1. Lord of the Flies
Spiro

2. The Lord of the Flies says that every society has a mixture of good and bad; in fact, it is impossible for a society to exist without both.

3. Synopsis Kids deserted on island No adults Try to establish society
Some break off to start tribe
Kids become increasingly violent/savage
Saved in the end at height of savagery

4. Themes
Civil vs. Savage
Chaos vs. Order
Good vs. Evil

5. Civil vs. Savage Symbols: Pig hunting Dance ritual Huts Rocks
Face Paint
Jack was “liberated from the shame of self consciousness” by using the face paint (64).

6. Chaos vs. Order Symbols: Conch Fire Piggy’s glasses Meetings
“The thing we need is an assembly” (78).

7. Good vs. Evil Symbols: The Lord of the Flies Jack vs. Ralph The Beast
“What I mean is…maybe [the beast’s] only us” (89).

8. Characters
Four main characters:
Ralph
Jack
Simon
Piggy

9. Puts needs of group ahead of own Represents order, civility, and good.
Ralph
Good leader
Puts needs of group ahead of own
Represents order, civility, and good.
“I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage, But we must keep the fire going” (142).

10. Jack Tyrannical leader Selfish Represents evil
Together with Ralph, shows the two extremes of leadership. The point is that a society needs both to be successful.
“His mind was crowded with memories…knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life…” (98).

11. Simon Helps all of the kids Common sense Represents innocence
Shows that innocence and common sense is underrated in society.
“Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest…passed them back down [to the littluns]” (56).

12. Piggy Intelligent, but lazy Socially inept
Represents intelligence and technology
Shows that technology alone helps society, but is not an integral part of it.
“Life…is scientific, that’s what it is” (84).

13. Conclusion Society will always have: Chaos and Order Good and Evil
Civility and Savagery
Society can try to mask true human nature, but it will never go away.
“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill” (143).