(figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another) Lord of the Flies A Fable and an Allegory (figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another)

22 years later Britain was again involved in ANOTHER WAR As a child, Golding witnessed WWI, which was referred to as “the war to end all wars.” HOWEVER, 22 years later Britain was again involved in ANOTHER WAR to end all wars, which caused more devastation than was imaginable.

Through LOTF, Golding makes the statement that we cannot escape our savage, violent tendencies… …and without social order, we devolve into a state of chaos.

Golding wrote this book less than a decade after World War II when the world was in the midst of the Cold War.

Golding said, “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.”

Golding also said, “The whole book is symbolic in nature except the rescue in the end where adult life appears, dignified and capable, but in reality enmeshed in the same evil as the symbolic life of the children on the island.”

Lord of the Flies Is extremely straightforward with regard to structure and style.

Ralph – The Civilizing Instinct He is the novel’s protagonist. He attempts to coordinate efforts to build a miniature civilization on the island. Represents Democracy and order Translation=GOOD

Jack – Instinct of savagery and bloodlust He is the novel’s antagonist. He longs for total power. He becomes increasingly wild, barbarous, and cruel as the novel progresses. He is adept at manipulating the other boys. Translation=EVIL

Simon – Kindness & Goodness He behaves kindly toward the younger boys. He is willing to work for the good of the community. He is the only character whose sense of morality seems to be innate. He is insightful.

Piggy-Intelligence He is the most intelligent, rational boy of the group. The character least able to understand the savage impulse.

Roger – Brutality He is Jack’s lieutenant. He brutalizes the littluns. The most destructive. He eventually murders Piggy by rolling a boulder on him. The character least able to understand the civilizing impulse. The only one to premeditate murder. Kills without conscience. Translation=PURE EVIL

Sam and Eric Represent the tug-of-war in each of us to remain good. The last to remain loyal to Ralph.

The Lord of the Flies – A satanic figure He is the sow’s head that Jack impales on a stake in the forest glade as an offering to the beast. Becomes a physical manifestation of the beast. Also symbolizes the power of evil. Foreshadows Simon’s death when he promises to have some “fun” with him.

The Beast - Imaginary Represents the primal instinct of savagery that exists in all human beings. Because the boys’ behavior brings the beast into existence, the more savagely they act, the more real the beast seems to become. Jack ascribes to it the power of immortality and the power to change shape. Representative of the dark side of human nature.

The Signal Fire – Hope and Connection to Civilization The hunters have the responsibility to maintain it. Burns on the mountain in the first part of the novel—later on the beach. When the fire burns low or goes out, the boys lose sight of their desire to be rescued. It functions as a kind of measuring stick by which we can measure the strength of the civilized instinct. Used as a means to be rescued. Fire plays a dual role of rescue and destruction.

The Conch Shell – Civilization and Order It is used to govern the boys’ meetings. As the island civilization erodes and savagery begins to dominate the boys, the conch shell loses its power. Ralph clutches it desperately when he talks about his role in murdering Simon. Later, he is ignored and stones are thrown in his vicinity when he attempts to blow the conch in Jack’s camp at Castle Rock. The conch is destroyed when Piggy is killed.

Piggy’s Glasses-Power of Science and Intellectual Endeavor They are used to make a fire. Jack’s hunters raid Ralph’s camp and steal the glasses and Jack wears them on his waist. They have taken the power to make fire. Ralph’s civilization is helpless. When shattered, the “progressive decay of rational influence” begins.

The Littluns – The Common People Most of them do not even have names. They are faceless and frightened. For the most part they take care of themselves. They do not participate in the decisions. They are frightened of the beast.

The Bigguns – Ruling Class Some are kind to the littluns; others are cruel. They are manipulated by Jack, using their fear of the beast. The idea of the beast increasingly fills the boys, especially the hunters, with bloodlust, cruelty, and savagery.

Christian Iconography Acts as a motif. The island is a kind of Garden of Eden. The Garden is gradually corrupted by evil. Simon’s conversation with the Lord of the Flies is a parallel with Christ’s with the devil. The Lord of the Flies may be seen as a symbol of the devil. Simon is killed sacrificially when he learns the moral truth—that there is no beast.

Foreshadowing The fire in Chapter Two foreshadows the fire in Chapter Twelve. It is responsible for the death of the littlun with the mark on his face. Simon’s discussion with the Lord of the Flies foreshadows his death.

Irony The haphazard fire set by Jack and his hunters to kill Ralph is responsible for the boys’ rescue . The “civilized” officer is part of an adult world in which violence and war exist with civilization and social order.

Deus ex machina An improbable or unexpected device or characer introduced to resolve a situation The navy ship lured to the island by the out of control fire is an improbable event.