Basic Situation: The boys were in a plane when it was shot down on accident by the Germans. The plane landed on an island, and only the boys survived. No adults made it through the crash.
Complications: At first, the boys are scattered about the island. Ralph and Piggy find a conch shell, and by blowing into it Ralph gets everyones attention, including the choir boys. The boys elect Ralph as the leader, much to Jack's dismay. The boys then survey the island, and find out it is indeed an island, and that theres a mountain and wildlife on it.
Ralph calls a meeting with everyone, and they assign jobs to the choir boys and the rest of the littluns. They also decide that the only way to get rescued was to light a fire atop the mountain. The kids run off in a haste, and get a big bonfire started atop the mountain. It doesn't make much smoke, and in their foolishness the forest lights on fire south of the mountain. Several days later, not much gets done. The hunters haven't caught anything, the shelters are bad, and everyone is busy playing.
A ship passes by, but the fire wasn't lit. When Ralph goes to investigate, he finds that Samneric left to help the hunters catch their first pig. Having lost the ship, Ralph angrily scolds Jack and orders him to rebuild the fire. That night, they hold a meeting about things not happening, and someone brings up the beasts. This get's everyone scared, and the meeting ends with Jack running off chanting with the hunters about killing the pig.
Jack comes back, and that night Samneric see a man fall down in a parachute onto the mountain. They think it's the beast. This sparks a hunt for the beast at castle rock. They don't find anything, and so Ralph, Jack, and Roger go to the mountain, where they find the parachutist and think it's the monster. They run down and tell everyone. Jack calls a meeting without Ralphs permission and tries to take leadership. When no one votes for him, he runs off into the jungle. They move the fire down to the beach, and biguns start going missing. They are with Jack, who decides to hunt another pig. The hunt is bloody and they plant the pigs head on a steak for the beast. Simon finds the head and freaks out.
Simon discovers what the beast really is and tries to hurry down to tell everyone. Meanwhile, Piggy and Ralph attend Jack's party. Ralph tries to bring everyone back, but ends up making Jack look even more powerful. It starts to rain, and the boys (including Ralph and Piggy) do a savage dance. In the heat of the rain dance, Simon stumbles in and Jack's boys brutally murder him. Later that night, they steal Piggy's glasses and use it to cook meat. Ralph Piggy and Samneric go to ask for it back, and the savages dropped a boulder on Piggy, killing him and destroying the conch. Samneric are forced to join the tribe, and Ralph is left alone.
Climax: The boys sweep the island on a manhunt for Ralph. Ralph uses the stick that the LotF was on and uses the undergrowth to defend himself. The savages try to flush him out and burn down the forest. Ralph is almost caught, and runs onto the beach.
Falling Action: A naval officer finds the boys on the island. The boys weep because they will finally be saved.
Resolution: The naval officer takes them home.
Complications: At first, the boys are scattered about the island. Ralph and Piggy find a conch shell, and by blowing into it Ralph gets everyones attention, including the choir boys. The boys elect Ralph as the leader, much to Jack's dismay. The boys then survey the island, and find out it is indeed an island, and that theres a mountain and wildlife on it.
Ralph calls a meeting with everyone, and they assign jobs to the choir boys and the rest of the littluns. They also decide that the only way to get rescued was to light a fire atop the mountain. The kids run off in a haste, and get a big bonfire started atop the mountain. It doesn't make much smoke, and in their foolishness the forest lights on fire south of the mountain. Several days later, not much gets done. The hunters haven't caught anything, the shelters are bad, and everyone is busy playing.
A ship passes by, but the fire wasn't lit. When Ralph goes to investigate, he finds that Samneric left to help the hunters catch their first pig. Having lost the ship, Ralph angrily scolds Jack and orders him to rebuild the fire. That night, they hold a meeting about things not happening, and someone brings up the beasts. This get's everyone scared, and the meeting ends with Jack running off chanting with the hunters about killing the pig.
Jack comes back, and that night Samneric see a man fall down in a parachute onto the mountain. They think it's the beast. This sparks a hunt for the beast at castle rock. They don't find anything, and so Ralph, Jack, and Roger go to the mountain, where they find the parachutist and think it's the monster. They run down and tell everyone. Jack calls a meeting without Ralphs permission and tries to take leadership. When no one votes for him, he runs off into the jungle. They move the fire down to the beach, and biguns start going missing. They are with Jack, who decides to hunt another pig. The hunt is bloody and they plant the pigs head on a steak for the beast. Simon finds the head and freaks out.
Simon discovers what the beast really is and tries to hurry down to tell everyone. Meanwhile, Piggy and Ralph attend Jack's party. Ralph tries to bring everyone back, but ends up making Jack look even more powerful. It starts to rain, and the boys (including Ralph and Piggy) do a savage dance. In the heat of the rain dance, Simon stumbles in and Jack's boys brutally murder him. Later that night, they steal Piggy's glasses and use it to cook meat. Ralph Piggy and Samneric go to ask for it back, and the savages dropped a boulder on Piggy, killing him and destroying the conch. Samneric are forced to join the tribe, and Ralph is left alone.
Climax: The boys sweep the island on a manhunt for Ralph. Ralph uses the stick that the LotF was on and uses the undergrowth to defend himself. The savages try to flush him out and burn down the forest. Ralph is almost caught, and runs onto the beach.
Falling Action: A naval officer finds the boys on the island. The boys weep because they will finally be saved.
Resolution: The naval officer takes them home.
Characterization
Sam 'n Eric: Twins, they do everything together. When they start out, they were just side characters who tended the fire together. They hunted with Jack, but when Jack splits off they stay with Ralph. They are there to show powerlessness in numbers. When they are captured in Ch11, Roger tortures them and forces them to join the tribe.
Roger: Roger started the story out as a mischievous bully, and nothing more. Jack has an aggressive nature, but he has goals and meaning. Roger is just plain aggressive. By the end, he becomes the tribes torture expert, torturing Samneric to do what he tells them. This allows him to be a large figure next to Jack. |
Ralph: Handsome boy, 13 years old. He found the conch shell with Piggy, and when he summoned the children with it he was elected as leader. Because most of the story surrounds his point of view, he is a very round and static character. He symbolizes civilization and reason among the boys. When he takes the stick that the LotF was on and used it as a spear, that symbolizes him finally giving in to his savage nature to survive. Ralph represents the Ego in the Freudian theory towards the story's characters actions. He's the bridge between the superego (Piggy) and the Id (Jack). Because he's leader, he's the one in the end who makes decisions between the superego and the id.
Jack: The leader of the choir boys. He is arrogant and wants to be leader, though cooperates with Ralph in the beginning. His main priority in the beginning was to hunt meat. He definitely represents the Id in the Freudian character theory. He wants what he wants, and will do anything to get it. He's a very round character, showing a struggle to try and stick with Ralph in the beginning but giving in to the Id by the end. Jack represents all sides of the Id, even sexual desire. The second pig they murdered was a mother, and he killed it by jumping on it and enforcing his dominance by holding it down and killing it. I believe this was the author's way of representing sexual desire in Jack, thus enforcing the Id connection even more. Piggy: Piggy is tubby, and when he talks people think he's dumb. He's very intelligent though, and represents the superego in the Freudian theory. He wants whats good, and is stubborn about what he thinks is right for the group. People won't listen to him, so he uses Ralph to get his ideas across, similar to how the Ego is the referee to the superego and the Id. Simon: Simon is quiet and small, and represents the unconscious in the Freudian theory. He has close ties to nature, but unlike Jack it is a peaceful and tranquil love for nature. When he encounters the Lord of the Flies, he comes to terms with his animalistic and savage instincts, but refuses to accept them and faints. He represents the enlightened and inward knowledge of human nature and instincts. |
SymbolsThe ConchThe conch symbolizes humanity and the adult world. Everything the boys do to be like grown ups goes back to the conch. When they hold meetings, they use the conch. When they take turns speaking, they use the conch. When Jack invites the boys to a feast, Piggy feels as though he must protect the conch, because he must protect their humanity.
Piggy's GlassesPiggy's glasses symbolize the hope of rescue. The glasses are the way the boys light the rescue fire. Without his glasses, they have no hope of rescue. When they miss their first chance at rescue, his glasses break. This symbolizes they lost their chance of rescue and may never get another.
The BeastThe beast is a symbol of fear. The boys seemed pretty relaxed on the island and having fun, it didn't really hit them that they might never get rescued. Instead of being afraid of never getting rescued, they are afraid of a savage beast on the island. It makes them alert, and puts them in survival mode. The fact that they think the beast is the parachute man drives this point even more, because its a sign from the adult world that makes them afraid, not a figment of their imagination anymore.
The Naval OfficerThis may be a bit of a stretch, but I believe the Naval Officer represents Jack as a grown adult in the civilized world, living with his savage id nature. When the naval officer shows up, Jack is busy on a savage manhunt to kill Ralph. During the same time, the naval officer is on a savage manhunt out in the ocean to kill his enemies, such as the Nazis or the Communists. I believe that theses parallels show that even a civilized officer is still consumed by the petty conflicts that the boys dealt with on the island.
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The Lord of the FliesThe Lord of the Flies represents the savage nature of humans. The sow was murdered in a savage way, and it's mutilated head gives physicality to that savage nature. When he and Simon meet, he explains to Simon that a savage beast lives within him, and that he has to come to terms with it. When Ralph uses the LotF's stick as a weapon, it symbolizes him taking control of his savage nature and using it as a weapon.
The Signal FireThe signal fire represents hope. All hope of leaving the island lays on that one fire. As hope begins to die because Jack is causing problems, so does the fire. When all of the boys abandon Ralph, all hope is lost and the fire dies out. When the boys are rescued, the whole forest is on fire, which represents their hopes finally coming true.
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The Painted Faces
The painted faces are supposed to represent the mask that the boys wear when on the island. Before Jack is painted, he is unable to kill a pig. He can't bear the thought of killing it. After he paints his face, he is reborn as something new and savage. It masks his civilized ego, and lets his savage id shine through. Not only is it a mask, but it is a gate.
Themes
Civilization vs. Savagery
This is the most important and most prevailing theme in the book. The whole struggle between Ralph and Jack portrays this theme. Ralph want's to be civilized, have rules and houses. Jack want's to be a savage, hunt meat and live free. The boys represent humans as a whole, and what people will turn to in desperate times. When Jack and Ralph argue over the signal fire or food, thats another struggle between humanity and savagery.
Loss of Innocence
This theme is represented in some of the more civilized boys, Simon especially. Simon loved nature and was a very tame person. Through the way that Jack and the hunters acted, he was already traumatized and facing the evil nature in those around him, but then he met the Lord of the Flies. The LotF causes Simon to lose his innocence and realize that he and everyone else around him has a beast inside of them.
Nature of Good and Evil From Comfort and Power
At first, none of the characters really never showed any evil side. They all were still focused on surviving. As Jack became more and more at home on the island, his focus shifted from surviving to getting leadership. When he got leadership, his priority shifted to killing Ralph. This shows us that freedom and power lead to evil. Piggy on the other hand is never free, not only is he scraping by to find food or shelter, he's constantly battling for the boy's respect. Because he has no freedom or power, Piggy never has a second thought toward evil.
Feeling of the Book
Tone
The tone is childish and naive. The author was writing from the point of view of children, and their thoughts and descriptions reflect this. For instance, he tries to avoid too gruesome details but simply states what happens, like when they murdered Simon. It's almost as if he's trying to preserve the readers innocence, but the subject makes it difficult for him, and he reflects that. When Piggy is killed, it simply states that some "stuff" came out of his head. This is a very gruesome detail, but told in a very childish way as to show the innocence in the boys.
Mood
The mood does a great job of matching the feeling of being stranded on an island. The story starts out innocent, almost whimsical. The boys play and try to hunt meat and build shelters. As time goes on, things get more distressed. Jack becomes more aggressive and people stop listening to Ralph. By the end of the book, every chapter is on edge and someone could die or snap at any moment. The final chapter of the book is constant anticipation and heart pounding terror, and it matches the final desperation one would have in that situation.
Picture Method
Chapter 1 Sound of the Shell
Chapter 2 Fire on the Mountain
Chapter 3 Huts on the Beach
Chapter 4 Painted Faces and Long Hair
Chapter 5 Beast from Water
Chapter 6 Beast from Air
Chapter 7 Shadows and Tall Trees
Chapter 8 Gift for the Darkness
Chapter 9 A View to a Death
Prediction: The non savage boys are going to start seeing Simon as a fallen leader, or a symbol for hope.
Summary: Simon wakes up in the clearing, and climbs up the mountain. At the top, he finds the parachute man. He heads down the mountain to tell everyone there is no monster. Ralph and his gang go to Jack's party. Jack and Ralph argue a little, and it starts to rain. Jack's tribe does sort of a rain dance, and the other boys join in. Simon stumbles into the middle of the dance, and the boys brutally murder him. Question: Did any of the boys hear Simon? If so, why didn't any of the relay the message? Clarify: I didn't realize Ralph and Piggy joined in on the dance. Connection: Sometimes when I'm with my friends, I can get caught up in what we're doing and forget if it's right or wrong. |