Background
The novel’s protagonist, this twelve-year-old English boy is elected leader of the group of boys marooned on the island and represents human beings’ civilizing instinct, as opposed to the savage instinct that Jack embodies.
Ralph
A pair of twins closely allied with Ralph, these two are always together, and the other boys often treat them as a single entity, calling them by this name. At the end of the novel, they fall victim to Jack’s manipulation and coercion.
SamandEric
What makes the boys revert to an inferior state of life?
Savagery and fear
Represents authority, power, and order
Conch shell
The novel’s antagonist, _____ becomes the leader of the hunters but longs for total power and becomes increasingly wild, barbaric, and cruel as the novel progresses.
Jack
The name given to the sow’s head that Jack’s gang impales on a stake and erects in the forest as an offering to the “beast.” It comes to symbolize the primordial instincts of power and cruelty that take control of Jack’s tribe.
Lord of the Flies
The novel suggests the the defects of society can be traced back to the defects of what?
Human nature
Represents hope and salvation, but also destruction
Fire
A shy, sensitive boy in the group, who, in some ways is the only naturally “good” character on the island; he behaves kindly toward the younger boys and is willing to work for the good of their community. Moreover, because his motivation is rooted in his deep feeling of connectedness to nature, he is the only character whose sense of morality does not seem to have been imposed on by society.
Simon
The younger boys who are among those marooned on the island. They are in the younger ages, about 6 and below. They have not yet transitioned into the older group of older boys who become more savage as the novel goes on.
Littluns
How does Jack control the other boys?
through fear and manipulation
Represent fear and evil
the beast / Lord of the Flies
Ralph’s “lieutenant.” A whiny, intellectual boy, his inventiveness frequently leads to innovation, such as the makeshift sundial that the boys use to tell time; he represents the scientific, rational side of civilization.
Piggy
A bigun who becomes one of Jack's key supporters, accompanying him on the raids on Ralph's camp.
Maurice
According to the novel, what is man's natural state?
Cruel and savage-- animalistic
Represent reason and science
Piggy's glasses
Jack’s “lieutenant.” A sadistic, cruel older boy who brutalizes the littluns and eventually murders Piggy by rolling a boulder onto him.
Roger
A littlun who has a nervous breakdown and is often picked on by the other littluns. He introduces the idea that the beast might arrive from the sea.
Percival
What does Golding constantly compare the boys to and why?
animals--to illustrate their savage/animalistic nature
Represents the garden of Eden
The island