Lord of the Flies: Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies by: William Golding

William Golding was born on September 19, 1911 in St Columb Minor, United Kingdom. His father was a school teacher, while his mother was active in the Women's Suffrage Movement. Golding began writing at a young age, and attempted to write a novel at the age of twelve. He remained an enthusiastic writer and while completing his advanced education at Brasenose College of Oxford University, abandoned his plans to study science, against his father's wishes, and preferred to study literature. At the age of twenty-two, before earing his degree in English, Golding saw his first literary work published—a poetry collection cleverly titled Poems. In 1940, during World War II, Golding served 5 years in the British Royal Navy, commanding a rocket launching craft.

The Lord of the Flies was rejected by twenty-one publishers before Faber & Faber published it in 1954.

Character List

Ralph is the novel's protagonist. He is a tall, blond, twelve year old that is appointed as the leader of the group of boys who have been marooned onto an island. He attempts to build a civilization among the young boys until they are rescued from the island.

Jack is the novel's antagonist. He is among the older boys stranded on the island, and is the leader of the hunters. He strives to become a leader. He becomes power hungry and begins to become barbaric, wild, and cruel as the novel progresses.

Simon is a shy, sensitive character. Simon helps the younger boys on the island, and is willing to work for the greater good of the society.

Piggy is considered Ralph's “lieutenant.” He is a scientific and skeptical asthmatic fat boy with glasses. Piggy's inventions lead to innovation of the civilization. He builds a makeshift sundial that the boys use to tell time. Piggy represents the scientific and rational side of civilization.

Roger is considered Jack's “lieutenant.” He is sadistic and cruel. He also brutalizes the younger boys and eventually murders another boy by rolling a boulder onto him.

Setting

The setting of Lord of the Flies takes place on an un-named island. The novel doesn't state where the island is exactly but is described in detail. The island has a jungle at one end, with a rocky mountain beyond it. On the opposite end, is the lagoon where the boys bathe. Near the lagoon and atop the mountain is a platform where the boys decided that a fire would stay lit in hope of rescue.

Plot

During an atomic war, a plane full of boarding school boys on their way home was shot down. The plane lands on an empty island. Piggy finds a conch shell and gives it to Ralph, which he uses to call for the other boys on the island. He sets the rules that they must abide by while they are on the island. Jack became focused on hunting aspects for survival, whereas Ralph is more focused on maintaining a shelter for the protection from nature. The two leaders, Ralph and Jack, argue over their view of the more important aspects of survival.

Theme

I believe the theme of Lord of the Flies is the moral integrity of people reacts with the conditions of the society in which they are living in. Another theme of the novel is that human beings tend to single out, and look down upon a certain group or culture of individuals due to their own insecurities, or uncertainty. Piggy is an example of this theme, because he was constantly mocked and excluded. Golding himself stated: “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable. 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. The officer, having interrupted a man-hunt, prepares to take the children off the island in a cruiser which will presently be hunting its enemy in the same implacable way. And who will rescue the adult and his cruiser?”

Quotes

"We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything." -chapter 2

"There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws." -chapter 9

"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." -chapter 12

Works Cited

Liukkonen, Petri. "William Golding." 28 Dec. 2008

<http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/wgolding.htm>.

Lord of the Flies book cover. Bookrags.com. 28 Dec. 2008

<http://images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com/image/A9802/98027/300_98027.jpg>.

"Lord of the Flies book notes summary." Bookrags.com. 28 Dec. 2008.

The Lord of the Flies Game. Nobelprize.org. 2006. 28 Dec. 2008

<http://nobelprize.org/nobelweb/pressroom/images/flies.jpg>.