Lord of the Flies Background, Quotes, Symbols

in LOTF, the fallen or the debased aspects of man and his intense sufferings are

interlinked

the island symbolizes

isolation from society, independency, loss of society and civilization, having to create own culture

where did Simon's dead body go?

it was washed out to sea

the boys use masks to cover their identities, and this allows them to

kill and later murder

jack symbolizes the

know it all, savage, his choir is his army, desire for power, instills fear in others, has to have a mask to fulfill his hunting desire

Golding's novels reflect a deep interest in

mankind

often times Prometheus is presented as the creator of

mankind

piggy symbolizes

meant to be Prometheus (Greek myth) science and intellect, rescue, kids that are bullied, hopeful of rescue, rational, Superego complex

LOTF deals with the

moral ambiguity and fragility of civilization

Simon's allegory is

natural human goodness (Jesus Christ)

Golding does not practiced

one distinct religion

Ralph's allegory is

order, leadership, and civilization

by placing the boys on an island where the primary goal is survival, Golding investigates the

primal factors involved in creating society

who prayed that the beast would prefer littluns?

ralph

in Golding's world, there is no perfect

redemption

Golding concerned himself with the philosophy of all

religions of the world

Golding was one of the most

religious novelists of the age

without civilization, humans can

revert to a more primitive part of their nature

ritual of the hunt allows the boys to

revert to their primitive selves

huts represent

safety, simon building them like Jesus

Jack's allegory is

savagery and the desire for power

Piggy's allegory is

scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization

the characters in general represent

society/human nature

piggy's glasses symbolize

somthing used to make a fire, represents science and logic, he wipes them off when he's nervous, cauos ensues when glasses break

the fire symbolizes

source of hope and destruction, teamwork, burns high = connection to civilization, burns low = become savages, rescue

Golding was often called a

spiritual cosmologist

while piggy tries to introduce reason to his savage companions in the end, he embraces a

terrible fate (death)

the boys in LOTF believe in the right of domination ("it belongs to us") due to

the English history of conquering lands in Africa and India and attempting to impose their culture on the people and lands

when the author discuss how the boys are English and therefore entitled, he is making commentary on

the English tendency to dominate and be pretentious

Jack and the Choir Boys are like an army as they march military style and are dressed in all black. This could be foreshadowing

the Nazis

Ralph and Piggy remain together for

the entire novel and first appear together

ralph symbolizes

the leader, someone looking for adventure, wants to have fun on the island, order and reason, rational, leadership, ego complex

one of the deepest meanings of the story is the recognition that no real beast exists, that there is only

the power of fear

the older boys' allegory is

the ruling class and political leaders

the conch symbolizes

the sound of unity, authority

darkness represents

the unknown, fear of the unknown

civilization separates man from the animals by teaching him to

think and make choices

the point of view is

third person omniscient

the beast symbolizes

unknown, inner evil of all men, LOTF, world and its evil, irrational fear, thought it was a snake, a sea creature, then Simon, the beast is within us

Pigs symbolize the

vessel that contains man's savage desires

the beach symbolizes

where rescuing/assembly occurs, safety/unity, where they build huts

the island and the boys represent

world and war

"And the conch doesn't count at this end of the island"

~Jack

"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."

~Jack

"Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!..."

~LOTF to Simon alone in the woods

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

~Piggy

"You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!"

~Ralph to Jack after Jack stole Piggy's glasses

"What I mean is....maybe it's only us"

~Simon as he proposes that the beast is only the boys themselves, he is the first character to see the beast not as an external force but as a component of human nature

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

~ralph after simon had been killed

who discovers the parachutist for what it really is?

Simon

the climax of the novel is when

Simon encounters the LOTF in the forest and realizes that the beast is not a physical entity but rather something that exists within each boy on the island

the lord of the flie's promise to have some "fun" with Simon foreshadows

Simon's death

LOTF was published in

1954

the lord of the flies represents

Bazelbub, Satan, the devil

Golding's voice was not that of a traditional or orthodox

Christian

He combined pagan and

Christian myths

who is it that always talks about returning home to civilizations and rules

Piggy

who is the voice of sanity and reason

Piggy

who's hair never seemed to grow

Piggy

the myth of ___________ is used as a central theme in Golding's novels

Promethus

who starts to bite his nails as a habit?

Ralph

William Golding joined the

Royal Navy in 1940

two people forced to join Jack's tribe are

Sam and Eric

Bazelbub =

Satan

the LOTF represents

Satan

some say that LOTF is an allegory of

WWII

who wrote LOTF

William Golding

who rescues the boys?

a British navy officer

the only sort of thread that unites his novels is

a fundamental pessimism about humanity

what is an allegory

a story or poem that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning

Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with

age but is related to a person's understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all.

Jack leads

authoritarian power

the shape of the island represents

boat-shaped, the journey the boys will take, ironic because they want a boat to escape the island

Roger's allegory is

brutality and bloodlust

roger symbolizes

brutality, bloodlust, psychopath, the punisher, bodyguard of Castle Rock

another theme includes someone who is blind who sees more

but is not seen or recognized by those around him (often considered a fool, Piggy)

Simon represents Jesus as he functions as a

carpenter while making the huts on the beach, he works while others play

the obvious of the themes is man's need for

civilization

Golding often makes broad use of allusions to

classical literature, mythology, and Christian motifs

Golding's novels are often set in

closed communities such as islands, villages, etc

the littluns' allegory is

common people

painted faces and long hair are both used to

conceal identity/plague reality (illusion vs. reality)

the dead parachutist represents

connection to war (it is NOT the beast)

the "scar" is the

crash site of the plane, "this belongs to us" ownership, British imperialism, have impacted physically untouched island

Ralph leads

democratic power

Jack is like a

dictator as the leader of the choir

as a modern man, Golding could not afford to follow any

established religion

Golding portrays the modern man as a

faithless, God-defying utilitarian

Prometheus stole

fire from Zeus, presented it to mankind, and is not just a symbol of aspiring humanity but suffering humanity as well.

LOTF was Golding's

first novel

forest symbolizes

good and evil, the unknown, where pigs are killed, represents violence, illness, and savagery

simon symbolizes

has fainting spells, natural human goodness (Jesus)

Roger's obsession with throwing stones at littluns foreshadows

his murder of Piggy by launching a boulder down Castle Rock

castle rock symbolizes

how Jack and his tribe segregate themselves from the others, savagery takes place here, separation from society

face paint symbolizes

how Jack and his tribe transform into savages, disguise of identity, Jack can't kill the pig before he uses face paint

the mountain symbolizes

how the boys climb obstacles, hope for rescue as they build their fire

stick sharpened on both ends symbolizes

how the tribe intends to kill Ralph and stick his head on a stick like they did to the pig, irony, Ralph's fate, primitive form of execution

Golding's experience in WWII had a profound effect on his view of

humanity and the hurt it was capable of

in LOTF, nature is shown to be

indifferent to humanity's existence

the main theme of LOTF is that man is

inherently evil and needs the structure of civilization (laws and order) to command him. Even civilized nations cannot restrain themselves from savagery