Title: The Lord of the Flies Genre: dystopian dramaAuthor: William Golding Period/ School: Postmodern Publication Date: 1954

The Author and His Times: Written during World War II. Golding was a member of the Navy and participated in many acts of war firsthand.

Form, Structure, Plot: Linear. The main focus of the story can bounce from character to character. Each chapter usually begins with a description of nature, then becomes more intense and chaotic as the narrative comes to focus on the characters, giving the plot a sense of fragmentation. Takes place over about 6-8 months. There is foreshadowing in Golding’s initial depiction of Jack, and in the passages about nature.

Point of View: Third person subjective. It is important that Golding understands the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of only some of the characters because it makes some of the boys, like Ralph and Simon, seem more complex and human, whereas others, such as Jack and most of the other hunters, appear to think and feel nothing. Knowing what someone is thinking makes them seem more human, and provides a contrast between how well the audience understands the motivations and actions of a character and how well they understand the behavior of each other.

Characters: There are 3 levels of characters: the “leaders” or “main characters,” Ralph, Jack, Simon and Piggy; the “biguns,” which include Roger, Robert, Samneric, and some of the other older boys, and the “littluns,” most of whom have no independent identity. While all characters become more barbaric and/or disillusioned as their situation becomes increasingly desperate, their primary goals and fundamental character traits do not change. They are defined by their earliest experiences on the island and do not deviate from their original personalities—but their personalities become more sharply defined and extreme. Characters are revealed primarily through their actions. The four main characters each serve a distinctive purpose on the island and represent certain fundamental traits in human nature. The main conflict is between Jack and Ralph, though the goals and actions of all four of these boys are conflicting to a certain extent.Ralph: around 12, blond, athletic, wealthy, adventurous, curious, strong. Tries to think and behave rationally and focus on rescue, but eventually loses his grip on reality and himself as he becomes more focused on his own survival. Believes in fairness, order, and the ability of people to save themselves through teamwork and cooperation. Can be vain and considers his position of authority very important. Thinks practically, but is disillusioned and gives up his dedication to rationality as he sees how futile it is in this new environment. “‘We’ve got to talk about this fear and decide there’s nothing in it. I’m frightened myself, sometimes; only that’s nonsense! Like bogies. Then, when we’ve decided, we can start again and be careful about

things like the fire.’ A picture of three boys walking along the bright beach flitted through his mind. ‘And be happy.’”

This quote shows Ralph’s increasing desperation as no one else on the island recognizes the values of reason and surrenders to senseless fear and chaos. Ralph longs to restore the innocence of the past, and believes he can restore it through order and reason. However, his idealistic intentions mean that he fails to recognize how strong the forces of fear can be.Jack: around 12, authoritative, arrogant, fierce, red-haired, ugly, quick-tempered. Jack feels emasculated from his first day on the island because he is denied the role of leader, and spends the rest of the novel trying to reestablish his position of authority and prove himself to his peers and himself. Jack is the most repressed and serious character when he arrives on the island, and therefore has the most anger to unleash when the restrictions are removed. Both he and Ralph are independent, focused, and have strong principles, leading to many levels of conflict between them. “‘I was going to,’ said Jack. He was ahead of them, and they could not see his face. ‘I was choosing a place. next time--!’He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy. He looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict.”

This is a pivotal moment for Jack. Realizing that he can’t be leader, he decides to assert himself by killing a pig, and eventually bases his self-worth on the ability to provide food like a ‘real man.’ Just as Ralph clings to the idea of fire for his hope in the future, Jack relies on the idea a pig kill for his hope in himself. Simon: 11, dark-haired, small, shy, fragile, sensitive, generous. Simon is in touch with the emotion undercurrents of the island. He thinks and acts alone, but is willing to go along with the general social currents of the group and accept leadership. He sees the problems that the boys are facing holistically, he is the only one who is able to connect the idea of the beast to their own fear, insecurity, and brutality. He only speaks when necessary, and others are unnerved by him. He sees no need to assert himself the same way that Ralph and Jack do, and therefore treats everyone with respect and generosity, even if it may not be the socially acceptable decision. He represents the innocence and purity that all the boys lose because it no longer has a purpose or understandable meaning in their society. “Simon felt his knees smack the rock. He crawled forward and soon he understood. The tangle of lines showed him the mechanics of this parody; he examined the white nasal bones, the teeth, the colors of corruption. He saw how pitilessly the layers of rubber and canvas held together the poor body that should be rotting away. Then the wind blew again and the figure lifted, bowed, and breathed foully at him. Simon knelt on all fours and was sick till his stomach was empty.”

Simon is the only one who understands where the beast came from, and is therefore the only one who sees how morally degraded the other boys have become. He understands the truth behind the illusions of life, and sees how capable of wickedness his fellow men are. However, unlike the other boys, when he is faced with this knowledge he is able to cleanse himself and does what seems like the most logical thing—tell the others. It is this innocent intention that ultimately destroys him.

Setting: Takes place on an uninhabited island near Australia. The physical barrier of the ocean represents the psychological and spiritual disconnect that the boys feel from society and provides a controlled, isolated environment for Golding’s psychological experiment.

Diction: There are many images of nature being fragmented, shattered, or otherwise destroyed. The most powerful images are associated with the different forces of nature, where the diction takes on a mystical or fantastic and threatening quality.“Every point of the mountain held up trees—flowers and trees. Now the forest stirred, roared, flailed. The nearer acres of rock flowers fluttered and for half a minute the breeze blew cool on their faces.”

This is the first in a series of passages describing the boys’ desire to destroy the innocence of nature, and their ability to corrupt is frequently physically violent and unnerving. In this section, nature is personified as something weak, a creature for them to take advantage of for their own enjoyment and so they might feel stronger than the uncertainty that surrounds them. “A sliver of moon rose over the horizon, hardly large enough to make a path of light even when it sat right down on the water; but 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.”

By equating the stars and moon with the airplane battle going on above them, Golding implies that the boys see the adult world with both the reverence and lack of understanding characterizing man’s appreciation for the mystical forces in the universe. Men, their violence and their wars, are as much a part of nature and of human destiny as the rotations of the stars and moon. They are a continual presence in the universe, and because of the darkness—or human ignorance and fear—no one will really know how or why they got there.“Up there, for once, were clouds, great bulging towers that sprouted away over the island, grey and cream and copper-colored. The clouds were sitting on the land; they squeezed, produced moment by moment this close, tormenting heat. Even the butterflies deserted the open space where the obscene thing grinned and dripped. Simon lowered his head, carefully keeping his eyes shut, then sheltered them with his hand. There were no shadows under the trees but everywhere a pearly stillness, so that what was real seemed illusive and without definition.”

By trapping Simon under the clouds and preventing him from seeing the light of reason, Golding makes it feel like it is only Simon and the Lord of the Flies alive in the universe, and Simon, like the reader, cannot escape the horror before him. Removing the butterflies emphasizes the fact that the LotF represents death. Nature is now tormenting Simon and trapping him from what he and the reader now know that he cannot escape, the wickedness of human nature. The overall effect is slightly nauseating.

Syntax: Dialogue is often clipped and fragmented, making the boys seem more barbaric and isolating them from their upper-class roots. Repetition is dialogue and rhetorical questions are also common, making discussion look ineffectual. “ ‘That must be fun like Bill says—and he’s invited us—’‘—to a feast—’‘—meat—’‘—crackling—’‘—I could do with some meat—’”

These words are relayed by Sam and Eric, who often act as one person and finish each other’s sentences. However, in this case their fragmented speech makes it seem like the desire for meat is arising from the group as a whole. Their speech has a frantic energy and its splintered quality shows their increasing ability to think coherently.

Concrete Detail/ Imagery: The pigs are often characterized as being the only female presence on the island, and the killing of the pig takes on a violently sexual quality. Nature is often seem as potentially violent, as if it is holding its energy and anger in reserve in preparation for taking it on the boys. The weather, especially the paths of the sun and moonlight, are very important. Images of violence, brutality, and barbarism are common, as exemplified by Jack.

Symbolism: fire represents hope, logic, reason, man’s greatest discovery. It can be useful, beautiful, but also dangerous. It is knowledge and intellectualism in its least refined form. Ralph’s reliance on the idea of fire signifies his reliance on the idea of rules—an intangible set of guidelines that, if he could only follow them, would make everything okay. He believes that the universe has order, and he believes that the fire is the source of that order. Piggy’s glasses are a more developed form of intelligence, they represent knowledge of the outside world and man’s futile attempts to compensate for its animalistic nature by inventing rules and governments. His glasses separate him from the other boys because they are a physical mark of a society that they now find irrelevant. The knife is the symbol of Jack’s quest to assert his authority. It represents force and brutality, and is a phallic symbol. The Lord of the Flies represents the id—or inner, uncontrollable forces in human nature that society forces people to hide. The beast itself represents that as well, but also represents fear, insecurity, and mass hysteria, and fills a spiritual void for the boys.

Figurative Language: nature is often personified, and described in very lavish terms. It often seems aware of the inner thoughts of the boys and mirrors their psychological state. Onomatopoeia is often used to describe nature, as are alliteration, which makes nature seems more continuous and forceful, and evokes the senses of the readers. Similes and metaphors are also used to compare the boys to animals, and some of their actions to sexual or religious acts.

Ironic Devices: The primary ironic device is that Ralph and Piggy especially have faith in the logic and order of the adult world, but they do not realize how broken and brutal that word really is. Their hope is based on a misconception of human nature, and therefore the society they base off that hope is destined to fail. Many of the other boys also try to cling to the rules and authority structures of the adult world, but no one realizes that that world, if it even still exists at all, is based on falsehoods and unreality.

Tone: Serious, often mystical and eerie. Nature is all knowing and looms over everything, violence and uncertainty lurks behind every action, the air is stiff with the fear of unknown threats—whether real or imagined—that keep everyone paralyzed in fear. The conversations

between Ralph and Jack are characterized by their antagonism and underlying tension. Scenes describing Ralph alone often seem dreamy and vague, mirroring the structure of his mind. Scenes with Simon alone seem the most magical, but this magic can sometimes be terrifying. One gets the feeling that, even under the veneer of cooperation and peace, undercurrents of violence and anger and always lurking in the shadows, about to erupt and destroy the fragile social structure.

Theme: all faults in human society can be traced to the flaws in human nature. Without rules and without guidance, people will revert to their most cruel and animalistic. Logic is a superficial, it can easily be overpowered by fear, by violence, and by anger brought on by insecurity. Those who argue for reason will always be eliminated, there is no place for them in this world, they are obsolete. In fact, there really is no such thing as reason—even intelligence and logic have their roots in violent origins and can easily be manipulated to be instruments of evil. Moral judgments of such things are irrelevant. Intelligence and violence may seem incompatible—like opposite sides of the spectrum of life—but they are really quite similar.

Significance of Title: Refers to the Hebrew word for the devil.

Memorable Quotes: “Ralph looked at him dumbly. For a moment he had a fleeting picture of the strange glamour that had once invested the beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood—Simon was dead—and Jack had… The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other 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.”

This quote shows how far removed Ralph, and the rest of the boys, have strayed since the novel’s opening. They have destroyed nature and destroyed each other and themselves. While some, like Jack, and Ralph at times have given in to their desires to hurt and control, this quote is so powerful because Ralph is now surrendering to an urge that is equally raw but completely different in emotional meaning: crying. He reverts to childhood, and finally realizes that the problems that surround him cannot be fixed by trying to keep the fire to go out.“‘Look, Ralph. We got to forget this. We can’t do no good thinking about it, see?’‘I’m frightened. Of us. I want to go home. Oh God, I want to go home.’‘It was an accident,’ said Piggy stubbornly. ‘And that’s that.’He touched Ralph’s bare shoulder and Ralph shuddered at the human contact.‘And look, Ralph’—Piggy glanced around quickly, then leaned close—‘don’t let on we was in that dance. Not to Samneric.’‘But we were! All of us!’”

The death of Simon is a turning point in the novel because it shows how all of them—despite their best intentions—are all equally capable of evil. In this scene, Ralph seems to take on

Simon’s philosophy that they are the source of evil, but Piggy recognizes that this belief is not practical because it will destroy their moral, and tries to justifies their actions through reason. In this context, Piggy’s arguments sound forced and weak, showing just how useless reason has become. “‘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.‘Bullocks 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--!’”

This quote, perhaps better than any other, shows the conflict in Ralph and Jack’s personalities. While Ralph still believes in social harmony and order, Jack as adopted a more social Darwinist perspective, and has used that philosophy to construct his own social order. Ralph is mistaken, the rules are not the only thing that they’ve got, but they’re the only things they have that promise safety and understanding. Jack is already making his own word, one that lacks both rules and limitations.