William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" digs into the dark side of human nature. The story follows a group of boys stranded on an island, showing how quickly society can crumble when rules disappear.

The book uses symbols like the conch and Piggy's glasses to represent civilization and reason. As the boys turn savage, these symbols are destroyed, highlighting the fragile nature of order and the power of our primal instincts.

Themes and Symbols

Allegory and Symbolism

• Lord of the Flies functions as an allegory, a story in which characters, settings, and events have a deeper meaning and represent larger concepts
• The conch symbolizes order, civilization, and the rule of law
  • When the conch is destroyed, it represents the complete breakdown of civilized society on the island
• Piggy's glasses symbolize the power of science, rationality, and intellectual endeavor
  • The breaking of the glasses represents the triumph of savagery over reason
• The beast symbolizes the inherent darkness, fear, and evil that exists within all human beings
  • The boys' belief in the beast and their resulting actions illustrate how fear can lead to the breakdown of society and the emergence of savagery

Civilization vs. Savagery and Innate Evil

• The central theme of the novel is the conflict between civilization and savagery, and the inherent evil that exists within all human beings
• The boys' descent into savagery demonstrates how quickly the veneer of civilization can be stripped away, especially in the absence of societal structures and authority figures
• The novel suggests that evil is an inherent part of human nature, and that without the constraints of civilization, humans are prone to violence, cruelty, and barbarism
  • This is exemplified by Jack's increasing brutality and the murder of Simon and Piggy

Characters

Ralph and Piggy

• Ralph represents civilization, order, and democratic leadership
  • He attempts to establish rules and maintain a sense of order on the island, but ultimately fails as the boys descend into savagery
• Piggy represents intellect, reason, and the voice of civilization
  • He is an outsider due to his physical appearance and intellectual nature, and his death symbolizes the final triumph of savagery over reason

Jack and Simon

• Jack represents the inherent savagery and desire for power that exists within all humans
  • He becomes increasingly brutal and violent throughout the novel, leading the boys in their descent into barbarism
• Simon represents goodness, innocence, and insight
  • He is the only character who recognizes that the beast is not a physical entity, but rather the evil that exists within each of the boys
  • His death at the hands of the other boys represents the destruction of innocence and the triumph of savagery

Setting and Structure

The Island as a Microcosm

• The island serves as a microcosm, a small-scale representation of human society as a whole
• The boys' experiences on the island reflect the larger issues and conflicts that exist within human civilization, such as the struggle between order and chaos, reason and emotion, and good and evil
• The island's isolation from the outside world allows Golding to explore these themes in a controlled setting, where the boys' actions and decisions have immediate and profound consequences

Narrative Structure in Lord of the Flies

• The novel is divided into twelve chapters, each focusing on a specific event or development in the boys' time on the island
• Golding uses a third-person omniscient narrator, allowing the reader to access the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters
  • This narrative choice enables Golding to explore the psychological and emotional states of the boys as they navigate their new environment and the challenges it presents
• The novel's structure follows a steady progression from order to chaos, mirroring the boys' descent from civilization into savagery
  • The early chapters establish the boys' attempts to create a structured society, while the later chapters depict the rapid disintegration of this order and the horrifying consequences that follow