Lord Of The Flies

(Full Length Movie) [1 hour 30 mins]

(Spark Notes) [10 mins]
https://meet.google.com/qjc-vwom-bnp
Nov 1st:
Chapter 1:

Analysis

Questions:
1. Why does Jack think he should be the chief?
2. Why did the boy's plane crash?
3. What gives the conch value?
4. What is the meaning of the title: the sound of the shell?
5. What happened to the pilot?

Summary of chapter 1:
The chapter starts with Ralph meeting Piggy. The conversation they have with each other
provides a brief explanation of their situation. A group of school boys were probably being
evacuated by a plane due to a nuclear war. The plane crashes into an unknown island, leaving
the boys without the supervision of the adults. At the beginning Ralph is rather pleased with the
idea of being in a desert island with no grownups pleasant, Piggy on the other hand is quite
distressed. The two explore their way through the island, get out of the jungle and move towards
the beach. Piggy asks Ralph for his name, but Ralph seems to be less interested and does ask
for his name in return. Piggy explains that he does not mind what other boys call him so long as
it’s not “Piggy”.
Ralph explores a platform of Pink granite near the beach. Ralph notices a conch laying among
the weed, which piggy exclaims to be of great value. Ralph uses the conch to call the other boys
to hold a meeting. Soon the rest of the boys start making their way to the beach. Piggy starts to
gather the boys' names as Ralph is busy blowing the conch. The last ones to arrive are the
choirboys and Jack, their leader. The choirboys are still wearing their long cloaks and uniforms.
Upon their assembly, the boys decide to vote for a chief, choosing Ralph over Jack. Ralph
suggests that the choirboys remain as hunters upon Jack’s Decision as their leader. Ralph calls
Piggy with his nickname, making Piggy feel embarrassed.
Ralph decides to explore the island with Jack and Simon, from the choir. Leaving piggy behind.
Piggy is quite hurt to be left alone and complains to Ralph about it, Ralph assigns him the task
to collect all of the names. And hurries after Jack and simon.
The three set off. They verify that they are the only ones on the island. On their journey back,
they spot a piglet, which Jack tries to hunt, He pulls out his knife but fails and the piglet runs
away. The chapter ends with Jack swearing to show no mercy and vowing to get the piglet next
time.
Stylistic Devices-
1. Personification- The book mentions the island as a ‘scar’ in the earth and applies human characteristics to
the island. This foreshadows how the boys will eventually hurt the island. Examples: (On page 5, the palm
trees “stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers were a hundred feet up in the
air” (Golding 5).)
1. Archaism- The book features several uses of archaism, such as ‘we was’ and ‘we shan’t’. This highlights the
fact that although Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel, it isn’t set in the future, rather in an earlier
timeline predicted in the book.
2. Anaphora- The repetition of ‘the fair boy’ and ‘the fat boy’. Before the main characters’ names are given,
they are described as mentioned above, and this is constantly repeated. The repetition of this also allows
readers to assume that they are the ‘good ones’. (Ralph= fair boy)
3. Metaphor- “The beach between the palm terrace and the water was a thin stick, endless apparently…”
(Golding 5), “Clouds of birds rose from the treetops, and something squealed and ran in the undergrowth”
(Golding 15). Metaphors are used in the book to describe the island, and what the boys thought of this
unfamiliar setting. By comparing the island to another thing, the author adds more depth to this ‘scar’,
and how the boys will survive on it.

How is it connected to society?

● The boys choosing a chief for their temporary gathering is connected to how countries/cities/tribes
choose a leader to represent them.
● The significance of teamwork- the boys immediately establish a set of rules and organize themselves in a
way that will guarantee their safety and survival (Hunters, fire, etc)
● A democracy- the boys vote for a chief, and are given the right to speak whenever they hold the conch
(this applies to every boy in the island, even to Ralph)
● The conch symbolizes the democracy created by the boys, giving them the right to speak
● The expectations of a leader- someone like Ralph and not Jack
Nov 2nd:
First 40 pages

Analysis

Questions

Stylistic Devices:

1. The continuous use of personification- adds human characteristics to the island, and
nature is constantly described as having human-like movements. Through
personification, we are able to see the continued foreshadowing of how the boys will
eventually hurt the island, and nature itself.

Ex: “Every point of the mountain held up trees- flowers and trees. Now the forest
stirred, roared, flailed” (Golding 33)
2. Metaphors- This makes the book more descriptive and enables the reader to clearly
visualize the scene taking place
Ex: “Life became a race with the fire and the boys scattered through the upper forest”
(Golding 51)
3. Symbols: Main example would be the conch, which symbolizes the democracy created
by the boys (anyone who holds the conch has the right to speak) The beast symbolizes
control and madness a way to manipulate the ‘littleuns’
4. Alliteration- This makes the book more descriptive and poetic (Ex: ‘Piggy perished’)

Dystopian Characteristics:

● Timeline is unclear
● Foreshadows a dictator
● Natural world is slowly destroyed
● Living conditions will slowly turn dehumanizing

How is it connected to society?

Relevant Images/Drawings:
Nov 4th:
Interview

INTERVIEWER: What clues do you put in the first 30 pages that the novel is set in a dystopian
world?

INTERVIEWER: How would you describe the main character that appears in the first 30 pages?

INTERVIEWER: Could you describe one of the secondary or minor characters of the first 30
pages, and explain what their role is?

INTERVIEWER: Which episode from the first 30 pages do you think is most exciting or engaging
for the reader? Why?

● Set in the 60s-80s

● Difference between Ralph and jack
● Piggy is very dependent on others
● Archaism in the novel

November 8th:
Lets discuss the questions independently

November 11th:
● First two chapters summary

So far, the boys on the island (including Ralph, Piggy, Jack, the choir, and littluns), have
established a set of rules to live as a group. Anyone who holds the conch has the right to speak,
and Ralph is appointed as chief while Jack and his choir are appointed as the hunters. The
hunters also volunteer to light the fire, and for the first attempt they use Piggy’s specs. Ralph,
Jack, and Simon form a trio to explore the island, and they discover that the island is filled with
animals (such as piglets). Meanwhile, one of the littluns informs Ralph about the ‘beastie’ in the
woods, which the older boys believe to be an imaginary creature.

November 22nd:
● What is their role in the novel (hero? Heroine? Villain? Secondary character? Friend of the hero etc?).
● What do they look like (how are they described physically? Find any information you can regarding their
physical appearance - face, body, age, clothes, the way they walk, talk etc).
● What is their character/personality like (are they brave, confident, cowardly, quiet, aggressive, friendly
etc? Give examples).
● Anything extra about them that you found interesting and want to discuss.

Quotes for Ralph

“Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can be—what do you want them to be?”

After Ralph is democratically elected as chief of the island in Chapter 1, he allows Jack to
maintain control over his choir. While Ralph’s gesture is friendly, his generosity ultimately
backfires when Jack, hungry for power, decides to take his hunters and start his own savage
tribe in the second half of the novel.

“​​None of the boys could have found a good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown
was traceable to Piggy while the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about
Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and at- tractive appearance; and most
obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” page 28 on the book.

“There aren’t any grownups. We shall have to look after ourselves.” Ralph on page 44 of the
Digital copy of the book.

“We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out
there… and if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought
to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting. The same up here as down there.”

In Chapter 2, Ralph tries to create an orderly civilization among the boys by prioritizing the signal
fire and establishing rules about meetings and communication. Throughout the novel, Ralph
insists on the need for an organized system of government, as symbolized by the conch. Ralph
also prioritizes the need for maintaining the fire over the need for hunting, which leads to his
eventual clash with Jack.

Description of Ralph: “He was old enough, twelve years and a few months, to have lost the
prominent tummy of childhood and not yet old enough to have made him awkward.” (Page 11)
“You could see now that he might make a boxer, but there was a mildness about his mouth and
eyes that proclaimed no devil.” (Page 11)

“Don’t you want to be rescued? All you can talk about is pig, pig, pig!”

In Chapter 4, Ralph angrily realizes that Jack and his hunters let the signal fire burn out while
hunting a pig. As he believes the signal fire is their only legitimate means of rescue from the
island, Ralph becomes furious with Jack’s short-sighted obsession with hunting and killing a pig
rather than focusing on getting rescued.

Quotes for piggy

“I got the conch! Just you listen! The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there
by the beach. It wasn’t half cold down there in the night. But the first time Ralph says ‘fire’ you
goes howling and screaming up this here mountain. Like a pack of kids!” (Page 62)

“How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper?” (Page 62)

This is ironic because when the boys start to behave like adults, they turn into savages and
develop a desire to kill. This part shows that when the boys first arrived on the island, many still
had a sense of innocence inside them (such as being excited about the fire).

Piggy is the logical one of the group, and is often treated as an outsider. The hunters (especially
Jack) outwardly show their dislike towards Piggy, and disrespects him even when he has the
conch.

Quotes for Jack

“He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would
be no mercy. He looked around fiercely, daring them to contradict.” (Page 42)

Jack shows his violent nature frequently in the first 50 pages, not just physically but verbally as
well. Physical violence- swearing not to miss the pig next time (hunting)

Verbal violence- Bullying Piggy due to his appearance and speaking to him as if he is inferior
than him (Jack)
​Symbols in Lord of the Flies (adapted from www.sparknotes.com)

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colours used to represent abstract ideas or
concepts.
The Conch Shell
Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach at the start of the novel and use it to
summon the boys together after the crash separates them. Used in this capacity, the conch
shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel. The shell effectively
governs the boys’ meetings, for the boy who holds the shell holds the right to speak. In this
regard, the shell is more than a symbol—it is an actual vessel of political legitimacy and
democratic power. As the island civilization erodes and the boys descend into savagery, the
conch shell loses its power and influence among them. Ralph clutches the shell desperately
when he talks about his role in murdering Simon. Later, the other boys ignore Ralph and
throw stones at him when he attempts to blow the conch in Jack’s camp. The boulder that
Roger rolls onto Piggy also crushes the conch shell, signifying the demise of the civilized
instinct among almost all the boys on the island.

Piggy’s Glasses
Piggy is the most intelligent, rational boy in the group, and his glasses represent the power
of science and intellectual endeavour in society. This symbolic significance is clear from the
start of the novel, when the boys use the lenses from Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight
and start a fire. When Jack’s hunters raid Ralph’s camp and steal the glasses, the savages
effectively take the power to make fire, leaving Ralph’s group helpless.

The Signal Fire

The signal fire burns on the mountain, and later on the beach, to attract the notice of
passing ships that might be able to rescue the boys. As a result, the signal fire becomes a
barometer of the boys’ connection to civilization. In the early parts of the novel, the fact
that the boys maintain the fire is a sign that they want to be rescued and return to society.
When the fire burns low or goes out, we realize that the boys have lost sight of their desire
to be rescued and have accepted their savage lives on the island. The signal fire thus
functions as a kind of measurement of the strength of the civilized instinct remaining on the
island. Ironically, at the end of the novel, a fire finally summons a ship to the island, but not
the signal fire. Instead, it is the fire of savagery—the forest fire Jack’s gang starts as part of
his quest to hunt and kill Ralph.

The Beast
The imaginary beast that frightens all the boys stands for the primal instinct of savagery
that exists within all human beings. The boys are afraid of the beast, but only Simon
reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. As the
boys grow more savage, their belief in the beast grows stronger. By the end of the novel, the
boys are leaving it sacrifices and treating it as a totemic god. The boys’ behaviour is what
brings the beast into existence, so the more savagely the boys act, the more real the beast
seems to become.

The Lord Of The Flies

The Lord of the Flies is the bloody, severed sow’s head that Jack impales on a stake in the
forest glade as an offering to the beast. This complicated symbol becomes the most
important image in the novel when Simon confronts the sow’s head in the glade and it
seems to speak to him, telling him that evil lies within every human heart and promising to
have some “fun” with him. (This “fun” foreshadows Simon’s death in the following
chapter.) In this way, the Lord of the Flies becomes both a physical manifestation of the
beast, a symbol of the power of evil, and a kind of Satan figure who evokes the beast within
each human being. Looking at the novel in the context of biblical parallels, the Lord of the
Flies recalls the devil, just as Simon recalls Jesus. In fact, the name “Lord of the Flies” is a
literal translation of the name of the biblical name Beelzebub, a powerful demon in hell
sometimes thought to be the devil himself.

Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, And Roger

Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel, and many of its characters signify important ideas
or themes. Ralph represents order, leadership, and civilization. Piggy represents the
scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization. Jack represents unbridled savagery and
the desire for power. Simon represents natural human goodness. Roger represents brutality
and bloodlust at their most extreme. To the extent that the boys’ society resembles a
political state, the littluns might be seen as the common people, while the older boys
represent the ruling classes and political leaders. The relationships that develop between
the older boys and the younger ones emphasize the older boys’ connection to either the
civilized or the savage instinct: civilized boys like Ralph and Simon use their power to
protect the younger boys and advance the good of the group; savage boys like Jack and
Roger use their power to gratify their own desires, treating the littler boys as objects for
their own amusement.
November 25th

Summary: What we’ve read so far

The boys are now settled in the island, and Ralph assigns them to tasks such as keeping the fire alive and
building shelters. However, many of the boys are more interested in having fun, and begin to participate
less in building the society. While Ralph’s main priority is to keep the fire alive (so that it can signal a
passing ship), Jack is more interested in hunting. This is where conflict starts to arise from the two boys.
(We are able to see what each boy’s main concern is, and the difference between the two.)

Ralph- More logical and tries to survive in the island (by keeping the fire alive)
Jack- More savage and tries to survive in the island by hunting

December 2nd

Ideas for creative writing:

1. Jack’s savageness in other parts of the novel

2. The other boys’ reaction to landing on the island (or from the pilot’s point of view)
3. Piggy moments before his death
4. The boys dancing and singing after the fire
5. Jack terrorizing the littluns
6. More detail on Jack’s tribe (this will show more of Roger’s ruthlessness and the importance of his
stick)
7. Samneric after they warned Ralph to run away (nearly at the end of the book)
8. More scenes of the littluns and hunters (not helping Ralph and Simon build the huts and shelters,
the gradual separation of the groups)
9. The naval officer’s reaction to arriving at the island and meeting the boys
10. Flashbacks of the characters
11. The boy who told Ralph about the beastie and disappeared

December 16th

Last day of reading, watch the original black-and-white version

200 word (maybe 300?) summary of the book:

Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel written by William Golding. A group of English boys crash
land on a deserted island, with the central characters being Ralph, the fair-haired leader, Piggy,
the intellectual friend and Jack, the red-haired and freckled antagonist. After the rest of the boys
arrive on the island, including the littluns, twins Samneric, and the mysterious Simon, they
choose Ralph to lead the group. They establish a set of rules to live by on the island, such as
having the right to speak when holding the conch. As time goes by, many of the boys develop
paranoias of an unknown beast, begin to show less enthusiasm for keeping the fire alive, and
prioritize the prospect of hunting on the island. The conflicting beliefs of Ralph and Jack results
in Jack leading his own tribe to the other side of the island. Jack’s group of boys demonstrate
their savagery by killing Simon when he notes that the ‘beast’ that seemingly exists on the
island is inside every one of them, and later on Roger, another member of Jack’s tribe, kills
Piggy by making a boulder fall on him. As the group of boys lose their innocence with the death
of Piggy, they plot for Ralph's death.
The story ends when an English naval officer rescues Ralph and the rest of the boys, when he
notices the fire on the island which was lit up to burn Ralph alive.

Important quotes from lord of the flies

Jack:
"I ought to be chief... because I'm captain, chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp."

- Jack, page 28.

"I agree with Ralph. We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're
English, and the English are best at everything. So we've got to do the right things."

- Jack, page 58.

This nationalistic comment reveals that Jack views the English as a superior race and depicts
his attempt to control the boys. The mention of the English in this way aims to make the descent
into savagery a lot more impactful.

"His specs - use them as burning glasses!"

- Jack, page 159.

Jack snatches Piggy's glasses here and uses them to start a fire. His action foreshadows the
role that Piggy's glasses will play in the development of the plot and brings his dominance to
light.
"We're strong - we hunt! If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down! We'll close in and beat and beat
and beat - !"

- Jack, page 99.

Jack makes clear with this statement that he is tough and is capable of hunting down the beast.
Drawing attention to his strength, he establishes himself as a better provider and protector when
compared to Ralph.

"No! How could we - kill - it?"

- Jack, page 160.

"The mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and
self-consciousness."

- William Golding, page 63.

"Ralph is like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief."

- Jack, page 115.

Jack believes that a chief needs to be strong and doesn't see intelligence as being compatible
with strength. Because both Ralph and Piggy are logical and reason clearly, he doesn't consider
Ralph to be fit to be chief.

"...fear can't hurt you any more than a dream. There aren't any beasts to be afraid of on this
island... Serve you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies!"

- Jack, page 75.

"We don't want you... three's enough."

- Jack, page 24.

This sets the tone for Jack's treatment of Piggy and hints at a more sinister treatment in store, if
Piggy ever tries to argue with Jack.

Ralph:
"Don't you want to be rescued? All you can talk about is pig, pig, pig!"

- Ralph, page 61.

This is said by Ralph in response to an argument with Jack where Ralph is more concerned
about their security and safety while Jack seems to be more concerned about hunting pigs.
Ralph wants help with starting a signal fire so that they have better chances of being rescued.

"We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that's a meeting. The same up here as
down there."

- Ralph, chapter two.

This quote shows Ralph's attempt at prioritizing a signal fire and the need for proper rules
governing communication and meetings. The conch symbolizes the need for organization in
their world.

"That was Simon... that was murder."

- Ralph, chapter 10.

Ralph is the only one to acknowledge the brutality of the act they've committed. He realizes that
it was no imaginary beast they attacked, but instead, one of their own - Simon. His
acknowledgment is a return to reality.

"The fire's the most important thing. Without the fire, we can't be rescued. I'd like to put on war
paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning. The fire's the most important thing on
the island, because, because - "

“Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can be—what do you want them to be?”

- Ralph, page 145.

This quote shows that Ralph has returned to his earlier civilized nature, where his utmost
concern is to keep the fire alive so that they may be rescued. The fire here represents the hope
in society.

"I'm frightened of us. I want to go home. Oh, God. I want to go home."

- Ralph, page 140.

After the murder of Simon, the other boys seem determined to deny the reality of what
happened, but Ralph is scarred for life. He knows it was no accident and can't come to terms
with the person he has become.
 "And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the
end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise
friend called Piggy."

- William Golding, chapter 12.

This quote is found towards the end of the novel when the boys are rescued by a naval officer.
Although Ralph is thankful that he is safe, he has learned something that has changed him for
life. He is no longer innocent and he becomes aware of the savagery within all humans.

Piggy:
"Didn't you hear what the pilot said? About the atom bomb? They're all dead."

- Piggy, chapter one.

The novel is structured directly against the backdrop of an atomic bomb to tie it to various
geopolitical issues. This subtly predicts how future societies will appear after war.

"What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What's grownups going to think?"

- Piggy, chapter five.

This quote shows Piggy's innocence. Piggy says this as the sane voice among the children
when he realizes that the others are descending into savagery. He wants Ralph to assert his
authority as a leader without forgetting that he has a responsibility towards the children. This
quote is meant to be a reminder of society's rules and laws.

"I'm scared of him... and that's why I know him. If you're scared of someone you hate him but
you can't stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he's all right really, an' then when you see
him again; it's like asthma an' you can't breathe..."

- Piggy, page 93.

While the boys may be afraid of the beast, in reality, there is no beas. The real danger of the
beastly nature in within the boys and that is what is terrifying.

Simon:

"As if it wasn't a good island... As if... the beastie, the beastie or the snake-thing, was real.
Remember?"

- Simon, chapter three.

Simon believes that the boys' fear of the island is legitimate but they should not really fear the
beastie, what they should fear instead is the darkness that exists within each of them.

"Maybe there is a beast. Maybe it's only us."

- Simon, chapter five.

Simon doesn't believe in the existence of the beast. He indicates that the real beast is the evil
residing within all of us. He senses that they will become their worst enemies early on in the
novel.

"You'll get back all right. I think so, anyway."

- Simon, chapter seven.

Simon tells Ralph that he will eventually get home. The use of "you" here is reassuring for Ralph
but it suggests that Simon isn't certain about leaving the island alive.

The conch, described by golding:

Author William Golding uses the symbol of a conch to represent a democratically engaged,
civilized society. In this section, we'll take you through all the iconic 'Lord Of The Flies' quotes
about the conch.

"Ralph took the conch from where it lay on the polished seat and held it to his lips; but then he
hesitated and did not blow. He held the shell up instead and showed it to them and they
understood."

- William Golding, chapter six.

The symbolic conch has come to represent law and order. Ralph no longer has to blow it to call
for a meeting to discuss the beast, he merely holds it up.

"The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand
white fragments and ceased to exist."

- William Golding, chapter 11.

With Piggy's murder, the conch that he was holding drops and shatters. This symbolizes the end
of democracy and the loss of order and rules.

Beastie quotes:
The beast, an imaginary creature, has been used to symbolize a primal savagery instinct that's
presented as inherently found within all men in the book. In this section, we'll share the most
memorable quotes about the beast in 'Lord Of The Flies'. These 'Lord Of The Flies' quotes
about the beast are nothing short of legendary in literary spheres.

"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!"

- Jack's tribe, Piggy, and Ralph, page 168.

Completely overcome by their savagery, the hunters fail to recognize Simon and consider him to
be the beast that they need to kill.

"As Simon thought this, he turned to the poor broken thing that sat stinking by his side. The
beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible."

- William Golding, chapter nine.

"Well then - I've been all over this island. By myself. If there were a beast I'd have seen it. Be
frightened because you're like that - but there is no beast in the forest."

- Jack, chapter five.

Jack reassures the boys that after having explored the island, he has not been able to find the
beast. This is symbolic as the real beast is the one which resides within the boys.

Pages to check out:

Pg 150:
Henry brought him a shell and he drank, watching Piggy and Ralph
over the jagged rim. Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder
and chattered in his ear like an ape.
Pg 152:
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!”

Chapter 1:
“Sucks to your ass-mar!” – Ralph to Piggy — pg 13

In color, the shell was deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink. Between the point,
worn away into a little hole, and the pink lips of the mouth lay eighteen inches of the -shell with a
slight spiral twist and covered with a delicate, embossed pattern. — pg 16
“​​None of the boys could have found a good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown
was traceable to Piggy while the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about
Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and at- tractive appearance; and most
obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” — pg 22

“This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch. Jack started to
protest but the clamor changed from the general wish for a chief to an election by acclaim of
Ralph himself.” — pg 22

Immured in these tangles, at perhaps their most difficult moment, Ralph turned with shining
eyes to the others…The cause of their pleasure was not obvious. All three were hot, dirty, and
exhausted. Ralph was badly scratched. The creepers were as thick as their thighs and left little
but tunnels for further penetration. — pg 27

Chapter 2 :
Piggy was surrounded before he could back away. “Here – let me go!” His voice rose to a shriek
of terror as Jack snatched the glasses off his face. “Mind out! Give ‘em back! I can hardly see!
You’ll break the conch!” — pg 40

“We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out
there” – he waved his arm at the taut wire of the horizon – “and if we have a signal going they’ll
come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is,
that’s a meeting. The same up here as down there.” – Ralph – pg 42

Beneath the dark canopy of leaves and smoke, the fire laid hold on the forest and began to
gnaw. Acres of black and yellow smoke rolled steadily toward the sea. At the sight of the flames
and the irresistible course of the fire, the boys broke into shrill, excited cheering. — pg 44

Chapter 3:

Jack himself shrank at this cry with a hiss of indrawn breath, and for a minute became less a
hunter than a furtive thing, ape-like among the tangle of trees. — pg 49

They walked along, two continents of experience and feeling, unable to communicate. — pg 55

For a moment his movements were almost furtive. Then he bent down and wormed his way into
the center of the mat. The creepers and the bushes were so close that he left his sweat on them
and they pulled together behind him. When he was secure in the middle he was in a little cabin
screened off from the open space by a few leaves. – pg 57

Chapter 4:
They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough
to be a link with the adult world of authority; and partly because they enjoyed the entertainment
of the assemblies. —- pg 59

In his other life, Maurice had received chastisement for filling a younger eye with sand. Now,
though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of wrongdoing.
At the back of his mind formed the uncertain outlines of an excuse. He muttered something
about a swim and broke into a trot. —- pg 60

He poked about with a bit of a stick, that itself was wave-worn and whitened and a vagrant, and
tried to control the motions of the scavengers. He made little runnels that the tide filled and tried
to crowd them with creatures. He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself
exercising control over living things. — pg 61

Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round
Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong
was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school
and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of
him and was in ruins. – pg 62

Chapter 5:

He lost himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express
them. Frowning, he tried again. This meeting must not be fun, but business. — pg 76

“Look at us! How many are we? And yet we can’t keep a fire going to make smoke. Don’t you
understand? Can’t you see we ought to – out to die before we let the fire out?” There was a
self-conscious giggling among the hunters. -- Ralph — pg 81

“Am I a hunter or am I not?”-- Jack – pg 83

“Life… is scientific, that’s what it is. In a year or two when the war’s over they’ll be traveling to
Mars and back. I know there isn’t no beast – not with claws and all that, I mean – but I know
there isn’t no fear either… Unless… Unless we get frightened of people.” – Piggy — pg 84

“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close
in and beat and beat and beat - !” – Jack– pg 91

Chapter 6:
“Conch! Conch!” shouted Jack. “We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say
things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve
got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us.” — pg 102

However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human
at once heroic and sick. — pg 103

“There’s no food here,” said Ralph, “and no shelter. Not much fresh water.” “This would make a
wizard fort.” – Ralph and Jack —- pg 108

Chapter 7:
He discovered with a little fall of the heart that these were the conditions he took as normal now
and that he did not mind. — pg 110

Robert snarled at him. Ralph entered into the play and everybody laughed. Presently they were
all jabbing at Robert who made mock rushes… The circle moved in and round. Robert squealed
in mock terror, then in real pain… The butt end of a spear fell on his back as he blundered
among them. — pg 114

By now, Ralph had no self-consciousness in public thinking but would treat the day’s decisions
as though he were playing chess. The only trouble was that he would never be a very good
chess player. —- pg 117

Chapter 8:
​The sound of the inexpertly blown conch interrupted them.-- pg 125

He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief - Jack— pg 126

He's a coward...On top (of the mountain), when Roger and me went on—he stayed back. -
Jack— pg 126

They agreed passionately out of the depths of their tormented private lives.

“This head is for the beast. It’s a gift”-- Jack—- pg 137

“And about the beast. When we kill we’ll save some of the kill for it. Then it won’t bother us,
maybe.” – Jack — pg 133

He went on among the creepers until he reached the great mat that was woven by the open
space and crawled inside. - Simon — pg 132

The head remained there, dim-eyed grinning faintly, blood blackening between the teeth. All at
once, they were running away, as fast as they could, through the forest toward the open
beach.--- pg 137
At last Simon gave up and looked back; saw the white teeth and dim eyes, the blood – and his
gaze was held by that ancient, inescapable recognition. — pg 138

'Without a smoke signal we'll die here' - Piggy

133

Chapter 9:​​

So they had shifted the camp then, away from the beast. As Simon thought this, he turned to
the poor broken thing that sat stinking by his side, the beast was harmless and horrible, and the
news must reach the others as soon as possible.

They moved a little farther off over the sand and Ralph watched the fire as he ate. He noticed,
without understanding, how the flames were visible now against the dull light. Evening was
come, not with calm beauty but with the threat of violence.

The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its
knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise
something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the
steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down
the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no
movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.

Chapter 10:
“He’s going to beat Wilfred.” “What for?” Robert shook his head doubtfully. “I don’t know. He
didn’t say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He’s been” – he giggled excitedly – “he’s
been tied up for hours, waiting – ”

The chief was sitting there, naked to the waist, his face blocked out in white and red. The tribe
lay in a semicircle before him. The newly beaten and untied Wilfred was sniffling noisily in the
background.

The chief led them trotting steadily, exulting in his achievement. He was a chief now in truth; and
he made stabbing motions with his spear. From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses.

Chapter 11:
They understood only too well the liberation into savagery that the concealing paint brought.

The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand
white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt,
traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went… Piggy fell forty feel
and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea… Then the sea breathed again in
a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back
again, the body of Piggy was gone.

Roger edged past the chief, only just avoiding pushing him with his shoulder. The yelling
ceased, and Samneric lay looking up in quiet terror. Roger advanced upon them as one wielding
a nameless authority.

Chapter 12:

“I should have thought,” said the officer as he visualized the search before him, “I should have
thought that a pack of British boys–you’re all British, aren’t you–would have been able to put up
a better show than that.”

For a moment he had a fleeting picture of the strange glamour that had once invested the
beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood–Simon was dead–and Jack had…The
tears began to flow and sobs shook him.

And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the
end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise
friend called Piggy.

Summary of the book:

The major conflict in lord of the flies is the struggle between Jack and ralph. The fight for who
will lead the island represents the clash between a peaceful democracy, as symbolized by
Ralph, and a violent dictatorship, as symbolized by Jack. Both boys are potential leaders of the
entire group, and though Jack grudgingly accepts Ralph’s leadership at first, as the plot
develops their rivalry grows and intensifies until it is a struggle to the death. Ralph and Jack
(and the boys who align themselves with each other) represent different values and different
aspects of human nature. Ralph represents respect for the law, duty, reason, and the protection
of the weak, whereas Jack represents violence, cruelty, mob rule, government through fear, and
tyranny. As we see Ralph’s hold over the other boys weaken and crumble until he is cast out
and hunted, the story seems to be showing us that humanity’s violent and savage impulses are
more powerful than civilization, which is inherently fragile. And while Ralph is rescued at the last
minute by a representative of civilization in the person of the naval officer, the fact that a global
war is taking place underlines the idea that civilization itself is under serious threat from the
forces of violence.
Set against the backdrop of global war, the book serves as a caution against the specific
consequences of nuclear armament, as well as a broader examination of human nature and the
destabilizing presence of man in the natural world. In telling its story through the experience of
young boys isolated from the rest of civilization, and making few references to the world outside
the confines of the island, the novel creates a sense of inevitability and universality to the
specific tale of a small group battling nature and each other. By making the two main characters
emblematic of two approaches to society, Golding creates a conflict that seems to lead
inexorably to the destruction of one of the characters, but is instead resolved by the surprise
introduction of the outside, ‘adult’ reality. In this way the preceding events act as allegory for the
more consequential, and far more dangerous, actions of man beyond the island.
The book opens in the immediate aftermath of the plane crash that lands the boys on the island,
so the novel’s inciting incident happens offstage. The reader first meets Ralph, who is
introduced as graceful and physically appealing, and Piggy, who is presented as Ralph’s
physical opposite. The boys discover a conch and use it to summon the rest of the survivors of
the crash, introducing us to Jack, who appears confident and is already leading a group of boys.
The boys vote for Ralph to be the group’s chief, despite the fact that “the most obvious leader
was Jack,” partly because Ralph possesses the conch. Jack reluctantly accepts Ralph’s
leadership and the two bond in exploring the island together. Jack asserts himself after the
humiliation of losing the vote for chief by slamming his knife into a tree and declaring that he will
be a hunter, establishing the boys’ primary roles: Ralph will be in charge of communication and
working to get them rescued, while Jack will be responsible for hunting for meat. Which of these
two roles is more important will be the source of escalating conflict between the two for the
remainder of the book.

The rising action of the novel takes place over the following chapters, as each boy on the island
establishes his role in the order of the newly formed society, and Jack and Ralph find
themselves increasingly at odds over what the group’s priorities should be and where they
should expend energy. Ralph insists that a signal fire must be maintained constantly in case any
ships pass the island, and believes the best use of resources is in collaborative work to watch
the fire, build shelters, and gather fruit. Jack discovers a passionate enjoyment of hunting, and
allows the signal fire to go out while killing a pig, leading to a clash with Ralph, who has seen a
ship pass while the fire was out. The younger boys on the island express growing fears about a
beast they believe comes out at night to menace them. In a scene the reader sees but none of
the boys witnesses, a paratrooper crashes onto the top of the mountain, and the boys
subsequently mistake his form for the beast, increasing their fears and making them vulnerable
to Jack’s equation of killing pigs with vanquishing their fears, as their chants change from “kill
the pig” to “kill the beast.”
After the boys kill Simon in a frenzy of fear and violent excitement, the rift between Jack and
Ralph reaches a crisis point, and the climax of the book occurs when Jack and his tribe steal
Piggy’s glasses, then kill Piggy when he comes to get them back. When Jack’s tribe steals the
glasses, Ralph and Piggy think they are coming for the conch, but at this point the conch has
lost most of its symbolic power, and Jack understands the glasses, which are necessary to start
a fire, are the real item of value. This devaluing of the conch suggests that the agreed-upon
symbols of democracy and due process no longer apply, and the fragile civilization the boys
have forged is imploding. The next day, Piggy and Ralph go to retrieve Piggy’s glasses and a
member of Jack’s tribe releases a large boulder, smashing the conch and killing Piggy. The
democracy is demolished, and Jack’s despotic monarchy is cemented. Realizing his life is in
imminent danger, Ralph flees Jack and his tribe, who have become bloodthirsty and
increasingly sadistic under his violent influence.

Up to this point the boys have maintained a fragile balance, with Jack’s willingness to enact
violence offset by Ralph’s control of the means of lighting the fire and the symbolic power
conferred by the conch. Once this balance is destroyed, and Jack controls both the means of
sustaining the fire and keeping the boys obedient to his rule, Ralph is rendered powerless.
Unlike Ralph, who expects the boys to be intrinsically motivated to work together, Jack is willing
to exert external influence on boys who disobey him, and leads by force, rather than persuasion.
Motivated by a fear of Jack’s violence as well as a mob mentality, the boys pursue Ralph across
the island, even though he poses no actual threat. Even the twins Samneric, initially
sympathetic to Ralph, give themselves over to Jack after he tortures them to reveal Ralph’s
hiding place. The boys set a fire to flush Ralph out of the jungle, which signals a passing ship.
The ship’s officer comes on shore, reintroducing civilization, and the boys realize the horrors
they have endured and perpetuated. The book ends with the island destroyed, and the boys
rescued but scarred by their glimpses into “the darkness of man’s heart.”

Indepth facts:

Narrator:
The story is told by an anonymous third-person narrator who conveys the events of the novel
without commenting on the action or intruding into the story.

Point of view:
The narrator speaks in the third person, primarily focusing on Ralph’s point of view but following
Jack and Simon in certain episodes. The narrator is omniscient and gives us access to the
characters’ inner thoughts.

Tone: ​Dark; violent; pessimistic; tragic; unsparing

Tense:
Immediate past
Setting (Time):
Around the year 1950, during a fictional worldwide war

Setting (Place):
A deserted tropical island

Protagonist:
Ralph

Major Conflict:
Free from the rules that adult society formerly imposed on them, the boys marooned on the
island struggle with the conflicting human instincts that exist within each of them—the instinct to
work toward civilization and order and the instinct to descend into savagery, violence, and
chaos.

Rising Action:
The boys assemble on the beach. In the election for leader, Ralph defeats Jack, who is furious
when he loses. As the boys explore the island, tension grows between Jack, who is interested
only in hunting, and Ralph, who believes most of the boys’ efforts should go toward building
shelters and maintaining a signal fire. When rumors surface that there is some sort of beast
living on the island, the boys grow fearful, and the group begins to divide into two camps
supporting Ralph and Jack, respectively. Ultimately, Jack forms a new tribe altogether, fully
immersing himself in the savagery of the hunt.

Climax:
Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies in the forest glade and realizes that the beast is not a
physical entity but rather something that exists within each boy on the island. When Simon tries
to approach the other boys and convey this message to them, they fall on him and kill him
savagely.

Falling Action:
Virtually all the boys on the island abandon Ralph and Piggy and descend further into savagery
and chaos. When the other boys kill Piggy and destroy the conch shell, Ralph flees from Jack’s
tribe and encounters the naval officer on the beach.

Themes:
Civilization vs. savagery; the loss of innocence; innate human evil

Motifs:
Biblical parallels; natural beauty; the bullying of the weak by the strong; the outward trappings of
savagery (face paint, spears, totems, chants)

Symbols:
The conch shell; Piggy’s glasses; the signal fire; the beast; the Lord of the Flies; Ralph, Piggy,
Jack, Simon, and Roger

Foreshadowing:
Piggy’s death is foreshadowed by his physical frailty and dependence on his glasses; fire as a
source of conflict is foreshadowed by the first fire the boys set on the island; the boys’ eventual
rescue is foreshadowed by references to civilization and Simon’s prediction.

Symbolism in LoTF

The conch- The conch represents the democracy that was first established on the island. When
Ralph first blows the conch to summon the other boys, they elect Ralph as chief and earn the
right to speak when one holds the conch. This represents the existing equality between all of the
boys, thus establishing a democracy. When the conch is shattered (due to Roger’s boulder), it
represents the end/remnants of the democracy left on the island.

The fire- The fire represents two different things: survival and savagery. Ralph’s use of fire is
meant to signal passing planes to come and rescue them. Ralph constantly voiced the idea of
lighting a fire to keep themselves warm and call out for help, and the first fire is created using
Piggy’s glasses. The first type of fire, along with the use of Piggy’s glasses, represents the
‘logical and civilized’ type of character. The second fire is created when Jack’s tribe hunts Ralph
down. The second fire elevates the level of savagery present in Jack and his tribe, symbolizing
how they have succumbed to the madness.

Piggy’s glasses- Like Piggy himself, Piggy’s glasses represent intellect, logic, and the existence
of civilization. Piggy’s glasses are first brought into prominence when the boys use them to start
their first fire; in this case, the glasses symbolize the kind of logic and intellect needed to start a
fire, which is critiqued by Piggy. Jack and his tribe stealing the glasses symbolize the loss of
civilization, as the boys no longer act civil towards each other and steal the glasses to light fires
for their feasts.

The Lord of the Flies- The Lord of the Flies symbolizes the ‘human evil’ that exists in every one
of the boys. The physical form of the LoTF is a severed pig’s head with flies surrounding it, and
Simon often ‘conducts’/hallucinates about one-on-one conversations with it. The Lord of the
Flies tells Simon that ‘it’ is the reason why things are how they are right now, and through it
Simon realizes that the beast exists in every one of them. The Lord of the Flies represents how
evil has been unleashed on the island.

The Beast- The Beast’s physical form is the dead pilot that maneuvered the crashed plane. The
dead pilot represents the violence, savagery, and bloodlust that humans have developed, as the
rest of the boys murder Simon when he tries to tell them what the real beast is. Simon brings up
the idea of how the beast is actually an aspect that exists in every human being, rather than
being something that can be physically hunted or killed.
Roger’s spear- Roger’s spear represents the savagery and brutality contained in the members
of Jack’s tribe. Roger’s spear originated from the stick that was used to kill the pig, and
symbolizes the growing savagery and brutality of the character (Roger). The spear also
represents Roger’s desire for blood and gore, similar to Jack.

The characters themselves- Ralph is directly connected to the conch. As Ralph is the one that
first blew the conch, he represents the democracy that existed when the conch’s purpose
remained intact. Piggy represents intelligence and the remaining logic left in the boys, as he is
the one who constantly brings up ideas that would ensure their survival on the island. (Ex:
sundial, use of common sense to point out what’s possible and impossible.) Jack represents the
savagery, madness, and human evil emphasized in the novel.

Some websites to check out:

https://frielingretc.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/lord-of-the-flies-study-questions.pdf
https://www.cisd.org/cms/lib6/TX01917765/Centricity/Domain/558/Study%20questions.pdf

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/ (If you scroll to the very bottom you can access essays on
LoTF)