Plot
The reason that the boys are on the island.
What is an atomic war?
This static character was innocent and helpful until his unfortunate death.
Who is Simon?
Piggy and Ralph found this object early in chapter 1, and it symbolized power and civilization.
What is the conch?
According to author William Golding, this exists in all humans, even children.
What is evil?
Read the following excerpt:
“'It’s like in a book.'
At once there was a clamor.
'Treasure Island–'
'Swallows and Amazons–'
'Coral Island–'
References to books like Coral Island is an example of this type of literary device.
What is allusion?
This is the most important thing on the island according to Ralph.
What is the signal fire?
This manipulative character is able to gain power through intimidation and ridicule.
Who is Jack Merridew?
The damage left behind where the plane crashed on the island; meant to symbolize the damage that humankind does to nature.
What is the scar?
This theme is developed through the progression of Jack's hesitation to kill a pig in chapter 1 to the boys' brutal killing of the sow in chapter 8.
Theme: Traumatic events and desperation leads to the loss of this childhood quality.
What is innocence?
Identify the literary device used in the following quote:
"At midday the sun was an angry eye."
What is a metaphor?
What is Castle Rock?
This character's actual name is never revealed; he is first described as a "voice" in the opening of the book and remains a voice of reason throughout the story.
Who is Piggy?
This symbol of technology and innovation becomes a tool on the island and a source of conflict at the end of the novel.
What are Piggy's specs?
Throughout the book, the boys discount Piggy's ideas and make fun of him.
Theme: People judge and victimize others based on this.
What is appearance?
Identify the literary device used in the following quote:
"Ralph dropped words like heavy round stones among the little groups that crouched or squatted."
What is a simile?
In chapter 8, Jack and his tribe leave this as an offering to the beast because they think it will keep the beast away from them.
What is the sow's head? (Pig head)
This charismatic character represents leadership; in exchange for his innocence, he has gained an understanding of humankind's capacity for evil, which causes him to weep at the end of the novel.
Who is Ralph?
This symbol of both hope and destruction acts as a gauge on how interested the boys are in returning to civilization.
What is fire?
When he puts on face paint, Jack is able to kill the pig.
Theme:People are able to act in ways that they normally wouldn’t when they lose or hide this.
What is their identity?
Identify the literary device used: Roger throws a stone at Henry in chapter 4 and then pushes the huge rock off the cliff that kills Piggy in chapter 11.
What is foreshadowing?
This sign that came down from the world of grown-ups in chapter 6 caused the boys a lot of confusion and fear until chapter 9, when Simon gets close enough to see what it really is.
What is the dead pilot?
This mysterious character represents sadism, bloodlust and cruelty to the extreme; he used smaller rocks at first to aim at some little'uns and then let the big boulder go which sadly ended Piggy.
Who is Roger?
This symbol represents the primal instinct of savagery that exists within all human beings and is at first a unifier of the boys and before dividing them; it is also used by Jack as a tool to maintain power.
What is the beast?
With no one to enforce acceptable behavior standards on the island, the boys go wild.
Theme: Chaos and disorder is inevitable in the absence of this.
What is law?
Identify the literary device used: the forest fire that Jack and his tribe started to hunt Ralph in chapter 12 is the reason that the Navy officer found the boys.
What is irony?