Lord of the Flies | Study Guide

William Golding

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Course Hero. "Lord of the Flies Study Guide." September 15, 2016. Accessed July 16, 2018. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Lord-of-the-Flies/.

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Course Hero, "Lord of the Flies Study Guide," September 15, 2016, accessed July 16, 2018, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Lord-of-the-Flies/.

Lord of the Flies | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

Simon, Chapter 5 aybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us. Sources: Biography.com, Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Guardian, TedEd, The Washington Post Copyright © 2016 Course Hero, Inc. When a plane crash leaves a group of British schoolboys stranded on a desert island, they celebrate in the absence of adult supervision. However, as time passes, the boys descend into evil, and those who seek civilization are hunted. The novel is a coming-of-age tale and a look into the potential darkness that lies within everyone. A Descent into Evil SYMBOLS Uncontrolled Fire Represents the chaosand evil that consumes the boys Conch Shell Used to bring the group together; represents order Pig’s Head The Lord of the Flies; embodies the evil inside each person War Paint Adopted by Jack’s followers; represents embracing violence Piggy’s Glasses Used to start the signal fire; symbolize reason An English schoolmaster and teacher, Golding wrote Lord of the Flies while on the job. He was moved by his early life and experiences in World War II to write about human depravity—a prominent theme in the novel and his other books, including The Spire. William Golding1911–93 Author RalphInitial leader of the group; strives to create a sense of civilization PiggyWise and rational but incapable of leading SimonKind and shy boy; represents goodness and religion JackLeader of a breakaway group; becomes more savage as time passes RogerViolent boy; becomes progressively more evil without adult supervision Main Characters Opposes Friend Murders Sam & EricTwins; loyal to Ralph Civilized Boys Violent Boys Lord of the Fliesby the Numbers Times Lord of the Flies was rejected by publishers ~20 Year Lord of the Flies fell out of print due to lackluster sales—one year after it was published 1955 Years Golding spent on a ship in the Royal Navy ~6 Female characters in the novel 0 Civilization vs. Savagery Themes Nature of Evil The boys' descent into evil demonstrates the human capacity for inhumanity. Loss of Innocence The boys arrive on the island as innocent schoolchildren but devolve into something sinister. Ralph and his crew represent civilization and rules; Jack and his crew dissolve into savage behavior. William Golding 1954 English Novel Author Year Published Original Language Lord of the Flies Allegory
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