Character Symbols
This character represents order and civilization.
Who is Ralph?
This object is used to call assemblies and represents order.
What is the conch?
The island symbolizes this aspect of human nature. (Two answers!)
What is the duality of man?
What is isolation?
The novel explores the conflict between these two societal forces.
What are civilization and savagery?
✩ “The thing is - fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.” (PDF: pg 99)
General: Fear is an illusion.
Specific: The "beast" is internal.
This character symbolizes savagery and violence.
Who is Jack?
The glasses are used for this essential survival task.
What is starting a fire?
The shape of the island is said to resemble this, hinting at its symbolic meaning. (Two answers!)
What is a boat?
What is paradise?
This recurring motif represents the boys’ descent into savagery.
What are the masks?
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?” (PDF: pg 109)
That quote relates to this theme.
What is civilization versus savagery?
This boy’s death represents the loss of innocence and the power of fear.
Who is Simon?
The "beast" symbolizes this psychological concept.
What is fear or the inner savagery of humans?
The destruction of the island by fire represents this.
What is human destructiveness?
The title, Lord of the Flies, is derived from this biblical concept.
What is Beelzebub or the devil?
✩ “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” (PDF: pg 176)
The Beast is part of human nature.
The twins represent this theme, as they cannot act as individuals. (Two answers!)
What is unity?
What is loss of identity?
The "Lord of the Flies" is a symbolic representation of this.
What is the devil or inherent evil?
The forest clearing where Simon sits is referred to as this.
What is the devil's lair?
Golding was inspired by the horrors of this event in writing the novel.
What is World War II?
✩ “The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.” (PDF: pg 109)
The breakdown of civilization.
This character symbolizes intelligence.
The fire represents both the hope of rescue and this darker theme.
What is destruction or loss of control?
The "scar" on the island symbolizes this.
What is humanity’s impact on nature?
The boys’ behavior critiques this type of social structure.
What is human nature or totalitarianism?
✩ “Which is better—to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?” (PDF: pg 223)
The conflict between order and chaos.