Lord of the Flies

by William Golding, 1954

“We’re on an island. We’ve been on the mountaintop 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” (32).

So, what does it all mean?

• On a literal level, Lord of the Flies deals with what happens to a group of boys stranded on an island with no adult supervision.

• On a symbolic level, Lord of the Flies investigates what happens to civilized people when the structures of civilization disappear.

It’s just a group of English school boys . . . What’s the worst that could happen?

“After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything. So we've got to do the right things.”

Why did Golding choose children instead of adolescents, or even adults?

• • •

*

Most likely because

children have not yet been fully conditioned by society

to understand right from wrong.

* In this ignorance, most of them are guided by their

instinct and what is

inherent within them. * If older, more knowledgeable characters were chosen, the events of the novel may not occur as they do.

Ralph

Sense Order Rational Thought Responsibility Assembly & Debate Civilized, Ethical Behavior

“There was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart” (22).

THE LEADERS

“Piggy”

• • • Stability Intellectual Power Insightful Observer

THE THINKERS

“Then, with the martyred expression of a parent who has to keep up with the senseless ebullience of the children, he picked up the conch, [and] turned toward the forest” (38).

• • • • • •

Simon

Intuitive Insight Self-Awareness Seeker of Truth Peace Kindness

THE SPIRITUAL

“He picked his way up the scar. . . .He paused. . . .to confirm he was utterly alone . . . .Then he bent down and wormed his way into the center of the mat” (56-7).

Jack

• • • • The Dark Side of Human Nature Anarchy Unbridled Savagery Ruthless Desire

THE POWER-HUNGRY

“He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up. . . The madness came into his eyes again. ‘I thought I might kill’” (51).

• • • • •

Roger

Cruelty Sadism Malicious Immoral No Conscience

THE CRIMINALS

“There was a slight, furtive boy whom no one knew, who kept to himself with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy. He muttered that his name was Roger and was silent again” (22).

“

Samneric

” • • • • Blended into One Well-Intentioned Rule Followers Easily Intimidated Those not strong enough physically or emotionally to defend or stand up for what they know is right

THE WEAK

“The two boys . . .flung themselves down and lay grinning and panting at Ralph like dogs” (19).

“The Biguns” • The unthinking masses who blindly follow the current established authority

THE IGNORANT

“The Littluns”

• Innocents who are unaware of the realities of life, and, consequently, are rarely affected by them “The small boys were known now by the generic title of ‘littluns.’”

THE SIMPLE THE INNOCENT

of CHARACTER SYMBOLISM

Object Symbolism

•

The Conch

Order – Civilization – Power “I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running” (51).

After smashed

- End of Order and Ethical Behavior

Piggy’s Glasses

• • •

In the beginning

: – Clear sightedness – – Seeing truly Hope (started the fire)

One lens broken

: – Thoughts become clouded –

Smashed

: – End of civilization & clear vision – Diminished reasoning What once supported civilization is used to destroy it.

The Fire

•

At the beginning

: – Hope and Rescue •

At the end

: – Death and Destruction

“The Beast”

• Fear of the Unknown • The Power of Fear “He says it was a Beastie. . . . He saw it. . . .in the woods . . .in the dark. . . .It came and went away again an’ came back and wanted to eat him” (36).

Remember!

STAY TUNED:

More symbolism to follow as we continue reading. Everything and everyone in Lord of the Flies represents something larger.