the Tall Trees

On their way towards the mountaintop, Jack decides to hunt something because, as Roger says: " We need meat even if we are hunting the other thing " (Chapter 7). They spot a boar. Ralph hits it with a rock, but the animal escapes. In the heat of the hunt, one of the boys, Robert, starts to imitate the pig, and everybody else plays the hunter. They circle around Robert and scream:

Chapter 7: " Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in! " They really hurt their friend: "Robert was screaming and struggling with the strength of frenzy. Jack had him by the hair and was brandishing his knife ." The rage was so intense that Ralph wasn't able to inhibit the hunters. 

After the massive and violent ritual, Ralph, Roger, and Jack go up the mountain in the middle of the night. They notice the corpse of the dead pilot stuck in the tree branches with his evacuation parachute:

Chapter 7: " Behind them, the silver of moon had drawn clear of the horizon. Before them, something like a great ape was sitting asleep with its head between its knees. Then the wind roared in the forest, there was confusion in the darkness, and the creature lifted its head, holding toward them the ruin of a face ."

Due to their impassioned emotions, they convince themselves that the dead man is the Beast, and the three of them flee as fast as they can back to their camp. 

Summary of Chapter 8: Gift for the Darkness

Ralph is terrified of the Beast, and he even thinks that the creature is camping around the fire to make sure that the boys aren't rescued. Once the boys are back at the camp, Jack calls a meeting and accuses Ralph of being a coward and being unable to protect them from the dangers they've encountered:

Chapter 8: " Ralph thinks you're cowards, running away from the boar and the Beast… He's like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief ."

However, the boys don't agree to replace Ralph with Jack, so the angry hunter goes into the woods to start his own tribe with the other choir boys:

Chapter 8: "I'm not going to be a part of Ralph's lot… I'm going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too ."

Day after day, Jack tries to attract other boys to join his clan by promising them feasts with delicious pig meat. Eventually, Bill, Roger, and Maurice join the hunters. The boys now call Jack "chief" and hunt all things that are alive on the island. They believe that as long as they leave something for the Beast to kill and eat, they will be safe. During one of their hunts, they kill a pretty big pig. Jack mounts its head on a stick:

Chapter 8: " Jack held up the head and jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end of the stick which pierced through into the mouth. He stood back and the head hung there, a little blood dribbling down the stick ." Jack proclaims: " This head is for the Beast. It's a gift ".

Simon watches the hunters from a quiet place he found for himself in the middle of the woods. While looking at the mounted pig's head surrounded by insects, he decides to call it the "Lord of the Flies." Simon begins to hear the pig's voice in his head:

Chapter 8: " You are a silly little boy… just an ignorant, silly little boy ".

The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that the Beast is inside each of the boys and that his life is in danger. Hearing that, Simon faints. Eventually, Ralph and Piggy decide to visit one of Jack's feasts. 

Summary of Chapter 9: A View to a Death

A big storm begins to brew over the island. Simon decides to go up the mountain to confront the Beast himself. He sees the dead parachutist and gets the straps off of the corpse. Realizing that there is no beast, the boy rushes back to tell everybody the good news. At the same time, Ralph once again enters into an argument with Jack over the title of being the island's authority. Ralph insists that he's been democratically elected as their leader. In response, Jack, whose face is painted with clay, starts a ritual dance while singing his favorite song:

Chapter 9: " Kill the Beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! "

The boys, scared of the storm, are also scared to be hungry and hunted by the imaginary Beast – so they join Jack in his savage dance:

Chapter 9: " The movement became regular while the chant lost its first superficial excitement and began to beat like a steady pulse "

Unfortunately, Simon enters the camp in the moment of their total madness. All the boys could see was a dark figure approaching from the woods; they quickly surrounded the figure, ignored all cries from 'some man' on the hill, and used their sticks to kill the creature:

Chapter 9: " The Beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the Beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore ."

Once the madness subsides, everyone realizes that Simon is dead. The body of the parachutist is blown away from the island during the storm. 

Summary of Chapter 10: The Shell and the Glasses

Piggy tries to rationalize the cruel and inhumane murder of Simon:

Chapter 10: " It was an accident… that's what it was. An accident. Coming in the dark—he hadn't no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it ."

But Ralph realizes that the boys have crossed a line, and there is no turning back. There are only a few boys left who haven't joined the hunters: Ralph, Piggy, the Samneric twins, and some youngsters. The boys are desperate to keep the fire on the island—as it's their only chance for rescue and survival. One night, Jack sneaks into their shelters and steals the glasses used to start the fire. 

Summary of Chapter 11: Castle Rock

The hunters now live in a rock cave that kind of resembles a castle; therefore, they call it Castle Rock. Ralph, the twins, and Piggy decide to go there and get Piggy's glasses back from Jack. The boys prepare for a fight as much as they can – they take spears with them, tie their hair back, and take the conch shell. Since Piggy can't see anything without his glasses, Ralph orders him to kneel down and stay behind once they approach Castle Rock. A fight breaks out. Roger starts throwing stones from the top of the mountain. Jack stabs Ralph with a spear. Ralph tries to appeal to the hunters to be reasonable and invest common effort into getting the fire going:

Chapter 11: "Don't you understand, you painted fools? Sam, Eric, Piggy and me— we aren't enough. We tried to keep the fire going, but we couldn't. And then you, playing at hunting... "

The hunters surround the twins, take their spears away, and tie them up. Ralph loses his temper and calls out to Jack:

Chapter 11: "You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief! "

The heated argument results in Roger throwing a massive rock off of the mountain:

Chapter 11: " The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist… Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened, and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy's arms and legs twitched a bit like a pig's after it has been killed ."

In complete silence, the boys watch how the sea begins to take away Piggy's dead body. 

Summary of Chapter 12: Cry of the Hunters

Ralph runs away to escape the hunters, " the bruised flesh was inches in diameter over his right ribs, with a swollen and bloody scar where the spear had hit him " (Chapter 12). He realizes that Jack will not leave him alone now. Sam and Eric get beaten until they accept Jack's rule as chief. During a secret meeting, Samneric warns Ralph that the next day, hunters will begin to look for him around the entire island. The hunters prepare to mount Ralph's head on a stick as a new tribute to the Beast. The boys torture the twins to give up Ralph's hiding place and set the woods on fire in search of their enemy. 

When Ralph almost gets caught by the hunters, he suddenly stumbles into a man on the beach. This man is a naval officer who is very surprised to see all of the boys painted in clay and running around with spears. The sky over the island turns black as a result of the fire started by the hunters. The officer thinks the boys are playing fun games about war.

Chapter 12: " The officer inspected the little scarecrow in front of him. The kid needed a bath, a haircut, a nose-wipe and a good deal of ointment ."

Ralph gives into tears and is happy that they are finally safe.

Essay Sample on Lord of the Flies

Gain insights into Lord of the Flies with our essay sample, where scholarly critique meets in-depth exploration.

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies is filled with symbolism that adds depth to the story. Whether you're writing a 1000 Word Essay or something shorter, explore these symbols and their profound significance throughout the narrative.

• Piggy's Glasses symbolize civilization. Initially used to start the boys' first fire, they represent order and reason. However, when Jack breaks them during a fight with Ralph, it marks the beginning of the island's descent into savagery. Piggy's futile attempt to recover his glasses ultimately leads to his demise.
• The Conch Shell serves as a symbol of democracy and organization. Used to call meetings and designate who speaks, it represents the boys' attempt to maintain order and civility on the island amidst chaos.
• The Pig's Head , known as the Lord of the Flies, symbolizes primal instincts and the prioritization of basic needs over spiritual ones. It also embodies the boys' internal fears and the descent into savagery as they succumb to their wild impulses.
• War Paint is a symbol of disguise and transformation. Initially used by the hunters to mimic the appearance of savages they've seen in movies, it eventually becomes a mask, representing the boys' departure from their civilized selves and their immersion into a primal existence on the island.
• Uncontrolled Fire represents destruction and lost hope. From their first attempt to start a fire, which spirals out of control, to the devastating inferno that consumes the island in their pursuit of Ralph, fire represents the destructive power of unchecked impulses and the collapse of order.

Themes in Lord of the Flies 

As we explore the key themes in Lord of the Flies and their evolution throughout the story, feel free to leave us your request - ' write my nursing paper for me ' or any other topic, and we'll handle it swiftly!

• Civilization vs. Savagery : The central theme of the book is the contrast between civilization and savagery. The author delves into human instincts and questions how much evolution has suppressed primal urges. As the boys are freed from societal constraints, they quickly shed their civilized facades and descend into primitive behaviors, forming a tribal community.
• Youth and Loss of Innocence : Initially, the boys revel in their newfound freedom after the plane crash but soon realize they are alone without adult guidance. This prompts them to embrace their independence. However, the harsh reality of survival forces them to mature rapidly, transitioning from gentlemen to cavemen as they grapple with the challenges of island life.
• Fear and the Nature of Evil : Fear permeates the narrative, starting with the fear of isolation and escalating to fear of a mysterious beast and, ultimately, fear of themselves. As the boys relinquish their civilized behavior, fear replaces reason as the driving force in their decision-making. The text highlights the innate presence of evil within individuals and the struggle to reconcile with it.
• Power and Religion : Towards the end of the story, power shifts to those who can exert physical dominance, provide sustenance, and offer protection. Force becomes the primary currency of control, while rage emerges as the predominant emotion. Religion fades into the background, replaced by the primal instinct for power and survival.

Final Words

Lord of the Flies is a great book for writing essays as it has lots of important themes and symbols, and the story is easy to understand. You can write about the characters acting savagely, Piggy trying to make sense of what's happening, or Ralph standing up to bullies. And as you do, you always have our guidance. Simply request - write

Struggling to Write Your Essay on Lord of the Flies?

Our skilled writers will provide a comprehensive analysis, saving you time and stress!

What Are the Major Points of the Lord of the Flies?

What is the main message of lord of the flies, what are the three most important symbols in lord of the flies, related articles.

• Mobile Site
• Staff Directory
• Advertise with Ars

Filter by topic

• Biz & IT
• Gaming & Culture

Front page layout

Part of the Tolkien-Gordon Collection —

“forgotten” poem by c.s. lewis published for the first time, "mód þrýþe ne wæg" (1935) was among documents sold to the university of leeds 10 years ago..

Jennifer Ouellette - Apr 30, 2024 3:53 pm UTC

Renowned British author C.S. Lewis is best known for his Chronicles of Narnia , but Lewis's prolific oeuvre also included a science-fiction trilogy, an allegorical novel, a marvelous retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, various nonfiction works of Christian apologetics, and literary criticism . Now, a literary scholar has discovered a previously unknown short poem by Lewis among a cache of documents acquired by the University of Leeds 10 years ago. Written in 1935, the poem has been published for the first time, with an accompanying analysis  in the Journal of Inkling Studies.

The journal's title refers to the so-called " Oxford Inklings ," a group of Oxford-based scholars and writers who met regularly to read each others' works aloud, most often at an Oxford pub called The Eagle and Child (aka the Bird and the Baby). In addition to Lewis, the group included J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams. (All three were the main characters of James A. Owens' fantasy series, The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica .) I once called the Inklings "arguably the literary mythmakers" of their generation.

Lewis and Tolkien shared a love of Norse mythology, and Lewis read the first early drafts of what would become Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Tolkien later said he owed his friend "an unpayable debt" for convincing him the "stuff" could be more than merely a "private hobby." Tolkien, in turn, was the one who convinced Lewis—an atheist in his youth—to convert to Christianity.

General readers are likely less familiar with Lewis as a medieval scholar specializing in the late Middle Ages. His fiction works are rife with symbolism and dominant themes from that literary epoch. But he was also a fan of the epic Anglo-Saxon masterpiece Beowulf , which he initially read in translation (like almost everyone else). By the time he began teaching at Oxford's Magdalen College, he had become sufficiently proficient with Old English to host occasional "Beer and Beowulf " sessions at the college, according to Andoni Cossio, a scholar at the University of Basque and the University of Glasgow.

It was Cossio who found the Lewis poem while browsing through the Leeds Tolkien-Gordon Collection, which includes a first edition of The Hobbit and an Old English bridal song Tolkien wrote for Eric Valentine (E.V.) and Ida Gordon, a scholarly Oxford couple who were close friends of Tolkien's.

It seems they were also acquainted with Lewis, since the newly discovered poem, titled "Mód Þrýþe Ne Wæg," appears to have been written in thanks after Lewis stayed with them at their Manchester home. The manuscript has an accompanying Post-It note from the document's previous owner reading, "Another unusual thank you from C.S. Lewis." (The note originally read "from J.R.R.T., but those initials were crossed out.) The text particularly praises the whisky, white blankets, and warmth Lewis experienced during his stay.

“The moment I first read the manuscript, I was enraptured by its content. It had everything I could wish for: biographical details, Old English, alliterative meter, and Lewis's writing at its best," said Cossio . “The thing I like most about this poem is that it opens a little door to that world. It was soon obvious that it had passed completely unnoticed since its private owner transferred it to the University of Leeds in 2014. To discover the poem's secrets, I would have to do the research myself.”

And so he did, starting with verifying the date of the undated poem; no envelope survived. There is no mention of a friendship with the Gordons in any of Lewis's published biographies or correspondence, so Cossio concluded the connection was through a common friend, i.e., Tolkien. Sometime in 1932–1933, both Lewis and Tolkien were serving as examiners in Oxford's English school along with E.V. Gordon, a professor of English language. Tolkien himself wrote a short epistolary poem dated June 26, 1935, thanking the Gordons for their hospitality when he stayed at their home, and that poem references an earlier stay by Lewis. Specifically, Tolkien wrote that he hoped Lewis's thank-you verse had reached them, indicating that both poems were written in 1935.

This was also the same year that Lewis published "a theoretical essay on adapting Old English alliterative lines to modern English versification," per Cossio. The new poem adopts a similar alliterative meter, and its title (and pseudonymous pen name, "Nat Whilk") are playful Beowulf /Old English references, most likely for the benefit of Ida Gordon, who held a PhD in philology (the history of language). "Nat Whilk" is an indefinite pronoun roughly translating as an unknown person, or "anonymous," per Cossio.

"Mód Þrýþe Ne Wæg" is more difficult to translate. It's a reference to a specific line (1931b) in Beowulf , but scholars have different opinions as to how this should be interpreted. Some think it is a proper name "whose meaning is distilled from the sum of its elements"; others disagree, including Tolkien in his own translation of Beowulf , according to Cossio. Cossio's reasoning rests on the use of the proper name in the Lewis poem's second line, describing his hostess as one whose "heart knows not/The temper of Þrýþ."

"Since Þrýþ was wicked and her mood was fierce, according to Tolkien's interpretation and translation that Lewis seems to agree with, the negative phrase in the title of the poem can only be read as a compliment to Ida Gordon," Cossio wrote. Taken together with Lewis's adherence to the alliterative meter of Beowulf , Cossio concludes that the newly discovered poem was clearly written "from one medievalist to another."

Journal of Inkling Studies, 2024. DOI: 10.3366/ink.2024.0216  ( About DOIs ).

reader comments

Channel ars technica.

Lord Of The Flies Conch Essay

Lincoln Nguyen Pre - AP English 9 Brua Hour 6 April 18th, 2024 Lord of the Flies Essay Everywhere in the world there’s a government or a sort of system that keeps society going that holds different rules and consequences for example, in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys get deserted on the island after their plane crashed, Ralph the main character is elected as the leader, but as a leader, Ralph must find ways to keep balance upon the island members, but how? Golding uses the conch to represent authority held within the shell, which shows that without proper respect towards someone or something, it will result in a dwindling level of order. There are many reasons why the conch holds authority. One example …show more content…

He can hold it when he's speaking. ‘And he won't be interrupted. Except by me’’“ (33). Golding uses listing to state the rules to the boys, saying how the person who has the conch is the only one allowed to speak and can only be interrupted by Ralph himself. When listing it creates a mood of seriousness and evinces that the conch is an item that holds authority since there are set rules that he listed. The boy’s respect is shown when they give the conch it’s power. In another instance, Ralph intended to blow the conch to get everyone’s attention but instead held it up, which was enough to attract all the boy’s eyes, which shows the true uniting power of the conch. It reads, “Ralph took the conch from where it lay on the polished seat and held it to his lips; but then he hesitated and did not blow. He held the shell up instead and showed it to them and they understood.” (99). Golding describes how Ralph is using the conch as a social tool to call a meeting, he planned to blow it to get their attention but instead held it up. When he held it up, it grabbed their eyes and everyone knew what was going down, Ralph used the conch as an item to call the meeting, therefore showing that the shell held the authority and power to call

More about Lord Of The Flies Conch Essay