Lord of the Flies By William Golding

William Golding Born in England in 1911 Attended an elite private school Became a social worker and then an English and Philosophy teacher Joined the Royal Navy during WWII where he witnessed the cruelty and savagery of human kind. Had books published yearly until his death in 1993 Received British Booker Prize Award, Nobel Prize for Literature, and was knighted

The Novel Published in 1954 Setting: A deserted island during WWII Plot: A group of young English boys are marooned on a desert island and must develop their own society. “Lord of the Flies” is a translation of the Greek word Beelzebub Major themes: civilization vs. savagery, loss of innocence

The Characters Ralph—protagonist of the story; elected as the chief of the group; represents the civilized part of society Jack—antagonist of the story; leader of the choir; represents the savage instincts of society Piggy—the intellectual, scientific person in the group; picked on by the group Roger—sullen member of Jack’s choir; represents the brutality and cruelty of society Maurice—follower of Jack; similar to Roger Samneric—twins (Sam and Eric) who are treated as a single entity Simon—originally a member of the choir but resists becoming part of Jack’s group; always helping others; the martyr of the group; represents pure goodness and innocence Lord of the Flies—name given to the “beast”; literal translation is Beelzebub (demon of Hell and cohort of Satan) Littluns—general term used to describe the smaller boys, who outnumber the “biguns”; represent the common people in society Mulberry Birthmark boy—a littlun who first spoke of the “beast” and who disappears quickly in the book

Objects/Places Conch—a shell used to call an assembly Piggy’s glasses—used to start fires Granite platform—site of the assemblies Mountain—site of the “beast” and signal fire Signal fire—to signal a rescue Lord of the Flies—a severed sow’s head stuck on a stick by Jack as an offering to the beast; it becomes the physical and symbolic representation of evil