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Lord of the Flies

William golding.

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

Lord of the Flies: Introduction

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

Historical Context of Lord of the Flies

Other books related to lord of the flies.

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

Extra Credit for Lord of the Flies

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

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

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

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

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

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

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

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

Lord of the Flies : plot summary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lord of the Flies : analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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2 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies”

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

Badly behaved boys always should interest girls

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Lord of the Flies

Introduction lord of the flies, summary of lord of the flies, major themes in lord of the flies,  major characters in lord of the flies, writing style of lord of the flies ‎, analysis of literary devices in lord of the flies, related posts:, post navigation.

Themes and Analysis

Lord of the flies, by william golding.

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

Article written by Lee-James Bovey

P.G.C.E degree.

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

Lord of the Flies Themes

The impact of humankind on nature.

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

Civilization versus savagery

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

Nature of humanity

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

Analysis of Key Moments in Lord of the Flies

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

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

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

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

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

Symbols in Lord of the Flies

The conch shell.

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

The Signal Fire

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

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

What are three themes in Lord of the Flies ?

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

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

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

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

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

Lord of the Flies Quiz

Test your understanding of human nature and survival with our " Lord of the Flies " Trivia Quiz! Do you have the insight and knowledge to navigate the complex dynamics and symbolism of William Golding's masterpiece? Accept the challenge now and prove your mastery over the gripping and thought-provoking world of " Lord of the Flies "!

1) What is Ralph's main concern throughout the novel?

2) How are the boys finally rescued?

3) Who discovers the true nature of the "beast"?

4) What theme does "Lord of the Flies" primarily explore?

5) Why do Jack and his hunters attack Ralph's camp?

6) Who leads the boys in the brutal killing of Simon?

7) What does the "Lord of the Flies" symbolize?

8) What is Jack's main priority on the island?

9) Who is the author of "Lord of the Flies"?

10) What do the boys chant during their tribal rituals?

11) What is the "Lord of the Flies"?

12) Who is responsible for maintaining the signal fire?

13) How does the naval officer react when he sees the boys?

14) What is the significance of the beast in the novel?

15) Who is elected leader of the boys at the beginning of the novel?

16) What do the boys use to start a fire?

17) What does Ralph cry for at the end of the novel?

18) What tragic event occurs when the boys reenact the hunt?

19) What does the face paint symbolize for Jack's tribe?

20) What happens to the boy with the mulberry-colored birthmark?

21) Who is the first boy to suggest the existence of a "beast" on the island?

22) What role does Roger play in the novel?

23) Which character represents the voice of reason and intelligence?

24) Who is the last boy to remain loyal to Ralph?

25) What object is used to symbolize authority and order?

26) What do the boys call the younger children on the island?

27) How does Piggy die?

28) What happens to the conch shell?

29) What is the main source of conflict between Ralph and Jack?

30) What event causes the boys to be stranded on the island?

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About Lee-James Bovey

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

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Critic’s Take

Their Inner Beasts: ‘Lord of the Flies’ Six Decades Later

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By Lois Lowry

• Oct. 27, 2016

“Lord of the Flies” was published in 1954, the year that I turned 17, and I read it not long after. I was in the habit then (as I still am today) of finding, in each book I read, the fictional character with whom I identified — the one with whom I would travel. If you are new to this book, as I was then, you will meet Ralph right up front. I felt an immediate kinship with Ralph, even before I knew his name. He is the first character introduced, and for a few pages he is called only by his description: “the fair boy.” I could relate to that. I was also “fair,” which I took to mean blond, and, though I wouldn’t have thought this through at the time, I played fair. I followed the rules. It seemed Ralph did too.

Yes, Ralph: Soon he also had a name. And soon thereafter, he began to have a personality, and it was one that I found likable; he had a sense of humor, chortling with laughter as he blew farting sounds into the conch. And then — yes, this appealed to me greatly — he took charge. He established order, made rules, saw to everyone’s well-being and, with very little opposition, was chosen to be chief. Me? I was a follower, always, not a leader; but I secretly yearned to be the kind of kid who would be chosen as chief.

Next you meet Piggy. Piggy made me squirm a little. I sympathized with him; he was clearly bright and well intentioned, but needy. And in some ways he was uncomfortably like the parts of me that I thought needed changing. Like Piggy, I was something of an outsider, always. In the previous four years I had attended four different schools, and the process of learning to fit in was too familiar to me; now, as a young student at a very large university, I felt as vulnerable as Piggy and disliked him for that reason — he revealed too much about my own self.

As for Jack? It was clear to me right off that Jack Merridew was not to be trusted; for one thing, the black cloak he wore gave me the creeps. And he was described as ugly, with a “crumpled and freckled” face and eyes that could turn angry.

If Jack was scary, and Piggy was pitiful, what about Simon? You may not notice Simon at first. I myself found that there was an intriguing quality to Simon, who seemed so quiet — something of a loner, as I was, and still am — and who had, without any explanation, fainted briefly and then revived with a smile. I could tell he was probably someone worth paying attention to. But no, I had chosen Ralph. I stuck with Ralph. Ralph was my guy.

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Lord of the Flies

By william golding, lord of the flies study guide.

Sir William Golding composed Lord of the Flies shortly after the end of WWII. At the time of the novel's composition, Golding, who had published an anthology of poetry nearly two decades earlier, had been working for a number of years as a teacher and training as a scientist. Golding drew extensively on his scientific background for his first narrative work. The novel's plot, in which a group of English boys stranded on a deserted island struggle to develop their own society, is a social and political thought-experiment using fiction. The story of their attempts at civilization and devolution into savagery and violence puts the relationship between human nature and society under a literary microscope. Golding's allusions to human evolution also reflect his scientific training. The characters discover fire, craft tools, and form political and social systems in a process that recalls theories of the development of early man, a topic of much interest among many peoples including the mid-century Western public. The culmination of the plot in war and murder suggests that Golding's overarching hypothesis about humanity is pessimistic, that is, there are anarchic and brutal instincts in human nature. Ordered democracy or some other regime is necessary to contain these instincts.

As an allegory about human nature and society, Lord of the Flies draws upon Judeo-Christian mythology to elaborate on the novel's sociological and political hypothesis. The title has two meanings, both charged with religious significance. The first is a reference to a line from King Lear , "As flies to wanton boys, are we to gods." The second is a reference to the Hebrew name Ba'alzevuv, or in its Greek form Beelzebub, which translates to "God of the Flies" and is synonymous with Satan. For Golding however, the satanic forces that compel the shocking events on the island come from within the human psyche rather than from an external, supernatural realm as they do in Judeo-Christian mythology. Golding thus employs a religious reference to illustrate a Freudian concept: the Id, the amoral instinct that governs the individual's sense of sheer survival, is by nature evil in its amoral pursuit of its own goals. The Lord of the Flies, that is, the pig's head on a stick, directly challenges the most spiritually motivated character on the island, Simon , who functions as a prophet-martyr for the other boys.

Published in 1954 early in the Cold War, Lord of the Flies is firmly rooted in the sociopolitical concerns of its era. The novel alludes to the Cold War conflict between liberal democracy and totalitarian communism. Ralph represents the liberal tradition, while Jack, before he succumbs to total anarchy, represents the kind of military dictatorship that, for mid-century America and Great Britain, characterized the communist system. It is also notable that Golding sets the novel in what appears to be a future human reality, one that is in crisis after atomic war. Golding's novel capitalizes on public paranoia surrounding the atom bomb which, due to the arms race of the Cold War, was at a high. Golding's negative depiction of Jack, who represents an anti-democratic political system, and his suggestion of the reality of atomic war, present the novel as a gesture of support for the Western position in the Cold War.

In addition to science, mythology, and the sociopolitical context of the Cold War, Lord of the Flies was heavily influenced by previous works of speculative fiction. In particular, Golding's novel alludes to R. M. Ballantyne's 1857 The Coral Island , which tells the story of three boys stranded on a desert island. Golding, who found Ballantyne's interpretation of the situation naive and improbable, likely intended Lord of the Flies to be an indirect critique of The Coral Island . Golding preserves the names of two of Ballantyne's characters, Ralph and Jack, to force the two texts into deeper comparison. While the boys of Coral Island spend their time having pleasant adventures, Golding's characters battle hunger, loneliness, and the deadly consequences of political conflict after they are deserted. The pessimistic character of Golding's story reflects the author's emphasis on the necessity of democratic civilization. Critics also have noted the relationship between Lord of the Flies and Joseph Conrad's canonical 1902 Heart of Darkness , which follows a soldier's excursion into marginal African civilizations. Reflecting some biases, Heart of Darkness depicts these parts of Africa as places where social order is absent and anarchy rules, breeding death and disorder; the novel sees the same problem as an issue within the individual human soul. Like Conrad's work, Golding's novel emphasizes the brutal and violent human impulses that arise in the absence of political order.

Lord of the Flies, with its dystopian and speculative characteristics, established Golding as a solid author with an interest in the science-fiction literary genre that was popular in the 1950s. The novel depicts ostensibly realistic characters, but the plot, which follows a small group of humans isolated within an alien landscape, employs or alludes to the conventions of popular science fiction novels of the time. Golding's subsequent works saw him moving even further into the science fiction genre. The Inheritors , heavily influenced by H. G. Wells's Outline of History , imagines life during the dawn of man and is considered a modern classic of speculative fiction.

Lord of the Flies was not an instant success, selling fewer than 3,000 copies before going out of print in 1955. Shortly thereafter, however, the novel became a bestseller among American and British readers who, as the arms race intensified, likely saw in Golding's wartime dystopia a grim prediction of their own future. By the 1960s the novel was required reading for many high school and college courses, where it has remained to the present day. The enduring popularity of the novel inspired two film adaptations, one by Peter Brook in 1963, and the second by Harry Hook in 1990. Golding's original novel, however, remains the best-known version of the tale. In 2005, Time Magazine named the novel one of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923.

A continuing controversy surrounding the political message of the novel and its view of human nature has led some readers to challenge its status as a book suitable for children. The American Library Association thus positioned Lord of the Flies at number 70 on its list of the 100 most challenged books of 1990-2000. Among literary critics of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, however, Lord of the Flies has been revisited less as an allegory of human evil than as a literary expression of Cold War ideology. This historicizing does not do justice to the novel. But in terms of reception history, contemporary critics are right to note that the novel's position at the center of many English curricula across America and Great Britain during the Cold War illustrates how the pedagogy of literature has been used to bolster national identity and ideology.

Lord of the Flies Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Lord of the Flies is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Where had Simon fainted before?

From the text:

“He's always throwing a faint,”said Merridew. “He did in Gib.; and Addis; and at matins over the precentor.”

Quote Analysis. "There was a throb..."

At this point Ralph is once again challenging Jack's authority, Unfortunately all the cards are stacked against Ralph. A storm is brewing and to deflect the boys' fears, Jack orders them to dance around the fire. This communal spectacle of...

How do the boys respond to Jack's call for Ralph's removal as chief? How does Jack react? Respond with evidence from the text.

There is a lot of immaturity here. The other boys refuse to vote Ralph out of power. Enraged, Jack has a tantrum and runs away from the group, saying that he is leaving and that anyone who likes is welcome to join him.The boys don't like the open...

Study Guide for Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies study guide contains a biography of William Golding, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Lord of the Flies
• Lord of the Flies Summary
• Lord of the Flies Video
• Character List

Essays for Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

• Two Faces of Man
• The Relationship Between Symbolism and Theme in Lord of the Flies
• A Tainted View of Society
• Death and Social Collapse in Lord of the Flies
• Lumination: The Conquest of Mankind's Darkness

Lesson Plan for Lord of the Flies

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Lord of the Flies
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Lord of the Flies Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Lord of the Flies

• Introduction

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Lord of The Flies — The Link Between The Society In “Lord of the Flies” And Modern Society

The Link Between The Society in "Lord of The Flies" and Modern Society

• Categories: Lord of The Flies William Golding

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Published: Sep 19, 2019

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Lord of The Flies: Summary and Detailed Analysis

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

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

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Major Characters in Lord of the Flies 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of Lord of the Flies and Analysis

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

Summary of Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 2: Fire on the Mountain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 3: Huts on the Beach

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

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

The fragile order on the island begins to fail. 

Summary of Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

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

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 5: Beast from Water

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

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

Summary of Chapter 6: Beast from Air

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 7: Shadows of the Tall Trees

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 8: Gift for the Darkness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 9: A View to a Death

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 10: The Shell and the Glasses

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 11: Castle Rock

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of Chapter 12: Cry of the Hunters

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

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

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

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

Essay Sample on Lord of the Flies

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

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies

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

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

Themes in Lord of the Flies 

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

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

Final Words

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

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Review: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies William Golding Penguin Books Published December 16, 2003 (Originally Published 1954)

Amazon | bookshop | goodreads, about lord of the flies.

At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate; this far from civilization the boys can do anything they want. Anything. They attempt to forge their own society, failing, however, in the face of terror, sin and evil. And as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far from reality as the hope of being rescued.

Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, LORD OF THE FLIES is perhaps our most memorable novel about “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.”

LORD OF THE FLIES is one of those iconic books that gets referenced all the time in our culture, but I’d never read it before. My daughter had to read it for school last year, and she had some anxiety about the content. I decided to read it first so she’d be ready for anything that might be difficult for her.

I read the book last fall as things were heating up before the presidential election here in the US. At that time, I actually wrote an initial review. But because I kept pushing back the date for posting the review, I have updated the review and added some more stuff that I’ve thought about on reflection.

Before I started reading LORD OF THE FLIES, I felt really weird reading all these big name authors talking about how pivotal this book has been for their writing. I think it’s Suzanne Collins who says that she reads LORD OF THE FLIES every year. That seemed really weird to me for a book with such a dark reputation. Every year? I mean, no offense meant. When a book resonates with you like that, I get wanting to read it every year. For a long time I had a book that I read every year, too. I guess I just found myself surprised about people feeling that way about a book that’s often referenced to describe uncontrolled violence or mayhem.

Anyway. So I went into the book with both some dread (expecting violence, which can be hard for me to read), and some, I don’t know, fascination, I guess?

The thing that still stands out to me most about the book is how easily some boys began to think of others as not human, as animals to be hunted. There’s a moment, after one boy has been killed where two boys talk around what happened. One boy comes right out and says that it was murder. The other boy recoils and tries to defend what happened as something else. He tries to explain it away as something not evil and wrong. It doesn’t work, and for a moment they’re both confronted with the horrible truth.

Watching the vigilantism and the violent language increasingly used by elected officials and repeated online while reading LORD OF THE FLIES was really creepy, y’all. Like, it seriously marked me. I would read a scene and feel like, this is awfully close to the way people are talking to each other or about each other right now. Or I’d get to a scene and think, well, surely our leaders won’t sink this low. And then. Stuff happened.

I couldn’t stop– and still can’t stop– thinking about the way the story explores the power of fear. The collapse of reason that happens when people are afraid and respond with that fear and anger. The steady shift toward things that once seemed unimaginable. I knew what was coming because I’d heard enough about the book that I basically knew what to expect. And yet, the violence of it and the dehumanization of it still shocked and shook me.

Reading this book, I can see not only from the story why it endures, but also from the writing. Like, I felt genuinely pulled into the tale. Even when I wasn’t reading, I thought about it. I wanted to know what would happen. Even though I already pretty much knew what was coming, I couldn’t look away from what was happening. It gripped me and paralyzed me with horror. (Much the way I felt weeks later watching the coverage of the January 6 insurrection.)

Honestly, I won’t say I enjoyed it– not like, celebrated reading it. But it really moved me. I think I would read it again. I think I NEED to read it again.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages  16 up.

Representation All the boys are British private school students.

Profanity/Crude Language Content Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content None.

Spiritual Content The boys fear a mysterious evil they call the Beast. They leave food sacrifices for it, hoping that this will keep the Beast away from them.

Violent Content At least one racist comment equating Indians with savages. Multiple violent descriptions of hunting and killing pigs. Boys beat another boy to death. A boy falls to his death after being hit with a rock.

Drug Content None.

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About Kasey

2 responses to review: lord of the flies by william golding.

My interest is piqued to give the book another chance. I read it a while back, while I was I in middle school, and at that time I had little idea about what was happening (I lost my way about halfway through), and I hadn’t heard much about the story like you had before diving into the text, so I suspect that the full impact (philosophical, political, psychological, social) wasn’t felt.

Yay! Yeah, I have definitely had that experience with books that I read in school before and then again later. I hope that if you read it again, you are able to connect with it a lot more. 🙂 Thanks, Abigail!

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Lord of the Flies

46 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-11

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Compare/contrast what happensin “normal” society with what happens on the island. Is the society that the boys make more similar or different than the society you know?

Why are there no girls on the island? Do you think that having both genders represented would alter how the boys treat one another?

Why does the “Lord of the Flies” (138)—the pig’s head—tell Simon he is in danger? How does this scene relate to the novel’s title?

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By William Golding

Pincher Martin

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Lord of the Flies

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• Literary Devices - Lord of the Flies
• Internet Archive - "Lord of the Flies"

Lord of the Flies , novel by William Golding , published in 1954. The book explores the dark side of human nature and stresses the importance of reason and intelligence as tools for dealing with the chaos of existence.

In the novel, children are evacuated from Britain because of a nuclear war. One airplane, with adults and prep-school boys as passengers, crashes on an uninhabited island, and all the adults are killed. As the boys fashion their own society, their attempts at establishing a social order gradually devolve into savagery. Finally abandoning all moral constraints, the boys commit murder before they are rescued and returned to civilization.

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Lord of the flies.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 12 Reviews
• Kids Say 111 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Kenneth Butler , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Gripping story of marooned schoolboys and mob mentality.

Parents Need to Know

​​Parents need to know that Lord of the Flies has been described as dark, brutal, pessimistic, and tragic. Written from the point of view of British author William Golding, the novel tells the story of a group of White British school boys who survive after their plane crash lands on a remote island in the…

Why Age 12+?

One boy is bullied. Two characters are murdered: One is beat to death and anothe

A taunt includes calling a character's asthma "ass-mar."

Any Positive Content?

The book's basic premise is that some people, deprived of the rules and restrict

The novel raises questions about personal choice and individual humanity in appa

Ralph is the main character who's elected leader in the name of staying "civiliz

The British schoolboys depicted in the novel are White. Their descent into "sava

Violence & Scariness

One boy is bullied. Two characters are murdered: One is beat to death and another falls to his death after being hit by a boulder pushed by one of the other boys. The acts are described in detail. Frequent mention of blood. Brief torture sequence. Boys hunt a pig and poke a sharp stick up its rear end while it's still alive. The setting and atmosphere are fraught with the potential for violence.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Educational Value

The book's basic premise is that some people, deprived of the rules and restrictions of society, will revert to barbaric behavior. This central conflict between nature versus nurture when it comes to morality is found on every page. Readers will also learn something about survival on an unpopulated island.

Positive Messages

The novel raises questions about personal choice and individual humanity in appalling situations. People are capable of selflessness, even when their own lives are at stake. There are times when it's critical to put the needs of the group ahead of individual needs or wants.

Positive Role Models

Ralph is the main character who's elected leader in the name of staying "civilized." He thinks strategically and shows compassion and perseverance, but his motives are questionable, and he does not succeed in his leadership of the group. Piggy, who is brainy and logical, represents the rational side of human beings; unfortunately, he's also deeply unpopular. Only Simon, who looks after the younger boys, seems naturally kind and good, as if born that way. Jack seeks power ruthlessly, but is charismatic, so he's able to command leadership, even when it results in more chaos. Other characters represent baser, more violent human impulses or the innocence of children. The characters, and how they relate to one another, underscore the value of ethics in collaborative situations.

Diverse Representations

The British schoolboys depicted in the novel are White. Their descent into "savagery," a term used repeatedly throughout the book, relies on racist stereotypes of Indigenous peoples from Africa, Asia, and the Americas being more violent and less civilized. The character Jack explicitly differentiates between "savages" and the English, suggesting that only the English know how to "have rules and obey them" and "are best at everything." A boy described as fat is nicknamed Piggy. He also has asthma. For those reasons, he's viewed as weak by the others. Women are not present and are only mentioned when the boys miss their mothers. The comparison to tying their hair back like "a girl" is used in a derogatory manner by the boys.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

​​Parents need to know that Lord of the Flies has been described as dark, brutal, pessimistic, and tragic. Written from the point of view of British author William Golding, the novel tells the story of a group of White British school boys who survive after their plane crash lands on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. The boys bully and eventually kill two members of their group, one in a brutal, frenzied beating, in the other murder, a character causes a boy to fall off a cliff. Both scenes are described in bloody detail. The book often compares being "civilized" with Britishness, while the boys' violent behavior is depicted as more primitive and draws on negative stereotypes of Indigenous peoples -- a false idea that was historically used to justify the colonization and oppression of people in places such as Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The story deals with a fundamental issue of humanity: Are people naturally prone to evil? This and other issues in the novel are well-suited for parent-child discussion.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say (12)
• Kids say (111)

Based on 12 parent reviews

Great book for deep discussion

The classic of savagery, what's the story.

In LORD OF THE FLIES, a group of British schoolboys is marooned on a tropical island and left to fend for themselves, unsupervised by any adults. At first, the boys enjoy their freedom, playing and exploring the island. But soon the group splits into two factions: those who try to preserve the discipline and order they've learned from society, and those who choose to give in to every instinct and impulse, no matter how chaotic or cruel.

Is It Any Good?

This novel has been a perennial favorite since its first publication in 1954, and when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, William Golding was lauded for his deep concern for humanity. Today, Lord of the Flies remains a staple of school reading lists, although some of its dated views about the nature of savagery are worth reexamining and discussing. Golding's prose is unadorned and straightforward, and the result is page-turning entertainment -- as well as a highly thought-provoking work of literature.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Lord of the Flies is considered a classic and is often required reading in school. Why do you think that is? Are there aspects of the novel that seem dated now? How does the depiction of the boys' bad behavior rely on stereotypes?

The boys on the island hope to survive their ordeal. How do they persevere through their difficult circumstances? What helps them survive?

Do you think people are born "good" or "evil" -- is our behavior always the result of choice? How is it that good people are capable of bad behavior, and vice versa? How do you think you might behave under the circumstances of the novel?

Is it always best to sacrifice your own wants and needs for the common good of a community? What are some examples of when characters show compassion ? What effect does compassion have on the characters and the events of this story?

What do you think some of the prominent elements of the story -- the conch, Piggy's glasses, the sow's head, the island's "beast" -- might symbolize?

Book Details

• Author : William Golding
• Genre : Literary Fiction
• Topics : Adventures , Friendship
• Character Strengths : Compassion , Perseverance
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Perigree
• Publication date : January 1, 1954
• Number of pages : 304
• Last updated : August 16, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Critical Insights: Lord of the Flies

Tags: 2 Introductory Essays 4 Critical Context Essays 10 Critical Readings Essays Current Critical Analysis by Top Literary Scholars Introductory Essay by the Editor Chronology of Author's Life Complete List of Author's Works Publication Dates of Works Detailed Bio of the Editor General Bibliography General Subject Index

This volume explores many different dimensions of Golding's classic novel, including the novel's initial critical reception, the moral issues it raises, its film adaptations, and the ways in which commentary about the novel has evolved.

The volume also explores the ways the novel has been received on both sides of the Atlantic and additionally, examines its themes, characters, and structures from a diversity of critical perspectives. The book sums up previous work on Golding’s text while also charting new interpretive directions.

Each  Critical Insights  is divided into four sections:

An Introduction – The book and the author The present volume begins with an essay by Stephan Schaffrath which connects representations of violence in Lord of Flies to the real-world experience of violence and the resulting trauma.

Next, Courtney Lane offers a succinct overview of William Golding’s life and career, from his early life at home and school to his various vocational forays, including his experiences in the British Navy during World War II, and, finally, to his rise to critical acclaim as an author and world-renowned novelist.

Critical Contexts The essays aim to provide a background to the title and author that is an historical, cultural, and biographical foundation for the reader. The first essay in this section is a discussion of the historical context of Lord of the Flies . The second essay in the critical contexts section, advocates the necessity of critical pluralism, the notion that multiple critical interpretations are required when analyzing a complex work of literature and that no single theory is definitive. 

Following that essay is perhaps the most theoretically innovative chapter in this volume, an interpretation of Lord using cognitive criticism, more specifically the concept of motor resonance or kinesis to explore how the reactions of a reader’s nervous system to the events occurring in Lord (and when reading in general) mimic reactions to similar real-life situations—while of course stopping short of taking action in response to that fictional stimulus. The critical contexts section concludes with an essay hat compares/contrasts Golding’s depiction of human nature in Lord of the Flies with that in Robert A. Heinlein’s science fiction novel Tunnel in the Sky (1955).

Critical Readings The first four essays in the critical readings section provide essential, succinct overviews of the most significant and substantial critical articles addressing Lord of the Flies. They begin with a thorough summary of the critical commentary on Lord , both academic and in the popular press, during the first fifteen years after the novel’s publication—the height of its popularity. The next chapter summarizes the following twenty years of criticism (1970-1989) during which Lord fell into relative obscurity, at least in the United States. This is followed by a summary of critical articles from the last decade of the 20th century to the first decade of the 21st. And the final essay in this quartet summarizes some of the most significant articles on  Lord  written in foreign languages, offering readers insight into how Lord has been introduced to new audiences and discussed critically around the world.

Continuing this section is an essay closely examining the novel's treatment of Piggy's fat body, followed by a comparison between  Lord of the Flies  and a similarly named titled published in the same year, The Lord of the Rings,  J. R. R. Tolkien. In the next chapter, there is a close reading of the novel to determine whether  Lord,  as a dystopia, qualifies as a  classical dystopia  or a  critical dystopia,  or at the very least feature a eutopian enclave.

Next, the penultimate chapter of this volume offers readers the rare opportunity to engage directly with foreign language criticism on Lord with a translation and update of his 1984 article “Jeu et Sacré dans Lord of the Flies de William Golding.” The final chapter in the critical readings section explores the ways in which Lord functions as political and religious drama and satirizes Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan (1651).

Each essay is 2,500-5,000 words in length and all essays conclude with a list of "Works Cited," along with endnotes.

Additional Resources:

• Chronology of William Golding's Life and Works
• Works by William Golding
• Bibliography
• About the Editor
• Contributors

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