LORD OF THE FLIESCharacters, Symbols and Themes

Principal characters in Lord of the Flies: Ralph

Ralph – one of the two eldest boys of the group. Viewed

as “chief” after blowing the conch.

Functions off of the desire to be

rescued and survive. However,

despite these inclinations, he is

prone to acts of immaturity,

especially as a means to fit in

with the other boys, even if it

means insulting Piggy. Ralph is

typically associated with the Ego

Principal characters in Lord of the Flies: Jack

Jack is the id to Ralph’s ego. In civilized society Jack was

head of the choir, recognizedas a natural leader.

Upon arriving on the island, he is defeated by Ralph in a vote for

leadership and is consequently self-appointed as leader of the hunters. Jack functions off of primal instinct and the desire to express raw emotion and savagery, eventually positioning him as an antagonist to Ralph, despite the fact that they begin the novel as allies.

Principal characters in Lord of the Flies: Piggy

The most intelligent of the boys on the island, many of the boys judge Piggy by his outward appearance and immediately label him as a social outcast. Despite his lack of popularity, Piggy never

wavers in his desire to keep order on and escape the island. Piggy and Ralph eventually form a close friendship. Piggy is the representation of the Super-

Ego.

Supporting Characters Simon – a member of the choir, Simon is often seen as a

loner, though not necessarily an outcast. Simon seems to recognize the positive in others as well as the beauty the island holds. (Eros – nature/love/truth)

Sam and Eric – identical twins whose identity merges into one (Samneric) as the novel progress, symbolizing the uniformity and loss of identity through man’s natural inclinations away from society.

Roger – Jack’s first lieutenant of the hunting party. Roger is cruel, merciless and simply represents the evil of which mankind is capable. (Thanatos – death/destruction/evil)

The Littluns – the youngest boys on the island, typically between the ages of 5 and 8 who are abused and live in fear of the bigguns (the older boys)

Symbols The Conch – symbolizes the concept of democracy and leadership on the

island; whoever holds the conch is given respect and the privilege to address the tribe as a whole.

The Signal Fire – a physical representation of the boys’ desire to leave the island.

The Beast – an imaginary monster suggested by the younger members of the tribe that represents the fears of the boys’ in the absence of the adult civilized world.

The Lord of the Flies – following a successful hunt, Jack places a sow’s head on a wooden pike as a sacrifice for “the beast”; as it decomposes it houses hundreds of flies. At one point Simon communicates with it, recognizing his deepest and darkest fears about the island and those that inhabit it.

The Scar – the description given to the path of destruction the plane made as it unceremoniously crashed on the island, signifying the unnatural and even detrimental nature of the boys’ presence.

Piggy’s Glasses – like Piggy, often associated with logic and reason. They are the only piece of technology the boys have on the island, which they use to start the fire; later, they become a desired possession among the boys.

The Island – a makeshift society where the boys are forced to confront their fears and natural inclinations to defy the teachings of society. In the absence of the adult world, the boys’ are left to act of their own accord, for better or for worse.

Themes Man’s natural inclination toward

savagery

Democracy vs. Anarchy and Dictatorship

The loss of innocence

Freud’s theory of the subconscious: the id, the ego and the superego.

The Id, the Ego, and the Superego Freud divided the mind into three parts, id, ego, and super-ego. 

Each part of the mind is responsible for something different. 

Id - The impulsive, child-like portion of the psyche that operates on the "pleasure principle" and only takes into account what it wants and disregards all consequences.

 Super-Ego-plays the critical and moralizing role in the psyche, aims for perfection, includes ego's ideals, punishes misbehavior with feelings of guilt.

 Ego- the organized, realistic portion on the psyche that acts according to the "reality principle" and seeks to please the id’s drive in realistic ways that will benefit in the long term rather than bringing grief. Ego is equivalent to one's conscience.