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Background
Characters
Characters
Theme
Symbols
100
The year Lord of the Flies was published
1954
100

represent the common folk, who easily follow the lead of others into savagery when there is no enforced structure in society

littluns

100

this character represents the law-abiding hard-working citizen who works for the good of the group and has faith that everything will turn out alright in the end if the proper rules are obeyed by everyone

ralph

100

the excuse that many boys use for living as hunting savages, instead of civilized English citizens; it serves as a mask that allows the boys to become someone they are not

face paint

100

represents law and order; it is what keeps the boys together, and once it is forgotten and lost the boys begin to go savage

Conch shell

200
Who wrote Lord of the Flies?
William Golding
200

they are the last to remain loyal to Ralph and they represent the tug-of-war within us to remain good

Sam and Eric

200

symbolizes the power of evil and the evilness in the boys (and in humanity); it is called what it is because it translates to Beelzebub (name of the devil in the Bible); connected with the symbol of a pig; it is a symbolic dramatization of human evil

Lord of the Flies

200

represents the boys' inner demons; they are constantly fearing this, but in reality it lives inside each of them

the beast

200

a symbol of hope; it was made because the boys had hopes of rescue, and when it kept going out, the boy's hope seemed to diminish as well; it kept Jack's choir boys/hunters in check, and when they rejected Ralph, they began to go savage.

The Signal Fire

300
William Golding was a member of the ___________ Navy
Royal Navy
300

this character represents the mystic, spiritual leader or philosopher who functions on a higher plane than the rest of society; he simply "knows" things- but is unable to communicate his knowledge to the others

Simon

300

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 which has its adventures with the older boys who become more savage as the novel goes on and Jack leads them

Littluns

300

illustrates the line of aggression which becomes more and more dominant in the course of events; thus, it is a symbol of Jack's leadership

pigs

300
Represent fear and evil
the beast/Lord of the Flies
400
Golding won a _____________ Prize in literature
Nobel Prize
400

this character stands for the intellectual who tries to solve problems with logic and reason; because he is considered to be "different" by the others, they do not listen to him

Piggy

400
A bigun who becomes one of Jack's key supporters, accompanying him on the raids on Ralph's camp.
Maurice
400

symbolizes the end of adult supervision; Simon has a special connection with this thing when he climbs the mountain to determine if this thing is still alive

the parachutist


400

they symbolize the voice of reason and logic among the boys; a symbol of intelligence and education; notice how Piggy defends these even more than the conch; Piggy uses these to find solutions to the boys' problems

piggy's specs

500
William Golding taught _________ at a school for boys.
Classical Literature
500

this character represents the destructive forces in society; ruthless and evil, he plays on the fears of the group to gain power over them; rather than help the group, he uses their fears against them

jack

500
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
500

where the plane crashed; it symbolizes destruction; time spent on the island also leaves a ____; the boys destroy themselves and others leaving internal _____.

the scar

500

symbolizes "isolation" and serves as the perfect backdrop for the frailties of human nature which eventually surface

the island