lord of the flies: introductory notes

1954

William Golding was born on September 19, 1911 in England.

Golding served in World War II and fought in the invasion

of Normandy on D-Day.

This experience had a profound effect on his

view of humanity and the evils of which it was

capable.

His first and greatest success as a writer came with Lord of

the Flies.

The Premise of the Novel

Set in the mid 1940’s when Europe

engulfed in war...

...a plane carrying British school boys is mistaken for a military craft

and shot down.

Only the boys survive the crash, landing on a deserted island and trying to form

a society and govern themselves.

Genres

AllegoryA story in which the various characters, objects, or events represent or symbolize larger, abstract ideas and concepts

Adventure Novela story in which an exciting

undertaking involving risk and physical danger forms the main storyline

Setting

Point of View

The story is delivered by way of an omniscient third-person narrator.

This narrator conveys the events of the novel without judgement or interference and has access to the characters’ inner thoughts—focusing primarily on Ralph, but also follows

Jack and Simon in certain episodes.

Major Characters

Ralph: the charismatic, handsome, fit, level-

headed protagonist; the elected leader who values fairness; not

without his own flaws and weaknesses.

Piggy: Ralph’s “lieutenant”; intellectual, rational,

scientific, but can be whiny.

Simon: a shy, sensitive boy; works for the good of the group; his sense of

morality is not imposed by the

group but is innate and born of a

connectedness to nature.

Jack: the novel’s antagonist; grows

increasingly savage, selfish, and power-hungry as

the novel progresses.

Roger: Jack’s sadistic “lieutenant”

Samneric: Twins named Sam and Eric who are referred to as one entity. They represent the general masses of people. They are basically good citizens who work for the good of the whole community, but can fall victim to the manipulations and coercion of the wicked.

Thematic Concerns explored by the novel:

Human Nature

Civilization vs. Savagery

Loss of Innocence

The novel is rife with symbolism.

The Conch

a symbol of order and civility

Piggy’s Glassesa symbol of intellect, science, and rational thought

Fire Signal

a measure of the boys’ connection to civility

The Beast

the darkness, savagery, and evil that exists within each human heart

Lord of the Fliesa man-made Satan-like figure who allows us to surrender to the evil within

Biblical Imagery

While the novel does not directly parallel any specific tale

or portion of the Bible, the novel is rife with biblical imagery.

The Edenic Paradise Island

The Snake-Like Creeper-Thing

Beastie

Naked and Unashamed

The Christ-like Simon

The Meaning of the Title

Beel’zebub, a Biblical nickname for Satan, is the Hebrew for “Lord of the flies”

Some quotes by William Golding about

writing the book:

“It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write after the war when

everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that

every single one of us could be Nazis.”

“The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of

society back to the defects of human nature.”

fin.