Book Review: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Title: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Publisher: Faber and Faber

Genre: Allegory, Social Commentary

First Publication: 1954

English language

Setting: Tropical desert island

Protagonist: Ralph

Main characters: Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, Samneric, Roger

Narrator: Third Person Omniscient

Topic: Evil, Outlets for Violence, Human Nature, Loss of Innocence, Savagery Vs Civilization

Book Summary: Lord of the Flies

In the midst of a nuclear war, a plane carrying a group of British schoolchildren crashed on a desert island. Without adult supervision, they must work together and govern themselves to survive. At first the boys civilize themselves and choose Ralph, a twelve-year-old boy, as their leader. Things start off well and the children use the shell as a talking stick.

The first day goes smoothly and they argue about the heat to be rescued and what they have to do until a boat arrives to take them home. Ralph is determined to create a smoke signal, so Samneric, a pair of twins, is assigned the duty of starting and observing a signal fire. Another group, the choirboys led by Jack, choose themselves to become hunters and provide meat for the group. Simon, an enlightened boy, and Piggy, a scientific thinker, quickly became Ralph’s advisers. In addition to these children, there are several younger children around six years old.

Jack and his group become more and more interested in killing sows. They begin to paint their faces and track the animals to hunt. All the boys start to be afraid of an imaginary beast in the jungle. His fears are further heightened when a dead man with a parachute lands on top of the mountain. The children begin to see Jack as a protector and look to him for a leader.

Then the conflict between Ralph and Jack increased. Most of the children on the island joined Jack’s tribe, except for Ralph, Piggy, Sam and Eric and a couple of the little ones. Jack and the group have become complete savages who take part in the daily hunt and tribal dance.

<

Character List: Lord of the Flies

Ralph – The main protagonist of the story, a twelve-year-old boy who was chosen as the leader of the boys. Ralph tries to maintain discipline, order, structure. He represents the civilizing instinct of the human being.

Jack – The antagonist of the novel, one of the older boys and leader of the choir. Jack becomes increasingly dark and disturbed during his stay on the island. He represents the evil that exists within all men in uncivilized situations.

Piggy – Piggy is Ralph’s right hand man. Although criticized for his weight, asthma, and lack of physical agility, he is the scientific mind and rational thinker of Ralph’s team.

Roger – An oddly secretive and sadistic older boy who thrives on preying on the younger and weaker. Roger quickly becomes Jack’s first follower and carries out Jack’s evil wishes.

Sam and Eric: Also known as “samneric”, they are twins who appear to be one person. They are followers of Ralph and enjoy their duty to keep the signal fire going.

Maurice – He is Jack’s key supporter, accompanying him on raids on Ralph’s camp.

Simon – The “enlightened” boy with a true natural sense of morality who spends a lot of time alone with nature. Simon helps and comforts the younger children in their terrible moments.

Lord of the Flies: Is the name given to the head of the sow that Jack’s gang pierces with a spear as an offering to the “beast”. The Lord of the Flies comes to symbolize the primitive instincts of power and the barbaric nature that take control of the tribe of Jack.

Littluns: the youngest children, around the age of six and up.

Book Review: Lord of the Flies

In 1954, William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, when the world was in the throes of the silent but terrifying Cold War shortly after World War II. It’s not just a story of kids surviving after their plane crashes on a desert island; is an allegorical novel about the conflicts between savagery and civilization.

The significant symbolism, which is quite easy to understand, made it one of the most popular and admired books in history. The novel presents a memorable and haunting tale of believable characters portrayed so subtly and accurately.

It is based on a series of events following a plane crash that leaves a group of school children stranded on a desert island during the Cold War. Lord of the Flies is the story of the shocking survival of those children. Every kid’s dreams have finally come true – after all, who wouldn’t want an entire island all to themselves to play on without the hassles of adults? Not long after a day or two, the children realize they needed a leader. The main character, Ralph, is chosen as the leader of the group due to his popularity and leadership skills, with Piggy as his sidekick.

All the boys make friends with each other, because there is nowhere to go. As the days go by, Jack acquires Hungarian authority. What at first seemed like a happy escape from the chaotic world of adults soon turns into something much more disturbing and sinister.

Symbols and patterns:

You’ll love the provocative, action-packed survival story in Lord of the Flies, but you’ll also learn three very important characteristics of human nature. First: the human desire for social and political order through governments, legislatures, and parliaments, represented by the conch shell and platform. Second: the natural tendency of the human being towards violence, savagery and the military need and defense of each nation, represented by the choirboys turned hunters turned murderers. And third, our beliefs in divine interventions and supernatural powers, represented by sacrifices and ceremonial dances to appease the “beast.”

Those who did not have the opportunity to read it before, should not put it on hold any longer.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *