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Lord of the Flies
The original UK Lord of the Flies book cover
Author	William Golding
Cover artist	Pentagram
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Allegorical novel
Publisher	Faber and Faber
Publication date	September 17th, 1954
Media type	Print (Paperback & Hardback)
Pages	248 pp (first edition, paperback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-571-05686-5 (first edition, paperback)
OCLC Number	47677622

Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding. It discusses how culture created by man fails, using as an example a group of British schoolboys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, but with disastrous results. Its stances on the already controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it position 68 on the American Library Association’s list of the one hundred most frequently challenged books of 1990–1999.^[1] In 2005, the novel was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the one hundred best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005.^[2]

Published in 1954, Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first novel, and although it was not a great success at the time—selling fewer than three thousand copies in the United States during 1955 before going out of print—it soon went on to become a bestseller, and by the early 1960s was required reading in many schools and colleges. It was adapted to film in 1963 by Peter Brook, and again in 1990 by Harry Hook.

The title is said to be a reference to the Hebrew name of Beelzebub (בעל זבוב, Ba’al-zvuv, “god of the fly”, “host of the fly”, or literally “Lord of Flies”), a name sometimes used as a synonym for Satan.^[3] The title of the book, in turn, has itself become a metaphor for a power struggle in a chaotic situation.

Background

The book was written during the first years of the Cold War and the atomic age; the events seem to arise in the midst of World War II. The boys whose actions form the superficial subject of the book are from a school in Great Britain. Some are ordinary students, while others arrive as an already-coherent body under an established leader; so does, for example, the choir. The book portrays their descent into savagery, contrasting with other books that had lauded the inevitable ascendancy of a higher form of human nature, as in The Coral Island (1857) by R. M. Ballantyne and by Two Years’ Vacation, published by Jules Verne in 1888. Left to themselves in a paradisiacal country, far from modern civilization, the well-educated children regress to a primitive state.

At an allegorical level, the central theme is the conflicting impulses toward civilization—live by rules, peacefully and in harmony—and towards the will to power. Different subjects include the tension between groupthink and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality. How these play out, and how different people feel the influences of these, forms a major subtext of Lord of the Flies.^[4]

Plot summary

The story is set on an isolated island, during a war. A British plane has crashed; there are no adult survivors. Two boys, the fair-haired Ralph and an overweight, bespectacled boy reluctantly nicknamed "Piggy", form the initial focus, as they begin to make sense of their new surroundings. They soon find a white shell and Piggy suggests that Ralph use the conch as a horn to call for any other survivors who might be nearby. Thus Ralph initiates the island's first assembly where all of the survivors turn out to be male children, none seemingly over the age of thirteen: "biguns" (a few older boys) and "littluns" (several younger boys).^[5]

Two dominant boys emerge: Ralph, and another older boy named Jack Merridew, a bony, freckled redhead who is the head of a choir group that was among the survivors. After a brief election, Ralph is voted chief, losing only the votes of Jack's loyal fellow choirboys. The newly elected leader encourages everyone to work toward two common goals, the first one being to have fun and the second one to be rescued by maintaining a constant fire signal, which will be lit using Piggy's glasses. For a time, the boys work together toward erecting shelters, gathering food and water, and keeping the fire going. The choirboys then set their own objective, namely to become the hunters of the local animals.

Jack becomes an immediate threat to Ralph's leadership, obviously envious of Ralph's ascent to chief. Actuated by his jealousy, Jack endeavours to empower himself instead by turning his choir group into "hunters", who are responsible for hunting for meat and taking care of the fire. Together, Ralph, Jack, and a black-haired boy named Simon become the supreme trio among the children, going on a short expedition to confirm that they are indeed on an island. Piggy, the most sensible of the bunch, is quickly outcast by his fellow "biguns" and becomes an unwilling source of mirth for the other children. Simon, in addition to supervising the project of constructing shelters, feels an instinctive need to protect the "littluns".

The original semblance of order imposed by Ralph quickly deteriorates, with little work being done by most. They fail to put their plans of constructing shelters into action due to their idleness. At one point, Jack summons all of his hunters to hunt down a wild pig, even the ones who were supposed to be maintaining the fire. While they are preying on the pig, a ship passes near the island; however, with no one to maintain the smoke signal, the children are not discovered. Although the chase of the pig turns out to be the group's first successful hunt, Ralph is greatly infuriated upon learning that they have missed a potential rescue. Around the same time, many of the "littluns" begin to believe that the island is inhabited by a monster, quickly referred to by all as "the beast". After the smoke signal incident and because of the legendary monster which has begun to fill the boys' nightmares, Ralph convenes them to refute rumours of such a creature once and for all. The meeting, however, turns into something of a riot and Jack gains control of the discussion by boldly promising to kill the beast, again challenging Ralph's authority as chief. Later, Ralph envisages relinquishing his position, though Piggy discourages him from doing so while the two of them and Simon yearn hopefully for some guidance from the adult world.

The identical twins Sam and Eric, referred to collectively as "Samneric" are in charge of the signal fire that night, but fall asleep. When they awake, they come across the corpse and the open parachute of a fighter pilot who has landed on the island; reckoning it to be the "beast" they report it during the next assembly. In an expedition to locate such a beast, Ralph and Jack come upon a cavernous part of the island which they christen "Castle Rock". Ralph and Jack together discover the dead pilot atop the mountain and also fearfully mistake it to be the sleeping beast. Jack blows the conch to call another assembly, over the course of which he confirms the beast's existence to the others. The meeting results in a schism, splitting the children into two groups. Ralph's group continues holding the belief that preserving the signal fire is the necessary focus. Jack becomes the chief of his own tribe, focusing on hunting while exploiting the iron-clad belief in the beast. As Jack and the hunters have already slain their first pig, they beguile defectors from Ralph's group into joining them with the promise of meat, fun, and, most importantly, protection from the beast.

Jack's tribe gradually becomes more animalistic, emphasising the practice of applying face paint from coloured clay discovered by Samneric and charred remains of trees. The narrative voice in the story reveals to the reader that these painted faces represent the hunters' masking their more civilized selves in order to liberate their inner "savages". The face paint becomes a motif which recurs throughout the story, with more intensity toward the end.

Simon, a part of Ralph's tribe, who had "cracked" and went off looking for the beast by himself, finds the head of the hunters' dead pig on a stick, left as an offering to the beast. Simon then undergoes a peculiar experience, presumably by hallucination, in which he sees the pig head, swarming with scavenging flies, as the "Lord of the Flies", and believes that it is talking to him, identifying itself as the real "Beast". It discloses the truth about itself — that the boys themselves "created" the beast, and that the real beast was inside them all. Simon also locates the dead parachutist who had been mistaken for the beast, and is the sole member of the group to recognise that it is a cadaver instead of a sleeping monster. Simon eventually arrives at the peak of a tribal ritual at Jack's tribe, pursued by the ravenous flies, and endeavours to explain the truth about the beast and the dead man atop the mountain. However, Jack's tribe, still reeling in bloodlust from their most recent kill, blindly attack and murder Simon, whom they mistake for the beast. They kill him in the shadows in their now tribal dance and ominously chant "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!". As Ralph took part in the murder along with Piggy, though both indirectly, he now feels intense remorse.

The savages then raid Ralph's camp and attack the non-hunters in order to steal Piggy's glasses for making a cooking fire (having grown tired of raiding their camp for burning sticks). By this time, Ralph's tribe consists of just himself, Piggy, and Samneric, among the remaining "littluns". They all go to the rock fort of Jack's tribe at Castle Rock to try to get back Piggy's glasses so that he can see again. In the ensuing confrontation, the dark boy Roger triggers a rock ambush in which Piggy is struck by a boulder and thrown off the edge of the forty-foot cliff to his death. The conch is shattered simultaneously. Samneric are captured and tortured by Roger to become part of Jack's tribe. Ralph is forced to flee for his own safety, now completely alone.

The following morning, in the final sequence of the book, Jack and Roger lead their tribe on a manhunt for Ralph with the intention of killing him. Ralph has secretly confessed to Samneric (believing them still loyal to him) where he will hide. The twins, however, are forced to betray Ralph's position. Yet he escapes with his life in many close calls as the savages tear apart the island to track him down. Jack, now nearly complete in his demonic role as the ultimate savage, pursues Ralph. During the pursuit, an unnamed savage sets the island foliage ablaze, which has until then been the only source of food and shelter for the boys. Ralph skilfully evades capture on multiple occasions but soon is so stricken by terror and exhaustion from running that he abandons all hope, expecting to be discovered and slain. However, the fire which the unnamed savage has started attracts the attention of a nearby warship.

A naval officer lands on the island near where Ralph is lying, and his sudden appearance brings the children's fighting to an abrupt halt. Upon learning of the boys' activities, the officer remarks that he would have expected better from British boys, believing them only to be playing a game, unaware of the two murders (of Simon and Piggy) that have occurred and the imminent occurrence of a third one. In the final scene, although now certain that he will be rescued after all, Ralph cries, in mourning for his friend Piggy, his own loss of innocence, and his newfound awareness of the darkness of human nature.

Allegorical relationships

The relationships displayed in the novel have not yet been fully examined. However, there are a few clues that can be drawn from the novel.

Ralph

When he and the others arrive on the island, he quickly establishes himself as the chief of the group, although not by any harsh, overt or physical action, but by being elected. Ralph has many leadership skills that Piggy does not and he knows when to and when not to talk (which separates him from Piggy again). Ralph suggests that a fire be lit, hoping that it will increase their chance of being saved; however, towards the end of the book he forgets the initial reason for maintaining the fire. This is representative of the debilitating effects corruption has even on the brightest mind. Ralph always means well, but frequently forgets his motives for doing so, and requires Piggy's constant reminders to reinforce the purpose of the fire. Still, in the midst of all the island's chaos, it should be noted that Ralph has a tendency to be polite and logical in the tensest of moments; for example, when the children are obliged to investigate Castle Rock, Ralph takes the lead despite being horribly afraid of the "beast". When Simon expresses his doubts about the existence of such a creature, Ralph responds "politely, as if agreeing about the weather." Ralph embodies good intentions in the implementation of reason, but ultimately fails to execute these plans soundly.^[6]

Piggy

Piggy, whose real name is never revealed, is Ralph's chief adviser and "true, wise friend." He represents the role of intelligence, reason and civilization. His identity with civilization is symbolized in many ways, including the fact that his hair never lengthens even as the others' does, and his refusal to accept the existence of ghosts or the beast. Even at the beginning, the limited influence of civilization is symbolized by the limitations of Piggy's own body: his obesity, his often debilitating asthma, and his thick spectacles. His deteriorating sway is further represented as his glasses are first broken, then later stolen by Jack, leaving him all but completely helpless. He makes a final appeal for order and reason, and is horribly killed for his efforts. With his gruesome death, simultaneous with the destruction of the conch, reason and civility are gone completely, and the descent into savagery is consummate.^[4]

The Conch

When first blown, it convokes the children to an assembly, where Ralph is elected leader. They also agree that only the boy holding the conch may speak at meetings to forestall arguments and chaos, and that it should be passed around to those who wish to voice their opinion. The conch symbolizes democracy and, like Ralph, civility and order within the group. It is, however, eventually smashed into thousands of pieces by the same rock which has killed Piggy. Therefore, the conch's destruction can be perceived as the death of order on the island.^[4]

Jack Merridew

Jack epitomizes the worst aspects of human nature when not controlled or tempered by society. Like Ralph, Jack is a natural leader. However, unlike Ralph, Jack appeals to more basic desires in the children and relies on his status as leader of the choirboys (presumably ordained by the adults). Although his way of behaving is neither disruptive nor violent at the beginning of the book, he does at that time express an ungovernable desire to hunt and kill a pig. As the story progresses, this desire grows more and more irrational, to the point where he abandons the fire (and causes the boys to miss a potential rescue) simply in order to hunt. This sparks tension between Jack and Ralph which leads to a clear dividing line between the two appearing, on one hand Jack is the irrational one, whereas on the other hand, Ralph represents rationality. Eventually, in the later part of the book when Ralph's leadership is more undermined, Jack’s true evil nature is exposed. He leads most of the boys away from Ralph, and forms a separate group, based not on democracy but obedience and where violence and torture are carried out. The tale ends with Jack leading many of the boys in a frenzied attempt to kill Ralph, which is only prevented by the abrupt and unexpected arrival of a naval officer.^[6]

Roger

Roger, at first, is a simple "bigun" who's having fun during his stay on the island. Along with Maurice, he attacks a group of small children and destroy their sand castle. Maurice feels guilt for kicking sand into a child's eye, while Roger throws stones at the fleeing children. But the book states that Roger clearly threw the stones to miss, and felt the presence of civilization and society preventing him from harming the children. Later, once he feels that all aspects of western society are gone, he is left alone to his animal urges. During the tribe's second successful pig hunt he is the most aggressive in the hunt he kills one of the piglets and stabs the mother sow multiple times and sodimises her with a spear. He later kills Piggy with a stone that was no longer aimed to miss. He represents man's pure, animal evil, that is only restrained by the rules of society, and could be interpreted by some people as the entire theme of the book embodied in one person.

Simon

Simon is a character who represents peace and tranquility, with some references to Jesus Christ. He is very in-tune with the island, and often experiences extraordinary sensations when listening to its sounds. He also has an extreme aversion to the pig's head, the "Lord of the Flies," which derides and taunts Simon in a hallucination. After this experience, Simon emerges from the forest to tell the others that the "beast" is actually a deceased parachutist caught on the mountain, only to be brutally killed by Jack's people, who ironically mistake him for the beast. The final words that the Lord of the Flies had said to Simon vaguely predicted that his death was about to occur in this manner.^[6]

Naval Officer

Arriving moments before Ralph's seemingly impending death, the Naval Officer acts as a form of deus ex machina, a character introduced into a play or book to resolve the entanglements of the plot. The Officer is surprised and disappointed to learn that the boys' society has collapsed into chaos, stating that he would have expected "a better show" from the British children. The arrival of the officer triggers an interesting phenomenon; Ralph's, and to a larger extent, Jack's authority is completely dissolved by the officer's arrival. Upon the officer asking who is "in charge", the struggle of the book is rendered instantly obsolete: "'Who's boss here?' 'I am,' said Ralph loudly." Jack, who was previously characterized as a powerful leader is reduced to: "A little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his red hair and who carried the remains of a pair of spectacles at his waist," somewhat abruptly demonstrating the illusion of authority and control.

The Beast

The Beast is first mentioned by a littlun and the notion is immediately dismissed by Ralph. The Beast is thought to be within the water and described by the littluns as such. Soon after the rumors of the Beast begin to flourish, the corpse of a fighter pilot, ejected from his aircraft, falls to the island. His parachute becomes entangled in the jungle foliage in such a way that sporadic gusts of wind cause the chute to billow and the body move as if still alive. Sam and Eric discover the parachutist in the dark and believe that it is the beast. Ralph, Jack and Roger search for the Beast and encounter it within the mountains as well. The reality of the Beast is now firmly established in the boys' minds. Jack's tribe feeds the Beast with the sow's head on a stick. This act symbolizes Jack's willingness to accept to the temptation of evil. Simon discovers the parachutist and realizes that it is really only the corpse of a man. Simon is the first child on the island to realize that the Beast is created by the boys' imagination. Simon's realization of this shows that he is naturally good at heart. On his way to tell the others his discovery, he is beaten to death during the other boys' tribal pig dance.

The Lord of the Flies

Namesake of the novel, the Lord of the Flies is literally a pig's head that has been cut off by Jack, put on a stick sharpened at both ends, stuck in the ground, and offered to the "beast." Created out of fear, the Lord of the Flies used to be a mother sow who, though at one time clean, loving, and innocent, has now become a manically smiling, bleeding last image of evil. This transformation clearly represents the transformation that Jack and the boys have undergone during their time in the island. In addition, the name "Lord of the Flies" is the literal English translation of Beelzebub, a demonic figure that is often considered synonymous with Satan. The Lord of the Flies is a physical manifestation of the evil that is in the boys, and the evil that Golding believed exists in all of us.

Film adaptations

There have been two film adaptations:

• Lord of the Flies (1963), directed by Peter Brook
• Lord of the Flies (1990), directed by Harry Hook

Influence

Many writers have borrowed plot elements from Lord of the Flies.

Printed works

Stephen King has stated that the Castle Rock in Lord of the Flies was the inspiration for the town of the same name that has appeared in a number of his novels. The book itself also appears prominently in his novels Hearts in Atlantis and Cujo.^[7] King's fictional town in turn inspired the name of Rob Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment.

The novel The Butterfly Revolution by William Butler is described on its front cover as being a "classic in the tradition of Lord of the Flies."^[8]

Television

The "Das Bus" episode of The Simpsons is also based on this book. The episode Kamp Krusty has several elements from Lord of the Flies as well (a pig's head on a spear, kids using primitive weapons and wearing war paint and a burning effigy).

The TV Series Lost draws many of its initial plot devices and themes from Lord of the Flies, most notably being based around a plane crash on a desert island, the existence of a 'beast' and the emerging tensions between two leaders, one of whom happens to be named "Jack". The overweight Hurley occasionally serves as the voice of reason, much like the novel's Piggy.

Music

• The English heavy metal band Iron Maiden composed a song about the novel, with the title "Lord of the Flies".
• The final song, "Shadows and Tall Trees," on U2's debut album, takes its title from the novel's chapter of the same name. Additionally, some printings of the book's cover are similar to the cover of the album.^[9]

See also

• Heart of Darkness

References

External links

• Novelguide - Lord of the Flies
• The Lord of the Flies: A Study Guide
• Criterion Collection essay by Peter Brook
• Slashdoc: Lord of the Flies Literary analysis of the novel
• Nobelprize.org: Play the Lord of the Flies Game
• Lord of the Flies characters and plot
• Lord of the Flies Reviews

From Wikiquote

Sir William Golding (1911-09-19 – 1993-06-19) was an English novelist and poet. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983.

Sourced

Basically I'm an optimist. Intellectually I can see man's balance is about fifty-fifty, and his chances of blowing himself up are about one to one. I can't see this any way but intellectually. I'm just emotionally unable to believe that he will do this. This means that I am by nature an optimist and by intellectual conviction a pessimist, I suppose.

• The Herr Doctor does not know about peoples.
  • Free Fall (1959), last line

• The man who tells the tale if he has a tale worth telling will know exactly what he is about and this business of the artist as a sort of starry-eyed inspired creature, dancing along, with his feet two or three feet above the surface of the earth, not really knowing what sort of prints he's leaving behind him, is nothing like the truth.
  • Interview with Frank Kermode, BBC Third Programme (1959-08-28)

• Basically I'm an optimist. Intellectually I can see man's balance is about fifty-fifty, and his chances of blowing himself up are about one to one. I can't see this any way but intellectually. I'm just emotionally unable to believe that he will do this. This means that I am by nature an optimist and by intellectual conviction a pessimist, I suppose.
  • Interview with James Keating, Purdue University, 1962-05-10, printed in Lord of the Flies: The Casebook Edition (1964)

• The very day after I learned that I was the laureate for literature for 1983 I drove into a country town and parked my car where I should not. I only left the car for a few minutes but when I came back there was a ticket taped to the window. A traffic warden, a lady of a minatory aspect, stood by the car. She pointed to a notice on the wall. "Can't you read?" she said. Sheepishly I got into my car and drove very slowly round the corner. There on the pavement I saw two county policemen.
  I stopped opposite them and took my parking ticket out of its plastic envelope. They crossed to me. I asked if, as I had pressing business, I could go straight to the Town Hall and pay my fine on the spot. "No, sir," said the senior policeman, "I'm afraid you can't do that." He smiled the fond smile that such policemen reserve for those people who are clearly harmless if a bit silly. He indicated a rectangle on the ticket that had the words 'name and address of sender' printed above it. "You should write your name and address in that place," he said. "You make out a cheque for ten pounds, making it payable to the Clerk to the Justices at this address written here. Then you write the same address on the outside of the envelope, stick a sixteen penny stamp in the top right hand corner of the envelope, then post it. And may we congratulate you on winning the Nobel Prize for Literature."
  • Nobel lecture, 1983-12-07 [1]

• The writer probably knows what he meant when he wrote a book, but he should immediately forget what he meant when he's written it.
  • Quoted in John Haffenden, ed., Novelists in Interview, (1985)

Lord of the Flies (1954)

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?

• "Aren't there any grownups at all?"
  "I don't think so."
  The fair boy said this solemnly; but then the delight of a realized ambition overcame him. In the middle of the scar he stood on his head and grinned at the reversed fat boy.
  "No grownups!"
  • Ch. 1: The Sound of the Shell

• "I was the only boy in our school what had asthma," said the fat boy with a touch of pride. "And I've been wearing specs since I was three."
  • Ch. 1: The Sound of the Shell

• "Aren't you going to swim?"
  Piggy shook his head.
  "I can't swim. I wasn't allowed. My asthma—"
  "Sucks to your ass-mar!"
  • Ch. 1: The Sound of the Shell

• "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us—"
  He beamed at Ralph.
  "That was what you meant, didn't you? That's why you got the conch out of the water."
  Ralph pushed back his fair hair.
  "How did your friend blow the conch?"
  "He kind of spat," said Piggy. "My auntie wouldn't let me blow on account of my asthma. He said you blew from down here." Piggy laid a hand on his jutting abdomen. "You try, Ralph. You'll call the others."
  Doubtfully, Ralph laid the small end of the shell against his mouth and blew. There came a rushing sound from its mouth but nothing more. Ralph wiped the salt water off his lips and tried again, but the shell remained silent.
  "He kind of spat."
  Ralph pursed his lips and squirted air into the shell, which emitted a low, farting noise. This amused both boys so much that Ralph went on squirting for some minutes, between bouts of laughter.
  "He blew from down here."
  Ralph grasped the idea and hit the shell with air from his diaphragm. Immediately the thing sounded. A deep, harsh note boomed under the palms, spread through the intricacies of the forest and echoed back from the pink granite of the mountain. Clouds of birds rose from the treetops, and something squealed and ran in the undergrowth.
  • Ch. 1: The Sound of the Shell

• "This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun."
  • Ch. 2: Fire on the Mountain

• Either the wandering breezes or perhaps the decline of the sun allowed a little coolness to lie under the trees. The boys felt it and stirred restlessly.
  "You couldn't have a beastie, a snake-thing, on an island this size," Ralph explained kindly. "You only get them in big countries, like Africa, or India."
  Murmur; and the grave nodding of heads.
  "He says the beastie came in the dark."
  "Then he couldn't see it!"
  Laughter and cheers.
  "Did you hear that? Says he saw the thing in the dark—"
  "He still says he saw the beastie. It came and went away again an' came back and wanted to eat him."
  "He was dreaming."
  Laughing, Ralph looked for confirmation round the ring of faces. The older boys agreed; but here and there among the little ones was the doubt that required more than rational assurance.
  "He must have had a nightmare. Stumbling about among all those creepers."
  More grave nodding. They knew about nightmares.
  "He says he saw the beastie, the snake-thing, and will it come back tonight?"
  "But there isn't a beastie!"
  "He says in the morning it turned into them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches. He says will it come back again tonight?"
  "But there isn't a beastie!"
  There was no laughter at all now and more grave watching. Ralph pushed both hands through his hair and looked at the little boy in mixed amusement and exasperation.
  • Ch. 2: Fire on the Mountain

• Ralph waved the conch.
  "Shut up! Wait! Listen!"
  He went on in the silence, borne on in his triumph.
  "There’s another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire."
  "A fire! Make a fire!"
  At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten.
  "Come on! Follow me!"
  The space under the palm trees was full of noise and movement. Ralph was on his feet too, shouting for quiet, but no one heard him. All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone— following Jack. Even the tiny children went and did their best among the leaves and broken branches. Ralph was left, holding the conch, with no one but Piggy.
  • Ch. 2: Fire on the Mountain

• "How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper?"
  • Ch. 2: Fire on the Mountain

• Ralph lay flat and looked up at the palm trees and the sky.
  "Meetings. Don't we love meetings? Every day. Twice a day. We talk." He got on one elbow. "I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they'd come running. Then we'd be, you know, very solemn, and someone would say we ought to build a jet, or a submarine, or a TV set. When the meeting was over they'd work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting."
  • Ch. 3: Huts on the Beach

• Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry— threw it to miss. The stone, that token of preposterous time, bounded five yards to Henry's right and fell in the water. 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.
  • Ch. 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

• Jack planned his new face. He made one cheek and one eye socket white, then rubbed red over the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of charcoal across from right ear to left jaw. He looked in the mere for his reflection, but his breathing troubled the mirror.
  "Samneric. Get me a coconut. An empty one."
  He knelt, holding the shell of water. A round 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 mere, 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 towards Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness.
  • Ch. 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

• The chant was audible but at that distance still wordless. Behind Jack walked the twins, carrying a great stake on their shoulders. The gutted carcass of a pig swung from the stake, swinging heavily as the twins toiled over the uneven ground. The pig's head hung down with gaping neck and seemed to search for something on the ground. At last the words of the chant floated up to them, across the bowl of blackened wood and ashes.
  "Kill the pig! Cut her throat! Spill the blood!"
  Yet as the words became audible, the procession reached the steepest part of the mountain, and in a minute or two the chant had died away.
  • Ch. 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

• His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.
  • Ch. 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

• Jack stood up as he said this, the bloodied knife in his hand. The two boys faced each other. There was the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill; and there was the world of longing and baffled common-sense.
  • Ch. 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

• "The rules!" shouted Ralph, "you're breaking the rules!"
  "Who cares?"
  Ralph summoned his wits.
  "Because the rules are the only thing we've got!"
  But Jack was shouting against him.
  "Bollocks to the rules! We're strong — we hunt! If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down! We'll close in and beat and beat and beat — !"
  • Ch. 5: Beast from Water

• "I'm scared of him," said Piggy, "and that's why I know him. If you're scared of someone you hate him but you can't stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he's alright really, an' then when you see him again; it's like asthma an' you can't breath. I tell you what. He hates you too, Ralph —"
  "Me? Why me?"
  "I dunno. You got him over the fire; an' you're chief an' he isn't."
  "But he's Jack Merridew!"
  "I been in bed so much I done some thinking. I know about people. I know about me. And him. He can't hurt you: but if you're standing out of the way he'd hurt the next thing. And that's me."
  "Piggy's right, Ralph. There's you and Jack. Go on being chief."
  • Ch. 5: Beast from Water

• However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick.
  • Ch. 6: Beast from Air

• "You want a pig," said Roger, "like in a real hunt."
  "Or someone to pretend," said Jack. "You could get someone to dress up as a pig and then he could act — you know, pretend to knock me over and all that —"
  "You want a real pig," said Robert, still caressing his rump, "because you've got to kill him."
  "Use a littlun," said Jack, and everybody laughed.
  • Ch. 7: Shadows and Tall Trees

• Jack was on top of the sow, stabbing downward with his knife. Roger found a lodgment for his point and began to push till he was leaning his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her. The butterflies still danced, preoccupied in the center of the clearing.
  • Ch. 8: Gift for the Darkness

• He paused and stood up, looking at the shadows under the trees. His voice was lower when he spoke again.
  "But we'll leave part of the kill for …"
  He knelt down again and was busy with his knife. The boys crowded round him. He spoke over his shoulder to Roger.
  "Sharpen a stick at both ends."
  Presently he stood up, holding the dripping sow's head in his hands.
  "Where's that stick?"
  "Here."
  "Ram one end in the earth. Oh — it's rock. Jam it in that crack. There."
  Jack held 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."
  Instinctively the boys drew back too; and the forest was very still. They listened, and the loudest noise was the buzzing of the flies over the spilled guts."
  • Ch. 8: Gift for the Darkness

• Simon's head was tilted slightly up. His eyes could not break away and the Lord of the Flies hung in space before him.
  "What are you doing out here all alone? Aren't you afraid of me?"
  Simon shook.
  "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast."
  Simon's mouth labored, brought forth audible words.
  "Pig's head on a stick."
  "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn't you?" 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?"
  • Ch. 8: Gift for the Darkness

• "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!"
  • Ch. 9: A View to a Death

• Ralph heard the great rock long before he saw it. He was aware of a jolt in the earth that came to him through the soles of his feet, and the breaking sound of stones at the top of the cliff. Then the monstrous red thing bounded across the neck and he flung himself flat while the tribe shrieked.
  The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, travelled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went. The rock bounded twice and was lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across that 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. Then the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone.
  This time the silence was complete. Ralph's lips formed a word but no sound came.
  Suddenly Jack bounded out from the tribe and began screaming wildly.
  "See? See? That's what you'll get! I meant that! There isn't a tribe for you any more! The conch is gone —"
  He ran forward, stooping.
  "I'm Chief!"
  • Ch. 11: Castle Rock - The first edition used the term "painted niggers", later editions changed this to "painted savages" or "painted Indians".

There was no Piggy to talk sense. There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch.

• What did it mean? A stick sharpened at both ends. What was there in that?
  • Ch. 12: The Cry of the Hunters

• What was the sensible thing to do?
  There was no Piggy to talk sense. There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch.
  • Ch. 12: The Cry of the Hunters

• His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.
  • Ch. 12: The Cry of the Hunters

External links

• Lord of the Flies quotes analyzed; study guide and teacher guide, themes, characters, multimedia

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William Golding

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Synopsis

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Chapter Summary

Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell

A group of English schoolboys are evacuated onto a plane during a war to escape from bombings of Britain. However, the plane is shot down by an unknown enemy (in Chapter 10, a conversation with Ralph reveals the enemies are "Reds") aircraft and the boys find themselves stranded on a deserted island with the pilot killed in the crash. Two central characters, Piggy and Ralph are introduced. They walk down to the beach, Piggy finds a shell: a conch. He gives it to Ralph who blows in it and they call an assembly of all of the children on the island; at the assembly,a choir group led by Jack, comes along the beach. Ralph suggests they pick a leader, and he is chosen by a group vote. Jack is not happy about this, although Ralph assures him that he will still be in charge of the choir, who become the hunters. Even at this point, it is hinted that the children are governed more by their emotions since as the book itself states "what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy while the most obvious leader was Jack". After Ralph is elected, he explores the island with Jack and Simon and comes across a pig entrapped in the bushes. Jack draws his knife but hesitates to kill the pig, aware of the enormity of his actions. This allows the pig to escape. Jack, ashamed of this resolves never to hesitate to kill.

Chapter 2: Fire on the Mountain

Ralph, Jack and Simon hastily return from their tour of the island. Now, they call another meeting. A small boy with a visible birthmark says he has seen a snake (that will later become the beast). Ralph says that they need to make fire in order to be rescued - the children eagerly take up this challenge and rush to the top of the mountain, and move wood in order to build it. Piggy finds this very childish. When they have built it, there is no way to light it. Jack takes Piggy's glasses against his will. He lights the fire using the glasses. The fire gets so big and out of control that it sets the forest ablaze on one side of the mountain. They soon realize one of the "littluns", the boy with the birthmark, has probably been killed by the huge fire. The boys go to sleep by the now contained fire and ignore the littlun's presumed death.

Chapter 3: Huts on the Beach

Jack unsuccessfully hunts pigs, continuing even though the other hunters have given up. He eventually gives up and comes upon Ralph and Simon building a shelter near the lagoon. Ralph complains that the boys are not working hard to build the shelters. The little ones are hopeless, spending most of their time bathing or eating. Jack says that Ralph is chief, so he should just order them to do so. Ralph admits that they could call a meeting, vow to build something, whether a hut or a submarine, start building it for five minutes then quit. Ralph tells Jack that most of his hunters spent the afternoon swimming. A madness comes to Jack's eyes as he admits that he might kill something soon. Ralph insists that they need shelters more than anything. Ralph notices that the other boys are frightened. Jack says that when he is hunting he often feels as if he is being hunted, but admits that this is irrational. Only Simon has been helping Ralph, but he leaves, presumably to have a bath. Jack and Ralph go to the bathing pool, but do not find Simon there. Simon had followed Jack and Ralph, then turned into the forest with a sense of purpose. He is a tall, skinny boy with a coarse mop of black hair. He walks through the acres of fruit trees and finds fruit that the littlest boys cannot reach. He gives the boys fruit then goes along the path into the jungle. He finds an open space and looks to see whether he is alone. This open space contains great aromatic bushes, a bowl of heat and light! He can now think and meditate on his own because he is alone.

Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

Roger has become a sadist. Three of the littluns are playing with sand castles when Roger and Maurice purposefully destroy them. Maurice kicks sand in Percival's eye and makes him cry. Afterwards, when Henry (one of the littluns) is alone, Roger throws stones at him, but purposely misses. His thin veneer of civility prevents him from harming- yet. Jack then invites Roger to join him to hunt and Jack first paints his face to camouflage himself (this will become a distinctive mark of the savages). Notably among the hunters are Sam and Eric who were supposed to man the fire.

The scene changes and Ralph shouts as he sees a ship but no smoke from the signal fire they had supposed to have lit. When Jack and his hunters return, he angrily confronts them because they were responsible for keeping the fire lit. Instead, they went hunting instead and missed a chance of rescue. Piggy highlights this point but Jack punches him instead, breaking one side of his glasses in the process. Ralph intervenes to prevent further violence and it is from this point that Ralph and Jack's initial bond due to their sense of camaraderie is clearly broken. As the sun sets, they light a fire and the pig is roasted to try to ease the tension. Everyone is angry but they still eat the pork, dance and enjoy their meal, except Ralph. Ralph is angry at what he feels is the chaotic state the island society has degenerated too. Ralph decide to call an assembly to sort out matters. This whole scene is important as it is the first time Ralph's command has been disobeyed and the first time violence has been used (Jack hitting Piggy).

Chapter 5: Beast from Water

Ralph goes to the beach because he needs a place to think and is overcome with astonishment. He understands the weariness of life, where everything requires improvisation. He calls a meeting near the bathing pool, realizing that he must think and must make a decision but that he lacks Piggy's ability to think. He begins the assembly seriously, telling them that they are there not for making jokes or for cleverness. He reminds them that everyone built the first shelter, which is the sturdiest, while the third one, built only by Simon and Ralph, is unstable. He admonishes them for not using the appropriate areas for the lavatory, and reminds them that the fire is the most important thing on the island, for it is their means of escape. He claims that they ought to die before they let the fire out. He directs this at the hunters, in particular. He makes the rule that the only place where they will have a fire is on the mountain. Ralph then speaks on their fear. He admits that he is frightened himself, but their fear is unfounded. Jack stands up, takes the conch, and yells at the littluns for screaming like babies and not hunting or building or helping. Jack tells them that there is no beast on the island. Piggy does agree with Jack on that point, telling the kids that there is no beast and there is no real fear, unless they get frightened of people. Percival speaks next, and as he gives his name he recites his address and telephone number; this reminder of home causes him to break out into tears. All of the littluns join him. Percival claims that the beast comes out of the sea. Simon puts forward the suggestion that the beast is really inside them and they themselves are the beast. However, as he does not express himself well and the other boys are not mature enough to understand him, he is shouted down. The boys speak about ghosts. Piggy says he does not believe in ghosts, but Jack attempts to start a fight again. Ralph stops the fight, and asks the boys how many of them believe in ghosts. Piggy yells at the boys, asking whether they are humans or animals or savages. Jack threatens him again, and Ralph intercedes once more, complaining that they are breaking the rules. When Jack asks "who cares?" Ralph says that the rules are the only thing that they have. Jack instead defies Ralph saying "Bollocks to the rules" that they will hunt the beast down. The assembly breaks up as Jack leads them on a hunt. This is significant as it is the first instance that Ralph has lost control of Jack. Only Ralph, Piggy and Simon remain. Ralph says that if he blows the conch to summon them back and they refuse, then they will become like animals and will never be rescued. He does ask Piggy whether there are ghosts or beasts, but Piggy reassures him. Piggy warns him that if Ralph steps down as chief Jack will do nothing but hunt, and they will never be rescued. The three reminisce on the majesty of adult life.

Chapter 6: Beast from Air

Ralph and Simon pick up Percival and carry him to a shelter. That night, over the horizon, there is an aerial battle though none of the boys see it since they are asleep. A dead pilot drops from a parachute, sweeping across the reef toward the mountain where his parachute gets tangled on. Early the next morning, the twins Sam and Eric, the two boys on duty at the fire, awake and add kindling to the fire. Just then they spot the dead parachutist and mistakes him for the beast. They scramble down the mountain and wake Ralph. While reporting their encounter with the "beast", they grossly exaggerate (in their panic) with Eric tellings the boys that the beast has teeth and claws and even followed them. Jack calls for a hunt, but Piggy says that they should stay there, for the beast may not come near them. When Piggy says that he has the right to speak because of the conch, Jack says that they don't need the conch anymore. Ralph becomes exasperated at Jack, accusing him of not wanting to be rescued, and the assembly takes Ralph's side. Ralph decides that he will go with the hunters to search for the beast, which may be around a small island connected to the main island by a small bridge (the small island is later called Castle Rock). Simon, wanting to show that he is accepted, travels with Ralph, who wishes only for solitude. Jack gets the hunters lost on the way around the mountain. They continue along a narrow wall of rocks that forms a bridge between parts of the island, reaching the open sea. As some of the boys spend time rolling rocks around the bridge, Ralph decides that it would be better to climb the mountain and rekindle the fire, but Jack wishes to stay where they can build a fort. This fort that they build is later called Castle Rock.

Chapter 7: Shadows and Tall Trees

Ralph notices how long his hair is and how dirty and unclean he has become. He had followed the hunters across the island. On this other side of the island, the view is utterly different. Simon reassures him that he will leave the island eventually. Ralph is somewhat doubtful, but Simon says that it is simply his opinion. Roger calls for Ralph, telling him that they need to continue hunting. A boar appears; Ralph stabs it with a spear, but the boar escapes. Jack is wounded on his left forearm, so Simon tells him he should suck the wound. The hunters go into a frenzy and Jack says that someone should dress up as a pig and pretend to knock him over. Robert says that Jack wants a real pig so that he can actually kill, but Jack says that he could just use a littlun. The boys start climbing up the mountain once more, but Ralph realizes that they cannot leave the littluns alone with Piggy all night. Jack mocks Ralph for his concern for Piggy. Simon says that he can go back himself. Ralph tells Jack that there isn't enough light to go hunting for pigs. Out of the new understanding that Piggy has given him, Ralph asks Jack why he hates him. Jack has no answer. The boys are tired and afraid, but Jack vows that he will go up the mountain to look for the beast. Jack mocks Ralph for not wanting to go up the mountain, claiming that he is afraid. Jack claims he saw something bulge on the mountain. Since Jack seems for the first time somewhat afraid, Ralph says that they will look for it then. The boys see a rock-like hump and something like a great ape sitting asleep with its head between its knees. At its sight, the boys run off.

Chapter 8: Gift for the Darkness

At the beginning of chapter 8, when Ralph tells Piggy what they saw, he is quite skeptical. Ralph tells him that the beast had teeth and big black eyes. Jack says that his hunters can defeat the beast, but Ralph dismisses them as boys with sticks. Jack tells the other boys that the beast is a hunter, and says that Ralph thinks that the boys are cowards. Jack says that Ralph isn't a proper chief, for he is a coward himself. Jack asks the boys who wants Ralph not to be chief. Nobody agrees with Jack, so he runs off in tears. He says that he is not going to be part of Ralph's lot. Jack leaves them. Piggy says that they can do without Jack, but they should stay close to the platform. Simon suggests that they climb the mountain. Piggy says that if they climb the mountain they can start the fire again, but then suggests that they start a fire down by the beach. Piggy organizes the new fire by the beach. Ralph notices that several of the boys are missing. Piggy says that they will do well enough if they behave with common sense, and proposes a feast. They wonder where Simon has gone; he might be climbing the mountain. Simon had left to sit in the open space he had found earlier. Far off along the beach, Jack says that he will be chief of the hunters, and will forget the beast. He says that they might go later to the castle rock, but now will kill a pig and give a feast. They find a group of pigs and kill a large sow. Jack rubs the blood over Maurice's cheeks, while Roger laughs that the fatal blow against the sow was up her ass. They cut off the pig's head and leave it on a stick as a gift for the beast at the mountain-top. This is placed in the clearing at the end of chapter 3, 'defiling' it in a sense. Comparing this with its previously Eden-like beauty, it may show how the island society has degenerated from its idealistic beginnings. Simon sees the head, with flies buzzing around it. Ralph worries that the boys will die if they are not rescued soon. Ralph and Piggy realize that it is Jack who causes things to break up. The forest near them suddenly bursts into uproar. The littluns run off as Jack approaches, naked except for paint and a belt, while hunters take burning branches from the fire. Jack tells them that he and his hunters are living along the beach by a flat rock, where they hunt and feast and have fun. He invites the boys to join his tribe. When Jack leaves, Ralph says that he thought Jack was going to take the conch, which Ralph holds as a symbol of ritual and order. They reiterate that the fire is the most important thing, but Bill suggests that they go to the hunters' feast and tell them that the fire is hard on them. At the top of the mountain remains the pig's head, which Simon has dubbed the "Lord of the Flies." Simon believes that the pig's head speaks to him, calling him a silly little boy. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that he'd better run off and play with the others, who think that he is crazy. The Lord of the Flies claims that the Beast is not "something you can hunt and kill," but rather, is within each human - the evil, savage, side of human nature. After he foretells his own death, Simon loses consciousness.

Chapter 9: A View to a Death

Simon awakens and finds the air dark and humid with an approaching storm. His nose is bleeding, and he staggers toward the mountain in a daze. He crawls up the hill and, in the failing light, sees the dead pilot with his flapping parachute. Watching the parachute rise and fall with the wind, Simon realizes that the boys have mistaken this harmless object for the deadly beast that has plunged their entire group into chaos. When Simon sees the corpse of the parachutist, he begins to vomit. When he is finished, he untangles the parachute lines, freeing the parachute from the rocks. Anxious to prove to the group that the beast is not real after all, Simon stumbles toward the distant light of the fire at Jack’s feast to tell the other boys what he has seen. Piggy and Ralph go to the feast with the hopes that they will be able to keep some control over events. At the feast, the boys are laughing and eating the roasted pig. Jack sits like a king on a throne, his face painted like a savage, languidly issuing commands, and waited on by boys acting as his servants. After the large meal, Jack extends an invitation to all of Ralph’s followers to join his tribe. Most of them accept, despite Ralph’s attempts to dissuade them. As it starts to rain, Ralph asks Jack how he plans to weather the storm considering he has not built any shelters. In response, Jack orders his tribe to do its wild hunting dance. Chanting and dancing in several separate circles along the beach, the boys are caught up in a kind of frenzy. Even Ralph and Piggy, swept away by the excitement, dance on the fringes of the group. The boys again reenact the hunting of the pig and reach a high pitch of frenzied energy as they chant and dance. Suddenly, the boys see a shadowy figure creep out of the forest—it is Simon. In their wild state, however, the boys do not recognize him. Shouting that he is the beast, the boys descend upon Simon and start to tear him apart with their bare hands and teeth. Simon tries desperately to explain what has happened and to remind them of who he is, but he trips and plunges over the rocks onto the beach. The boys fall on him violently and kill him. The storm explodes over the island. In the whipping rain, the boys run for shelter. Howling wind and waves wash Simon’s mangled corpse into the ocean, where it drifts away, surrounded by glowing fish. At the same time, the wind blows the body of the parachutist off the side of the mountain and onto the beach, sending the boys screaming into the darkness. With the brutal, animalistic murder of Simon, the last vestige of civilized order on the island is stripped away, and brutality and chaos take over. By this point, the boys in Jack’s camp are all but inhuman savages, and Ralph’s few remaining allies suffer dwindling spirits and consider joining Jack. Even Ralph and Piggy themselves get swept up in the ritual dance around Jack’s banquet fire. The storm that batters the island after Simon’s death pounds home the catastrophe of the murder and physically embodies the chaos and anarchy that have overtaken the island. Significantly, the storm also washes away the bodies of Simon and the parachutist, eradicating proof that the beast does not exist. Jack makes the beast into a godlike figure, a kind of totem he uses to rule and manipulate the members of his tribe. He attributes to the beast both immortality and the power to change form, making it an enemy to be feared and an idol to be worshiped. The importance of the figure of the beast in the novel cannot be overstated, for it gives Jack’s tribe a common enemy (the beast), a common system of belief (their conviction that the mythical beast exists), a reason to obey Jack (protection from the beast), and even a developing system of primitive symbolism and iconography (face paint and the Lord of the Flies). In a sense, Simon’s murder is an almost inevitable outcome of his encounter with the Lord of the Flies in Chapter 8. During the confrontation in the previous chapter, the Lord of the Flies foreshadows Simon’s death by promising to have some “fun” with him. Although Simon’s vision teaches him that the beast exists inside all human beings, his confrontation with the beast is not complete until he comes face to face with the beast that exists within the other boys. Indeed, when the boys kill Simon, they are acting on the savage instinct that the beast represents. Additionally, the manner of Simon’s death continues the parallels between Simon and Jesus: both die sacrificial deaths after learning profound truths about human morality. But Simon’s death differs from Jesus’ in ways that complicate the idea that Simon is simply a Christ figure. Although Jesus and Simon both die sacrificial deaths, Jesus was killed for his beliefs, whereas Simon is killed because of the other boys’ delusions. Jesus died after conveying his message to the world, where as Simon dies before he is able to speak to the boys. In the biblical tradition, Jesus dies to alleviate the burden of mankind’s sin; Simon’s death, on the other hand, simply intensifies the burden of sin pressing down upon the island. According to the Bible, Jesus’ death shows others the way to salvation; Simon’s death exemplifies the power of evil within the human soul.

Chapter 10: The Shell and the Glasses

Ralph was afraid of the night before because he feared that Simon was killed on purpose and that Simon was actually dead. Ralph was also afraid that he may have contributed to the murder of Simon. Jack is guarding his fort at castle rock, where Roger is ready to use a lever to drop the boulder on intruders. Jack has a boy named Wilfred tied up and beaten for no reason. His face is always painted. Ralph, Piggy, Samneric and a couple of littluns decide to leave the fire and go to bed. They are woken up by unusual sounds-it's Jack and his group searching for the fire. Jack and his group break into the huts and begin to fight Piggy for his glasses. In the confusion Eric and Ralph break into a fight both thinking that they are fighting one of Jack's group. Whilst they were cutting and knocking teeth loose in the process-Jack and his group get Piggy's glasses, then return to castle rock.

Chapter 11: Castle Rock

The four boys gather around where the fire had been, bloody and wounded. Ralph calls a meeting for the boys who remain with them, and Piggy asks Ralph to tell them what could be done. Ralph says that all they need is a fire, and if they had kept the fire burning they might have been rescued already. Ralph, Sam and Eric think that they should go to the Castle Rock with spears, but Piggy refuses to take one. Piggy says that he's going to go find Jack himself. Piggy says that he will appeal to a sense of justice. A tear falls down his cheek as he speaks. Ralph says that they should make themselves look presentable, with clothes, to not look like savages. They set off along the beach, limping. When they approach the Castle Rock, Ralph blows the conch. He approaches the other boys tentatively, and Sam and Eric rush near him, leaving Piggy alone. Jack arrives from hunting, and tells Ralph to leave them alone. Ralph finally calls Jack a thief, and Jack responds by trying to stab Ralph with his spear, which Ralph deflects. They fight each other while Piggy reminds Ralph what they came to do. Ralph stops fighting and says that they have to give back Piggy's glasses and reminds them about the fire. He calls them painted fools, Jack arrogantly dismisses him. Then they take the spears from the twins and Jack orders them to be tied up. Ralph screams at Jack, calling him a beast and a swine and a thief. They fight again, but Piggy asks to speak as the other boys jeer. Piggy asks them whether it is better to be a pack of painted savages or to be sensible like Ralph, to have rules and agree or to hunt and kill. Roger leans his weight on the lever, causing a great rock to crash down and knocks Piggy over a cliff and kills him. Quite suitably, the conch is also destroyed with Piggy, as with the death of reason (Piggy) comes the death of order and civilization (the conch). Jack declares himself chief, and hurls his spear at Ralph, which tears the skin and flesh over his ribs, then shears off and falls into the water. Ralph turns and runs, but Sam and Eric remain. Jack orders them to join the tribe, but when they only wish to be let go he pokes them in the ribs with a spear.

Chapter 12: Cry of the Hunters

Ralph hides, wondering about his wounds. He is not far from the Castle Rock. He thinks he sees Bill in the distance, but realizes that it is not actually Bill anymore, for he is now a savage and not the boy in shorts and shirt he once knew. He concludes that Jack will never leave Ralph alone. Ralph can see the Lord of the Flies, now a skull with the skin and meat eaten away. Ralph can still hear the chant "Kill the beast. Cut his throat. Spill his blood." He crawls to the lookout near Castle Rock and calls to Sam and Eric. Sam gives him a chunk of meat and tells him to leave. They tell him that Roger has sharpened a stick at both ends, but Ralph cannot attach a meaning to this (it probably means they are going to stake him, possibly as a sacrifice, showing their savagery). Ralph crawls away to a slope where he can safely sleep. When he awakes he can hear Jack and Roger outside the thicket where he hides. They are trying to find out where Ralph is hiding. The other boys are rolling rocks down the mountain. Ralph finally runs away, not knowing what he should do. He decides to hide again, then realizes that Jack and his boys were setting the island on fire to smoke Ralph out, a move that would destroy whatever fruit was left on the island. Ralph rushes toward the beach, where he finds a naval officer. His ship saw the smoke and came to the island. The officer thinks that the boys have been only playing games. The other boys begin to appear from the forest. Percival tries to announce his name and address, but cannot say what was once so natural. Ralph says that he is boss, and the officer asks how many there are. He scolds them for not knowing exactly how many there are and for not being organized, as the British are supposed to be. Ralph says that they were like that at first. The officer asks sarcastically whether the boys have sustained casualties, and is surprised when Ralph answers in the affirmative. Ralph then begins to weep for the first time on the island. He weeps for the end of innocence and the darkness of man's heart, and for the fall of Piggy. The officer turns away, embarrassed, while the other boys await the cruiser in the distance.

Central Characters

Information about each character.

Ralph is among the oldest of the boys, at twelve and a few months, and has an air of strength about him. He acts as the initial leader figure and organizes the boys into some semblance of society. He wants the good for the tribe, but is often confused, because unlike Jack or Roger, he has a sense of morality from society. He is often considered part of a triad with Piggy and Simon. Ralph is the athletic, charismatic protagonist of Lord of the Flies. Elected the leader of the boys at the beginning of the novel, Ralph is the primary representative of order, civilization, democracy, and productive leadership in the novel. While most of the other boys initially are concerned with playing, having fun, and avoiding work, Ralph sets about building huts and thinking of ways to maximize the chances of all the boys. Ralph remains determined not to let this savagery overwhelm him, and only briefly does he consider joining Jack’s tribe in order to save himself. When Ralph hunts a boar for the first time, however, he experiences the exhilaration and thrill of bloodlust and violence. When he attends Jack’s feast, he is swept away by the frenzy, dances on the edge of the group, and participates in the killing of Simon. This firsthand knowledge of the evil that exists within him, as within all human beings, is tragic for Ralph, and it plunges him into listless despair for a time. But this knowledge also enables him to cast down the Lord of the Flies at the end of the novel. Ralph’s story ends semi-tragically: although he is rescued and returned to civilization, when he sees the naval officer, he weeps with the burden of his new knowledge about the human capacity for evil.

Jack was the leader of the choir at the boys' old school and competes with Ralph for the position of "alpha male" on the island. Jack was described as dark, a creature, and controlling, rather than leading, the choir. This is evident from in chapter 1 when he is first introduced. He is the leader of the hunters and fights Ralph. Eventually, more and more of the boys defect from Ralph's ordered society to Jack's tribal one and turn against Ralph, Piggy and Simon. In short, Jack is the exact opposite of Ralph. From the beginning of the novel, Jack desires power above all other things, and he carries a large knife as a symbol of this. He is furious when he loses the election to Ralph and continually pushes the boundaries of his subordinate role in the group and continually bullies Piggy (first by calling him names then later punching him). Early on, Jack retains the sense of moral propriety and behavior that society instilled in him—in fact, in school, he was the leader of the choirboys. The first time he encounters a pig, he is unable to kill it. But Jack soon becomes obsessed with hunting and devotes himself to the task, painting his face like a barbarian and giving himself over to bloodlust. The more savage Jack becomes, the more he is able to control the rest of the group. Indeed, apart from Ralph, Simon, and Piggy, the group largely follows Jack in casting off moral restraint and embracing violence and savagery. Jack’s love of authority and violence are intimately connected, as both enable him to feel powerful and exalted. By the end of the novel, Jack has learned to use the boys’ fear of the beast to control their behavior—a reminder of how religion and superstition can be manipulated as instruments of power. The extent to which he controls his tribe can be seen when he beats one of his tribe member and the other boys do not object. Jack is used by Golding to represent fascism.

Piggy is a fat twelve-year-old boy who has asthma (he is the only one who knows how to correctly pronounce asthma. The other boys on the island pronounce it as "ass-mar")and wears "specs." Piggy is not his real name (that is never revealed) but instead a nickname given to him by his schoolmates to tease him. In the book, he represents maturity, civilization, science, intellect, clear-sightedness, and an adult figure. Most of the boys have shaggy, long hair by the end of the novel. Piggy is the only character whose hair has not grown. This ties him to civilization and maturity as well. He is whiny, but the smartest of the boys. He is often considered part of a triad with Ralph and Simon. He is first described as a voice, and he remains the voice of reason throughout the book. Piggy's specs also symbolize knowledge and scientific hope, once stolen by Jack they become part of the struggle for power and control of the fire. Piggy is a tragic figure, the same age as Ralph and by all accounts considerably smarter yet his physical deficiencies separate him from the others. He is vilified, especially by Jack, for not helping, whining and generally being unhelpful but he is the intelligence behind the democracy that is set up. His death signals the final end of the democracy and his 'empty-head' as it splits on the rocks the end of rational thought.

Simon is a calm, passive boy who claims no leadership or intelligence, but shows a wisdom beyond his years as he is the only character to realize that the beast is imaginary. He may be an epileptic. In addition, it is important to note that in earlier human history, people with epilepsy were seen as having greater religious powers or some type of connection to a higher or greater power. He is the Jesus-like figure in the story, and his meeting with the Lord of the Flies and his subsequent death could be considered equal to certain events in the Bible (Jesus' temptation by Satan and subsequent crucifixion). Simon helps the littluns gather fruit in the forest, just as Christ cared for the children. He is often considered part of a triad with Ralph and Piggy. As is a repeated theme in the book, Simon, an important character, has an important message which no one listens to. He then dies and thus nobody hears his crucial message. This contradicts the parallel to Jesus a bit since Jesus death changed the world while Simon's did not (since his message was not heard). He is sometimes said to be the only boy in the novel with natural good in him, the others having only have goodness imprinted on to them by society. Simon also holds the key to their salvation, the knowledge, that they hear from him, that the beast is no more than a dead man. He holds the key to removing Jack from any position of power and is murdered for it (though it can be disputed that the murder was more of a savage instinct since Ralph and Piggy participated in it as well). He is further linked with religious or spiritual symbols in the novel when, after he dies, his body floats out to sea and is ringed by phosphorescent sea creatures which form a sort of "halo" around his head and body. He is martyred for the cause of truth. He is also continually linked with images of light, nature and beauty throughout the novel.

Roger is the individual we never know a lot about - Golding keeps his character hidden. He is mysterious like Jack, and is mindless to the consequences of his actions. He follows the group and acts on their behalf. He becomes Jack's right hand man. While Jack is more of a Hitler Figure, Roger seems to become more like a Himmler figure, in charge of creating fear, without being conscious of the immorality of his actions. He is overcome by the evils of the island, or himself. He represents clearly the example of humans and their destruction of each other. He also represents sadism, bloodlust and cruelty to the extreme. He is the only character to knowingly kill someone on his own i.e. Piggy, Roger used smaller rocks at first to aim at Piggy and then let the big boulder go which sadly ended Piggy.

Sam and Eric or Samneric are identical twins, while on the island, they lose their identity. They are the most obvious example of loss of innocence. They represent society. They are easily manipulated, as seen with Jack. They were actually very supportive of Ralph, but were forced to join Jack later after Roger tortured them. When they are guarding Castle Rock, Ralph talks to them and asks them to join him, saying that the three of them would stand a chance. Samneric do not agree saying that Ralph didn't know Roger. "He is a terror". This is the point in the novel where Ralph realizes that he is completely alone.

The hunters are the group of boys under the direction of Jack on the island. They were part of the choir boys at the private school. They eventually become the tribe on the island, suffering much under Jack's leadership. They also show the degeneration of the island civilization, turning from the 'choir' to the 'hunters' and finally to the 'savages'. They may be seen to represent the military in time of war and are certainly violent in nature and unreasonable in outlook. The most notable hunters are Roger and Maurice. Maurice isn't as loyal to Jack as Roger but he is more friendly and good with the little 'uns. These are the people that Ralph sees as "shadows" walking down the beach. this foreshadows them becoming savages at the end of the novel.

The littluns are the smaller boys on the island that only care for having fun and nothing more. They represent the plebeians and masses who are swayed from one leader to another, but are required by a leader to rule over. It could be argued that Golding uses them to demonstrate the masses' apathy of politics, as the littluns are more interested in falling off a log at meetings than in contributing their ideas. They also don't really have a very constructive role in the island society. They are the ones that bring the Beastie to life after talking about it so much. They live their lives in the day eating fruit, and at night, having nightmares about how the Beastie is going to eat them.

Symbolism

The Lord of the Flies contains many examples of symbolism which Golding has incorporated to show a deeper level to the main, mostly straightforward, storyline that reveals his thoughts on the nature of humanity and evil. Below are some of the main symbols used in the book, but there are plenty more for you to discover yourself. Among such symbols may be included such small or natural seeming events like the coral reef, (Submarine warfare, surrounding of Britain by German U-boats?) or the "great fire", which may represent the first world war, ("We shall never commit to this savagery again"). Blood is another symbol Golding uses extensively, although what he uses it for is open to interpretation. The different styles of leadership shown by Jack and Ralph symbolize democracy and dictatorship, much like as depicted in George Orwell's Animal Farm where he used pigs to symbolize the USSR's communist leaders.

The Beast

The imaginary beast that frightens all the boys stands for the primal instinct of savagery that exists within all human beings. The boys are afraid of the beast, but only Simon reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. As the boys grow more savage, their belief in the beast grows stronger. By the end of the novel, the boys are leaving it sacrifices and treating it as a totemic god. The boys’ behavior is what brings the beast into existence, so the more savagely the boys act, the more real the beast seems to become. The Beast is a threat, be it imagined or real, to the society that has been formed on the island and is treated as such by all the characters except Simon. This threat is at first a unifier of the boys and then divides them, all seeking safety in the tribe and its military power. Jack is the manipulator here, he uses the Beast as a way of gaining and maintaining power, using the Beast in a similar way to the propaganda of totalitarian states. So the beast can be seen as tool whereby Jack maintains his power, a representation for all evils and a way of instilling fear and respect in the populace. In the context of the book, if looked at historically, the Beast is the threat from Soviet Russia used by governments to manipulate their people and increase military spending or similarly any propaganda used by any government to undermine democracy.

The Conch

Piggy and Ralph first find the conch in Chapter 1. It represents civilization and democracy. Ralph first blows the conch to call all the other boys on the island together to form a civilization. All the boys then vote him as the leader because he called them together and they all see Jack as an unattractive threat. The boys then use the conch as a right to speak. "Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence." Throughout the novel, Piggy holds on to the conch and encourages Ralph and others to use it at times when Piggy feels that civilization is being lost. In Chapter 11, Ralph, Piggy and Sam 'n Eric arrive at Castle Rock to claim Piggy's glasses. Ralph again tries the conch one more time to bring the "savages" back to form a civilization. However this fails, and instead Ralph argues with Jack. Piggy tries one more time to use the conch as a right to speak. Finally, at the height of this argument, Roger levers a boulder off the rock which kills Piggy and smashes the conch. "The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist". Therefore, all hope of civilization is lost. Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach at the start of the novel and use it to summon the boys together after the crash separates them. Used in this capacity, the conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel. The shell effectively governs the boys’ meetings, for the boy who holds the shell holds the right to speak. In this regard, the shell is more than a symbol—it is an actual vessel of political legitimacy and democratic power. As the island civilization erodes and the boys descend into savagery, the conch shell loses its power and influence among them, which is mirrored by its physical condition. As the story progresses the conch begins to lose its color as its influence (and hence civilization in general) begins to wane, all the way until it becomes colorless before it is finally destroyed. Ralph clutches the shell desperately when he talks about his role in murdering Simon. In chapter 10, Jack chooses to steal Piggy's glasses (fire) instead of the conch showing how little he values it. Later, the other boys ignore Ralph and throw stones at him when he attempts to blow the conch in Jack’s camp. The boulder that Roger rolls onto Piggy also crushes the conch shell, signifying the demise of the civilized instinct among almost all the boys on the island.

Piggy's Specs

Piggy's glasses (Specs) are a symbol of technology and innovation. They are used to light the fire, and help Piggy, who is highly intellectual, interact with the world around him. As the Specs are damaged and eventually stolen, the technological status of the boys on the island becomes less and less advanced. An example of this is when they cease working on the huts and fire, and move to Castle Rock. They also symbolize vision, which is why Golding made Piggy short sighted with glasses, because they give him vision. When the lenses of the glasses is smashed, it symbolizes the vision of being rescued fading away. They are also used as a tool because they didn't have anything else with which to start a fire.

The Fire

The fire on top of the mountain is used by the boys to attract attention which will hopefully lead to rescue from passing ships. It acts as a gauge on how interested the boys are in returning to civilization. It is ironic that in the end it is not the signal fire which attracts their rescue but a forest fire started in a bloodthirsty hunt for Ralph. Piggy's glasses are the only way which the fire can be lit, a possible metaphor for science offering the only hope to the struggling countries in the post-war era. There is also an aspect of fire as the cleanser, that from the ashes shall come something more stable; a rebirth. From the first fire arises death, accidental, and from the second arises salvation in the form of the arriving Royal Navy. The fire also symbolizes the meaning of hope to be rescued.

Author

The author of this novel is William Golding.

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