1. Lord of the Flies Last of the Allegories S. George/English II Pre-AP

2. LOTF: Last of the Allegories What is an ALLEGORY?  A figure of rhetoric  The use of symbols to portray a moral or message  Fables or parables are short allegories with one definite message  Example: “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” In this fable, the boy is an allegory for children who do not tell the truth and are not believed in the end

3. LOTF: Last of the Allegories Allegory VS. Symbol  They are similar, but an allegory is sustained longer, and is more fully detailed.  Example: In LOTF, Piggy’s glasses symbolize intellect and knowledge.  Example: In LOTF, the allegory of Piggy’s glasses express the eventual and unavoidable decline of mankind when faced with terms of survival.

4. LOTF: Last of the Allegories The Role of an Allegory  Allegories were the method of choice for education many years ago. Why?  Entertainment  Easy to remember = Easy to pass on  Underlying principles were used for teaching lessons

5. LOTF: Last of the Allegories The Decline of the Allegory  We are a LITERALISTIC CULTURE grounded in an era of INSTANT GRATIFICATION (that including the information we receive). We are tired of figuring out “the message,” rather, we want it clearly delivered upfront.  Proves why allegories are difficult to comprehend  LOTF is one of the last novels to have substantial allegories

6. LOTF: Last of the Allegories Allegory Exposed in LOTF  Political Allegory (think: WWII, Cold War, atomic destruction)  Psychological Allegory (think: human psyche)  Religious Allegory (think: Garden of Eden, Christ-like characters, God VS. Satan)

7. LOTF: Last of the Allegories Political Allegory  The world was divided into two “camps”: Free World VS. Soviet Union. Which characters represent these two camps?  The Cold War brought about fears of atomic destruction – those of which were materialized in LOTF.

8. LOTF: Last of the Allegories Psychological Allegory  Freudian Understanding of the Human Psyche:  The Id: The part of the unconscious mind that works to gratify its own impulses. Character?  The Superego: Part of the mind that seeks to control impulsive behavior (of the Id). Character?  The Ego: Part of the mind that mediates between the Id’s demand for pleasure and the controlled thoughts of the Superego. Character?

9. LOTF: Last of the Allegories Religious Allegory  The Garden of Eden = the island  Describes the perfect living condition with food/water, good weather, etc. Favorable details show its (close-to) “perfect” state: UTOPIA.  Golding portrays this “Eden” with a sense of evil at the same time to create a foreboding of something terrible. The island ends up in a state of misery: DYSTOPIA.

10. LOTF: Last of the Allegories Religious Allegory  Piggy = the “fall” of mankind  Lord of the Flies = Satan/evil (living inside mankind)  Simon = quiet/observer; always does good to benefit others (littluns); used as the sacrificial lamb; he is the Christ-like symbol. His encounter with the Lord of the Flies is important because it represents something pure/good VS. evil in its worst form (Satan).

11. LOTF: Last of the Allegories Name Meanings  Ralph = Anglo-Saxon word meaning, “council”  Piggy = vulnerability comparable to vulnerability of pigs on the island; how much the other boys dislike him because of his intelligence (pigs = smart)  Jack = Hebrew word, “Yakov,” meaning “one who deceives” or “one who takes over”  Simon = Hebrew word, “one who listens,” “one who observes,” was one of Christ’s disciples  Roger = “famous with the spear”  Satan = Greek name translated to = Beelzebub = translated to “Lord of the Flies” (the pig’s head surrounded by flies)

12. LOTF: Last of the Allegories The Island and the real world  Examine the microcosm…  The island is a representation of what is happening in the outside world. Destruction and chaos are imitated within the “society” set up by the boys.  Isn’t it ironic…  Without realizing it, the boys have created the same society from which they were being protected.

13. LOTF: Last of the Allegories Major Themes in LOTF  Darkness of the heart is an innate human trait  Anarchy and savagery are direct results of man’s inability to follow society’s set rules  Our morals are a direct result of our surroundings – if our environment fails, our morals fail, and the human race/civilization ultimately fails.

14. LOTF: Last of the Allegories  TASK 1: Lord of the Flies is an Allegorical Novel. What do the following represent? (Provide textual evidence.) Ralph/Piggy/Simon/Jack/Roger/Conch/Glasses/ Island/Beast/Lord of the Flies  TASK 2: Answer the following question using textual evidence and be prepared to discuss with the class:  What happens literally to the boys, and what is the author saying metaphorically about the structures of civilization?  TASK 3: Debate the following hot topic in your group and be prepared to discuss with the class:  Is man born with an innate sense of good… or an innate sense of evil?