The Novel
Imagine you have found yourself alone on a desert island without the supervision of adults. At first glance, the seemingly never-ending stretch of beach appears to be a new, exciting world to explore. As the sun beats down, however, and your stomach grumbles in hunger, your fear of never being saved begins to set in. Such is the case for a group of young British school boys in the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Their plane has crashed onto an unknown island and after exploring the beach, it is evident that no adults have survived--the boys are entirely and desperately alone. The novel begins as Ralph, an adventurous spirit, stumbles upon the nervous "Piggy," so named because of his plump appearance. Together, they discover a conch shell on the shore and use it to assemble the rest of the boys on the island. It is quickly decided that Ralph will be their elected leader, to the dismay of his rival, Jack. The rest of the novel is a story of courage and adventure, disorder and democracy, and the return to savagery. By the time they are saved, the boys have lost their innocence and have changed far beyond any hope of repair.
Protagonist: Ralph: After realizing that there are no adults on the island, he attempts to maintain a sense of order and authority on the island. He brings the boys together and rallies them to build shelters and work together. He believes the smoke from the man-made fire is critical to their survival; it is the only sign of their presence on the island.
Antagonist: Jack: From the start, it is evident Jack is power-hungry and wants to possess sole authority on the island. His "choir boys" serve as his faithful followers and never stray from his orders. Unlike Ralph, Jack is more concerned with having fun on the island and hunting than creating a civilized society. To Ralph's dismay, he often distracts the boys from their work and refuses to keep the fire going. Ultimately, he breaks away from Ralph's order and forms his own savage civilization in which any hope of order and innocence is completely lost.
THEMES:
Return to Savagery: When the plane first crashes on the island the boys are not much different from when they boarded; they are young, curious, and adventerous. The morals and conventions they learned in the civilized world still play an important role in influencing the way they behave. From the beginning, they attempt to replicate the structure of their country on the island; they identify a leader and look to him for guidance. However, as time passes by, their savage instincts begin to rise to the surface and civilization fades away.
Loss of Innocence: From the time the boys arrive on the island until the island is set on fire, there is a huge change in how the boys function. There is an obvious loss of innocence from the boys who struggled to find a leader, to the boys who set the fire to kill Ralph. This malicious behavior is nothing like the innocent boys who came to the island looking for adults to guide them. The change from a need of structure to a total loss of civilization is completely corrupt.
THE AUTHOR:
William Golding (1911-1993)
Golding is the author of 12 novels, multiple plays, a few poems, and many other works of literature. Each of his novels, including Lord of the Flies, have a wide variety of subject matter that reflect the time he lived in.
Protagonist: Ralph: After realizing that there are no adults on the island, he attempts to maintain a sense of order and authority on the island. He brings the boys together and rallies them to build shelters and work together. He believes the smoke from the man-made fire is critical to their survival; it is the only sign of their presence on the island.
Antagonist: Jack: From the start, it is evident Jack is power-hungry and wants to possess sole authority on the island. His "choir boys" serve as his faithful followers and never stray from his orders. Unlike Ralph, Jack is more concerned with having fun on the island and hunting than creating a civilized society. To Ralph's dismay, he often distracts the boys from their work and refuses to keep the fire going. Ultimately, he breaks away from Ralph's order and forms his own savage civilization in which any hope of order and innocence is completely lost.
THEMES:
Return to Savagery: When the plane first crashes on the island the boys are not much different from when they boarded; they are young, curious, and adventerous. The morals and conventions they learned in the civilized world still play an important role in influencing the way they behave. From the beginning, they attempt to replicate the structure of their country on the island; they identify a leader and look to him for guidance. However, as time passes by, their savage instincts begin to rise to the surface and civilization fades away.
Loss of Innocence: From the time the boys arrive on the island until the island is set on fire, there is a huge change in how the boys function. There is an obvious loss of innocence from the boys who struggled to find a leader, to the boys who set the fire to kill Ralph. This malicious behavior is nothing like the innocent boys who came to the island looking for adults to guide them. The change from a need of structure to a total loss of civilization is completely corrupt.
THE AUTHOR:
William Golding (1911-1993)
Golding is the author of 12 novels, multiple plays, a few poems, and many other works of literature. Each of his novels, including Lord of the Flies, have a wide variety of subject matter that reflect the time he lived in.