Characters
Who is elected chief at the beginning of the novel?
Ralph
What object do the boys use to call meetings?
Conch Shell
What does the conch symbolize?
order, authority, and civilization
Why do the boys crash?
There is a nuclear war and their plane went down
“We’ve got to have rules and obey them.” Who says this?
Ralph
Which character represents natural goodness?
Simon
What major task do the boys neglect that leads to missing the ship and who is responsible?
Keeping the fire burning; Jack
What do Piggy’s glasses symbolize?
intelligence, technology, and the ability to make fire
What makes the mountain an important location in the story?
It’s where they keep (and lose) the signal fire and where the “beast” is mistaken.
Which character says, “Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us”?
Simon
What group does Jack lead?
Choir Boys/hunters
What happens to some of the first shelters Ralph builds?
They collapse because the boys won’t help.
What is "the beast" a symbol of?
the savagery or darkness within humans
What natural event happens during Simon’s death?
A violent storm / lightning and thunder.
“The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.” What theme does this reflect?
The breakdown of civilization
Which boy represents intellectualism?
Piggy
What leads to the frenzy that ends with Simon’s death?
The frenzy/dance
What does the fire symbolize when it’s signal fire vs. forest fire?
Rescue and hope vs. destruction/chaos.
How does the geography of the island encourage Jack’s rise to power?
The dense forest provides hiding places, hunting grounds, and territory that Jack can control, allowing him to build a tribe separate from Ralph’s beach-based civilization.
What is significant about Simon’s attempt to tell the boys the truth about the beast?
He is killed before he can reveal the truth.
Why is the character that is described as “mulberry-colored birthmark” significant to the theme of the text?
He represents the first step the children on the island take on their descent into madness
What makes the hunt for the pig in Chapter 7 more significant than earlier hunts?
Ralph joins the hunt, injures the boar, and experiences violent excitement, revealing savagery emerging even in him.
What symbolic meaning does “the Lord of the Flies” (the pig’s head) take on?
It symbolizes evil, corruption, and mankind’s inherent brutality.
Why is the forest clearing important to Simon?
It’s his place of peace/meditation and where he meets the Lord of the Flies.
Why is the “Lord of the Flies” telling Simon, “I'm part of you,” important?
Because it reveals the beast is the evil within humans, not an external monster.