Characters
The elected leader of the boys on the island.
Who is Ralph?
This object symbolizes order, civilization, and democratic authority.
What is the conch?
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
What is personification?
Golding suggests that when rules disappear, people become this.
What is violent, selfish, or savage?
“We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages.”
Who is Ralph?
This character represents intellect, logic, and civilization.
Who is Piggy?
These symbolize intelligence, clarity, and the power of science and reason.
What are Piggy’s glasses?
Golding frequently uses this device to create vivid sensory descriptions of the island.
What is imagery?
The boys’ fear of the beast develops this central theme.
What is fear leading to chaos or manipulation?
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.”
Who is Simon?
The leader of the hunters who becomes increasingly violent and power-hungry.
Who is Jack?
This symbolizes rescue, hope, and the boys’ connection to civilization.
What is the signal fire?
The repeated contrast between light and darkness helps develop this literary device.
What is symbolism - and motif?
The novel suggests that civilization depends on this shared human choice.
What is cooperation, morality, or respect for rules?
“The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments.”
What is imagery?
This character recognizes that the “beast” exists within the boys themselves.
Who is Simon?
The “Lord of the Flies” symbolizes this darker truth about humanity.
What is humanity’s inherent evil or inner savagery?
The phrase “the darkness of man’s heart” is an example of this device.
What is metaphor?
Simon’s death develops the idea that society often destroys this.
What is truth, innocence, or moral goodness?
“The sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh.”
What is personification?
Golding uses this character’s gradual descent into cruelty to show how power without accountability corrupts morality.
Who is Roger?
The destruction of this object marks the complete collapse of order on the island.
What is the conch?
Golding uses the island itself as a symbol of civilization slowly breaking down through this extended literary device.
What is allegory?
Golding suggests that evil is not caused by the island itself but by this.
What is human nature?
“The mask was a thing on its own.”
What is metaphor?