Lord of the Flies by William Golding.docx

William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” (1954) is a powerful allegorical novel about a group of British schoolboys stranded on a deserted island during wartime. As they attempt to govern themselves, their society slowly breaks down, revealing the struggle between civilization and savagery. Through key characters like Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon, the story explores leadership, fear, innocence, and the darker side of human nature. Symbols such as the conch shell, Piggy’s glasses, and the “Lord of the Flies” highlight the themes of order, knowledge, and inner evil. The novel remains a classic, studied for its deep psychological and moral insights into humanity.

1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Lord of the Flies is the first novel written by British author William Golding, published in 1954.
The story is about a group of young British boys who get stranded on an empty island. They try
to run things by themselves, but their plans go wrong, and they end up becoming wild and
violent. The book talks about important ideas like right and wrong, leadership, and the fight
between being civilised and turning into chaos.
Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first book and came out in 1954. He got the idea from another
book called The Coral Island, which is a children’s adventure story. That book focused on
Christian values and showed British colonialism as a good influence. But Golding felt it didn’t
show real life, so he asked his wife, “What if I write a book about children on an island, but this
time they act like real children would?” That idea became Lord of the Flies.
About the Author – William Golding
●British writer and Nobel Prize winner.
●Born in 1911, died in 1993.
●Served in the Royal Navy during World War II — this influenced his writing.
●Believed humans have a dark side, which comes out when there’s no control or order.
●Lord of the Flies (1954) was his first and most famous novel.
Important Facts about Lord of the Flies
1.Author: William Golding
2.Year of Publication: 1954
3.Genre: Adventure, allegorical novel, dystopian fiction
4.Setting: A deserted tropical island during an unspecified war
5.Main Characters:
○Ralph (the elected leader)
○Jack (leader of the hunters)

2. ○Piggy (intelligent, glasses wearer)
○Simon (kind and spiritual boy)
○Roger (cruel boy)
6.Plot Idea: Golding was inspired by The Coral Island, a children’s adventure book, but
wanted to write a more realistic story about how children might behave without adults.
7.Themes: The novel explores themes like civilization vs savagery, loss of innocence,
human nature, fear, and leadership.
8.Symbolism: The conch shell represents order, Piggy’s glasses represent knowledge, the
“beast” symbolizes fear and inner evil, and the “Lord of the Flies” (the pig’s head)
symbolizes the darkness in human nature.
9.Meaning of Title: “Lord of the Flies” is a translation of the name Beelzebub, a name
sometimes used for the devil, showing the evil within the boys.
10.Reception: The book was praised for its deep psychological insight and is widely studied
in schools.
11.Golding’s Background: Golding served in World War II, which influenced his view of
human nature and violence.
12.Ending: The boys are rescued at the end, but they are deeply changed by their experience
on the island.
13.Awards: Golding won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983, partly because of this novel.
14.Adaptations: The novel has been adapted into movies several times, the first in 1963 and
a more famous one in 1990.
Main Characters
Character Description
Ralph Fair-haired boy; chosen as leader. Believes in rules, order, and rescue.
Jack Red-haired choirboy; becomes wild and power-hungry. Symbol of
savagery.

3. Piggy Fat, smart, wears glasses. Represents logic and reason. Gets bullied.
Simon Quiet, spiritual boy. Sees the truth about the “beast.” Gets killed.
Roger Jack’s cruel follower. Enjoys hurting others. Kills Piggy.
The LittlunsYounger boys. Represent innocence and fear.
Major Themes
Theme Simple Explanation
Civilisation vs
Savagery
The boys start with rules but become wild. Shows how society keeps
people in control.
Loss of InnocenceThe boys go from innocent schoolboys to murderers. Childhood
innocence is lost.
Power and
Leadership
Ralph leads with rules; Jack uses fear and violence. Shows different
leadership styles.
Fear Fear of the beast makes boys act crazy. Fear controls their actions.
Human Nature Golding says humans are naturally selfish and violent when there are
no rules.
Important Symbols
Symbol Meaning
The Conch Shell Order, law, and democracy. When it breaks, order ends.
Piggy’s Glasses Intelligence and the ability to see clearly. Used to make fire.
The Beast The fear inside humans — it’s not real, but it shows their inner

4. savagery.
Lord of the Flies (the pig’s
head)
Evil and darkness in human nature. A symbol of the beast
within.
The Fire Hope for rescue (when kept burning) and destruction (when
out of control).
Quick Revision Points
●Ralph = Order, Jack = Savagery.
●Simon = Spiritual truth; Piggy = Logic.
●The conch = Law; Piggy’s glasses = Science; Beast = Inner evil.
●Themes: civilisation vs savagery, fear, leadership, human nature.
●Ends with rescue — but not a happy ending. Boys realise their loss of innocence.
Summary
A plane crashes on a deserted island during a war. A group of British schoolboys survive, but no
adults are with them. They try to govern themselves and stay civilised, but slowly turn wild
and violent.
●Ralph becomes the leader and wants to build shelters and keep a signal fire for rescue.
●Jack wants power and focuses on hunting pigs for meat.
●The boys split into two groups: Ralph’s group (order) vs Jack’s group (savagery).
●As fear and chaos grow, they imagine a "beast" on the island.
●Simon, a kind boy, discovers the beast is not real — it's inside them — but he is killed
before he can tell anyone.
●Piggy (intelligent but bullied) is also killed.
●The island catches fire, and just as Jack's tribe tries to hunt Ralph down, a naval officer
arrives and rescues them.
●The boys break down crying, realising how much they’ve changed.

5. Detailed Summary of Lord of the Flies
The story begins when a group of British schoolboys survive a plane crash on a deserted tropical
island during a war. There are no adults with them, so the boys try to organise themselves. A boy
named Ralph is chosen as their leader, and he wants to create a peaceful and cooperative society.
He is supported by Piggy, a smart boy with glasses, who believes in rules and logic. Ralph’s
main goal is to keep a signal fire burning so they can be rescued.
At first, the boys enjoy the freedom. They play, explore the island, and try to build shelters.
However, Jack, the head of the choirboys, becomes obsessed with hunting pigs and gaining
power. He creates his own group of hunters and slowly pulls boys away from Ralph. As Jack’s
power grows, the boys start becoming wild and violent. The fear of a mysterious “beast” spreads
among them, and they believe that there is a dangerous creature hiding on the island.
Only Simon, a gentle and thoughtful boy, realises that the real “beast” is not an animal but the
evil inside the boys themselves. He discovers that the "beast" is just a dead parachutist caught in
the trees. But when Simon tries to tell the others, they are caught in a wild dance and mistakenly
kill him, thinking he is the beast.
As time passes, Jack’s group becomes more savage. They paint their faces, dance wildly, and
follow Jack blindly. Piggy is killed when Roger, one of Jack’s followers, pushes a large rock on
him. Ralph is left alone and hunted by the others like an animal. Just when it seems Jack’s group
will catch and kill him, a naval officer arrives on the island after seeing the smoke from the fire.
The boys are finally rescued, but they are not happy. They break down in tears, realising the
terrible things they have done and how much they have changed. The novel ends with Ralph
thinking about the loss of innocence, the darkness in people’s hearts, and the death of his friends
Simon and Piggy.