Lord of the Flies

> "*Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.*"
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**Lord of the Flies** is a 1954 novel by William Golding. It is an allegory novel that tells the story of a group of young boys stranded alone on an island and developing into savagery as they begin to lose their innocence and civilization.

The book received some critical praise, although it originally sold only 3,000 copies, received little interest, and went out of print in 1955. However, within the next few decades, the novel would sell more copies internationally and become a widely taught novel in schools and college courses. It also serves as an example of human nature vs. savagery.

## Plot Summary

In the midst of a nuclear war, a British airplane evacuating a group of young schoolboys crashes onto a Pacific island, killing the pilot, but many of the boys survive. One of them, a tall, fair-haired boy named Ralph, makes his way out of a jungle and onto a lagoon, followed by another survivor: a fat, asthmatic boy nicknamed Piggy. The boys discuss the situation in their world before one of them finds a conch shell. Ralph blows into it like a horn, and the boys enter the beach.

The boys decide to vote for a chief to keep in charge of the group until they are rescued, and they choose Ralph. He then assigns Jack Merridew, the leader of the choir boys, as the hunters' leader. After exploring the island, Ralph declares that they must build a signal fire so it can attract any passing ships and save them. The boys attempt to make their first fire by using Piggy's glasses to ignite the flames, but it goes out of control and burns most of the jungle on the island, while one of the youngest boys suddenly disappears but likely burns to death.

The boys spend most of their time playing and swimming. Ralph struggles to keep the signal fire going and build shelters while Jack and the hunters try to hunt their first pig but fail. One day, Ralph and Piggy spot a ship on the horizon and see that the signal fire is not burning. They rush to the top of the mountainous hill where it is located, but the ship soon disappears from view. The hunters were responsible for watching them, and they came out with a pig they had just hunted. Ralph confronts Jack about not watching the fire, and the hunter leader angrily hits Piggy in the face.

Ralph calls for a meeting to restore order and set things right. The youngest boys (called "littleluns") experience nightmares and think a beast is roaming around the island, which scares everyone, including the oldest boys (called "biguns"). Later that night, when all the boys were asleep, a military plane battle occurs in the sky. A dead parachutist falls from above and lands in the trees on the island. Sam and Eric, the twins who are now watching the signal, notice the beast's shadow and run back to the camp to report what they have seen.

The boys head out on a hunting expedition. Ralph and Jack go up the mountain, spot the parachutist, and think it is the beast. Another meeting is held the next morning, where Ralph and Jack describe what they have witnessed. Jack wants Ralph to step down as chief since he is a coward, but nobody votes him out of power. Jack leaves the group, and most boys join him as he declares himself leader. They hunt and kill a wild pig and leave its severed head as an offering to the beast.

Afterwards, a quiet, timid boy named Simon spots the head and hallucinates. The head begins to speak and sees it as The Lord of the Flies. It tells him that it exists within all men and is not something they can physically hunt and kill, and then Simon faints. When he wakes up, he sees the parachutist's body and decides to tell the others. Jack, his hunters and all the boys are holding a tribal feast and spot Simon approaching them. Thinking he is the beast and in a frenzied mood, they all attack and kill him.

The next day, Ralph and his group discussed what they had just done. Later, Jack and his hunters attack them and steal Piggy's glasses. Ralph and his only allies left, Piggy and Samneric, head over to a rocky formation called Castle Rock to get the glasses back, where Jack and his hunters had set up a fort. Ralph tries to maintain order, but he and Jack quarrel. During the fight, a hunter named Roger rolls a giant boulder at Piggy, killing him and destroying the conch shell. Samneric are captured and tortured, and Ralph flees.

Ralph hides from the hunters, but Jack and his tribe set the whole island on fire to hunt him. Ralph runs from the savaged tribe until he arrives at the beach, where the fire has attracted the ship of a British naval officer. The boys all come out and stop when they see the officer. The man questions the boys about their actions and whether it is a game. Ralph tries to explain everything but sobs for losing his innocence, and the other boys sob, too.

## Characters

Ralph- The main protagonist and the chief. He is a handsome, fair-haired boy determined to keep order and civilization right, including building huts on the beach and keeping the signal fire going. Unfortunately, he cannot control the boys from descending into savagery and chaos.

Piggy- An obese, asthmatic boy who serves as Ralph's closest second-in-command. Despite his obesity and weakness, he is the most intelligent of the group, yet he is bullied and treated as an outcast by everyone else.

Jack- The main antagonist. He is the leader of the choir boys/hunters but wants to be chief himself. He becomes vile and brutal as the story progresses, and by the time he forms his tribe, he is cruel and bloodthirsty, his childhood innocence corrupted by savagery.

Simon- An odd, sensitive boy in the schoolboys' group. Unlike them, Simon is a kind, good-hearted boy who is helpful to Ralph and offers generosity to others. He also prefers to spend some of his quiet time alone in a beautiful, serene spot on the island than participate in fun activities.

Roger- One of Jack's important allies and his lieutenant. Like his leader, Roger is cruel and sadistic and enjoys hurting other boys. He ends up killing Piggy and breaking the conch shell.

Sam and Eric- Identical twin boys who are the most loyal and helpful to Ralph. They are often called "Samneric" since they share the same entity. They always do everything together and remain close to Ralph until they are captured and tortured by Jack's tribe.

## Writing History/Reception

William Golding enlisted in the British Royal Navy during WWII. During his years in the army, he witnessed the harsh reality of humanity and nature, which influenced him. He believed humans are not always kind; even young children can be exposed to savagery and cruelty. He came up with the idea that innocent beginnings would end in violence and tragedy. Golding began writing *Lord of the Flies* in the mid-1950s, just as WWII ended and the Cold War started. Over twenty publishers rejected it until Faber and Faber agreed to publish it in 1954.

The novel wasn't very successful and sold less than 3,000 copies before going out of print in 1955. Soon afterwards, however, the story became more successful with British and American readers, and Lord of the Flies' minor success would launch Golding's writing career. It would also be one of the most important and influential literary works of the 20th century, as well as a popular read in high school and college academic classrooms.

It is also worth noting that Lord of the Flies is a parody of some familiar fiction stories. For example, Golding had written the novel as a parody of R.M. Ballantyne's 1847 novel, *The Coral Island*, which depicts the tale of three boys stranded on a deserted island and how they managed to survive with their good wits and intelligence. Golding himself decided to put a twist on this children's story and turn it into a darker allegory version. Other comparisons to the novel include *Robinson Crusoe* and *Swiss Family Robinson*, survival stories, and Lord of the Flies shared those themes that went wrong for the main characters.

## Themes

### Civilization vs Savagery

Two major themes in Lord of the Flies are similar to good versus evil. Civilization represents man's good nature who follows the rules, builds a society, lives authorized and offers peace and support to others. Savagery represents man's evil side, who does not follow the rules and is more powerful and hostile towards others. When the boys are stranded on the island, they must decide whether they should be civilized or become savage. After Ralph blows the conch and the boys arrive on the beach, the group still needs leadership, even without adult supervision. Ralph's civilization usually doesn't turn out right as he is the only one trying to make shelters while the boys have fun in an adult-free paradise. Jack demonstrates savagery when he paints his face and makes whooping calls. Since everyone lives in one place, and civilization and savagery are close, it is difficult for everyone to get along, especially the conflict between Ralph and Jack. Several of the book's symbols, such as the conch shell, play an important key role in civilization vs. savagery. The conch was the only object that could bring civilization, but by the time it was destroyed, savagery had officially taken over.

### Man vs Nature

Golding uses this theme as one of the main conflicts. The boys find themselves stranded on a strange, inhabited island. They must find food, water and shelter to survive and figure out the different weather conditions and dense environments like the jungle creepers. After they find other animals, such as pigs, they must learn to hunt them for food. However, the island would later become treacherous for the boys, such as Simon being beaten to death by the hunters who mistake him for prey and Jack using fire to purposely burn the whole island since he has hatred towards nature. Only Simon is known to take his new surroundings positively, such as when he enjoys spending time in an area on the island with butterflies and offers a quiet, peaceful atmosphere none of the boys could find. Golding himself even argued that humans are prone to savagery by nature. When the boys fear a beast is lurking around, he makes his theory by proving the beast only lives in their hearts and is not an actual monster.

### Loss of Innocence

The premise of Lord of the Flies shows that all the characters who find themselves alone without supervision and care from the adults will eventually cause them to lose their childhood innocence. They first arrive on the island as naïve, pure youngsters who try to fit in their new environment and want to be rescued. Still, as the novel progresses, they slowly evolve into bloodthirsty savages. They often displayed their innocence when swimming and playing in the lagoon until the hunters first killed a pig. Instead of being scared and shocked at the sight of blood, they were fascinated by it and enjoyed death and killing. This mostly happens when the boys are exposed to evil and savagery. Simon, a character always associated with spiritual goodness and innocence, enjoys being in a peaceful, serene area in the jungle until he spots the pig's bloody head on a stake and ruins the paradise the group has fun in. By the novel's end, when the British naval officer appears, and reality sets in, the boys are no longer savages; they are turned back into scared children who have officially lost their boyhood innocence to the Lord of the Flies.

## Symbols

### The Conch Shell

The conch shell first found on the beach by Ralph and Piggy in the beginning is an essential symbol in the novel, as it symbolizes civilization and order. During meetings, whoever holds the conch has the right to speak, and it is also used to assemble the gatherings and help them stay civilized. It even has the power of democracy and authority. As time goes by and the boys turn into savages, the conch slowly starts to lose its importance, and when it is destroyed, so do their civilized instincts.

### Piggy's Glasses

The round spectacles Piggy wears on his face are more than just an accessory. They symbolize science and intellectuality after the boys discover they can make fire using the glasses. The glasses also symbolize intelligence, as using them to ignite flames for the signal fire is a creative survival instinct. However, the glasses are important to Piggy as he is helpless without them, and when one of the lenses breaks, it shows how fragile their civilization will soon become.

### The Lord of the Flies

> "*Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!...You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason it's no go? Why things are the way you are?*"
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The Lord of the Flies, or the beast, inhabits the severed pig's head left as an offering. It symbolizes evil and savagery that lives within all the hearts of men, even saying to Simon when he sees it, "*I'm part of you.*" It will have "fun with him." The boys are all afraid of the beast, mainly believing in it, as they are turned into savages. Lord of the Flies refers to the Biblical devil "Beezelbub," traditionally a name for Satan. As Jack and his hunters become violent savages, the Lord of the Flies successfully corrupts their innocence and turns them more evil-like.

## Foreshadowing

* Piggy is frail, obese and vulnerable without his glasses. Foreshadows his untimely death by Jack's hunters.

* Fire is being used for the first time by the boys. Foreshadows the fire burning part of a jungle and eventually the entire island.

* Ralph, Jack and Simon push a boulder off a cliff on their island hike, and Roger throws a rock at Piggy. Foreshadows Roger killing Piggy similarly by pushing a boulder at him.
* The Lord of the Flies tells Simon he will "have fun" with him on the island. Foreshadows Simon's brutal death at the hands of the savaged hunters.

## Adaptations

A film adaptation was released in 1963. Directed by Peter Brook, it features James Aubrey as Ralph, Hugh Edwards as Piggy, Tom Chapin as Jack, Tom Gaman as Simon, Roger Elwin as Roger, and David and Simon Surtees as Samneric. It was filmed on an island in Puerto Rico, and some of the British boys cast in the movie weren't actors and were provided copies of the book, as none of them read the book. The film adaptation is widely considered more faithful to the source material.

A film adaptation was released in 1990. Directed by Harry Hook, it features Balthazar Getty as Ralph, Danuel Pipoly as Piggy, Chris Fury as Jack, James Badge Dale as Simon, and Andrew and Edward Taft as Samneric. Instead of British schoolboys, this adaptation includes American military schoolboys stranded on an island. While the film received mixed reviews, it had developed a cult following.

## References

1. ↑ World War 2 was a global conflict that occurred between 1939 and 1945.