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Lord of
the Flies
Revision Guide

AQA English
Literature
Text guide and
practice exam questions

For grade 9-1

GCSE English Literature
 Contents
How to Use This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About the Exam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
What’s It About?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Who’s Who . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Key Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Mini Exams. . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Exam Question . . . . . . . . 30
Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery- Sample Answer . . . . . . . . 31

Themes: Evil and Human Nature. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Key Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Mini Exams . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Exam Question. . . . . . . . . 42
Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Sample Answer . . . . . . . . 43

Themes: Innocence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Themes: Innocence - Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Themes: Innocence - Key Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Themes: Innocence - Mini Exams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Themes: Innocence - Exam Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Themes: Innocence- Sample Answer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Themes: Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Themes: Power - Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Themes: Power - Key Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Themes: Power - Mini Exams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Themes: Power - Exam Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Themes: Power- Sample Answer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Lord of the Flies

Contents
 Themes: War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Themes: War - Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Themes: War - Key Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Themes: War - Mini Exams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Themes: War - Exam Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Themes: War - Sample Answer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Themes: Religion and Spirituality. . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Key Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Mini Exams. . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Exam Question . . . . . . . . 90
Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Sample Answer. . . . . . . . 91
Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Sample Answer. . . . . . . . 93

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Lord of the Flies

Contents
 How to Use This Guide
In this revision guide, you’ll find a lot of useful information about Lord of the
Flies, so it may be a little tricky knowing where to start. Here you can find out
more about what’s included, along with some ideas for how to make the most
of it in your revision.

Summary
This section gives you a quick summary of all the events in the novel, chapter
by chapter. You need to have a solid understanding of the whole plot of the
novel for the exam, as well as understanding how the characters develop as
the story goes on. To help you test your knowledge, there are quick questions
throughout the summary section. You could work with a partner to test each
other by reading the questions and answering aloud, or you could set yourself
a quick timer (around five minutes) and write down the most detailed answer
you can.

Context
This section gives you some general context about the time in which Golding
was writing Lord of the Flies and the influences that inspired him. You’ll find
more specific contextual information under each theme section.

Who’s Who
Here, you’ll find information on each of the key characters and their role in the
novel, as well as key words you could use when describing them. If you hover
over each character’s picture, you’ll find a question to prompt you to think
about the character in greater depth.

Themes
This section covers some of the main themes that Golding explores in Lord of
the Flies. Each theme is divided into the same sections to give you a thorough
understanding of its importance in the novel.

Context
Within each theme, you’ll find information about the novel’s context (what
life was like at the time the story was written and what influenced Golding
to write it ). Try reading the information and then making your own context
poster for each theme using your own words.

Lord of the Flies 1

How to Use This Guide
 Key Quotes
These are some of the most important quotations to remember for each
theme, with an explanation of what they mean in easier language. It’s
important that you memorise key quotations as you don’t have access to
the text in the exam and you get marks for precisely referencing the text.
Try covering them up and writing them out until you can get them word-for-
word. If you are struggling to remember the whole quotation, try selecting
the most important sentence or phrase and learning that.

Mini Exams
These questions will test your understanding of the themes and push you a
little harder to think about how they impact the story. It’s important to talk
about why Golding wrote the novel the way he did and how his choices affect
the audience, and these questions will help you to think about this. You could
discuss them aloud in a pair or a small group and mind-map your responses,
or give yourself a ten minute timer to answer each one independently in
writing.

Exam Question
The exam questions are written in the same format and style as the one
you’ll answer in the real exam, so they’re perfect to use as practice. You
should set yourself a timer of 45 minutes to plan and write your response.

Sample Answers
For each exam question, there are two sample answers provided. The first one
is a ‘good’ response and the second is a ‘great’ one. Each answer is labelled
with a colour code to show you where it has met the different Assessment
Objectives and some comments are provided to show where it has been
successful and where it could be improved. Remember, the exam is about
your own personal interpretation of the novel, so these aren’t ‘right’ answers
– you may have lots of other ideas that aren’t included. They’re simply meant
to give you an idea of what an answer might look like. You could read them
in a group and discuss how they could be improved or added to.

Useful Terms
Throughout this guide, terms that you might find unfamiliar are highlighted in
gold. The definitions of these terms can be found in the Glossary, or alternatively
by hovering over the word with your cursor.

Lord of the Flies 2

How to Use This Guide
 About the Exam
As part of the GCSE English Literature exams, you’ll answer one question about Lord of the
Flies. You won’t be allowed to have a copy of the book with you in the exam, so it’s really
important that you revise thoroughly. The question will ask you to write about how Golding
presents a particular character, theme or idea from the text.

The Assessment Objectives

You get marks in the exam for meeting the Assessment Objectives (AOs). The AOs are:

AO1: Read, understand and respond to

texts. Students should be able to: AO1 means that you can show you have read
• maintain a critical style and develop and understood the text. You can give your own
personal ideas and thoughts about the novel and
an informed personal response
use quotations from the text as evidence to back
• use textual references, including up your points. The more detailed and developed
quotations, to support and illustrate your ideas are, the more marks you pick up.
interpretations.

AO2 means that you can talk about the way that
Golding wrote the story. You can analyse the
AO2: Analyse the language, form and language that Golding used and why he used it,
structure used by a writer to create and you can analyse the way that he structured
meanings and effects, using relevant the novel and why he chose to do it the way he
subject terminology where appropriate. did. You can talk about the effects that Golding’s
choices make and how the audience would
respond to them.

AO3 means that you can describe how the book’s

context affects the way it was written. You can
show that you understand what life was like at
AO3: Show understanding of the
the time the novel was written and what events
relationships between texts and the
influenced Golding to write it, and talk about how
contexts in which they were written.
this affected Golding’s writing. You can also talk
about how an audience in Golding’s time would
have reacted to the story.

AO4: Use a range of vocabulary and

AO4 means that you can write accurately -
sentence structures for clarity, purpose
there are marks available for correct spelling,
and effect, with accurate spelling and
punctuation and grammar.
punctuation.

In this revision guide, there are sample answers to GCSE-style questions. These have
been highlighted with the colour code above to show where they have met the AOs.

Lord of the Flies 3

About the Exam
 Lord of the Flies by
William Golding
What’s It About?

Lord of the Flies is the best-known work by the British author William Golding. It
tells the story of a group of schoolboys who are left stranded on an uninhabited
island and their doomed efforts to govern themselves without adults.

After a plane crash, a group of English schoolboys find themselves on a

deserted island. They attempt to organise themselves into a society, electing
the protagonist Ralph as their leader and working together to find food and
seek rescue. However, a struggle for power quickly emerges between Ralph and
his rival, Jack, who have clashing personalities and leadership styles. Tension
between the boys splits the group apart and their society soon begins to collapse
as the boys lose their grip on civilisation and descend into savagery.

Through the novel, Golding explores the themes of human nature, civilisation,
innocence, and the conflict between individual desires and the good of society.

Lord of the Flies 4

What’s It About?
 About the Author
Sir William Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911 and grew up
in Wiltshire, where his father was a schoolteacher. After reading
English at the University of Oxford, Golding followed in his dad’s
footsteps by becoming a teacher in 1938. His career
was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second
World War, during which Golding fought in the
Royal Navy.

After the war, while still a teacher, Golding

wrote his first novel, Lord of the Flies, which was
published in 1954. Although the book was a
success, Golding didn’t leave his teaching post
to devote himself to writing full-time until 1961.
He continued to write novels, plays and poetry for
the rest of his life, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature
in 1983 and receiving a knighthood in 1988. However, Lord of the
Flies remained his best-known and most successful work upon his
death in 1993.

Lord of the Flies 5

About the Author
 Context
The central plot of Lord of the Flies was inspired by a popular
adventure novel for children called The Coral Island, written by
R. M. Ballantyne in 1857. In The Coral Island, three British
boys are shipwrecked on a remote island and have
to work together to survive. It’s presented as a
fun and adventurous experience for the boys,
who live in harmony with each other while
defeating villainous pirates
and native ‘savages’.
Golding thought that The
Coral Island was unrealistic
and wanted to portray his own
vision of what would really happen
if children were stranded alone on an island. He
believed that the real danger to the children
would not come from natives or pirates but from
their own behaviour. Lord of the Flies directly
references The Coral Island several times and
Golding even borrowed the names of its main
characters, Ralph and Jack.

Lord of the Flies was first published in 1954, nine

years after the end of the Second World War. The war ended with
the destruction of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic
bombs, a brand-new type of weapon thousands of times more
powerful than anything that had existed before. It soon became
clear that any future war fought with atomic bombs would have
the potential to completely destroy human society. This terrifying
possibility inspired the dystopian setting of the novel, which takes
place during a nuclear war and considers the consequences of a
world without civilisation.

Golding himself fought in the Second World War as a sailor in the

Royal Navy and his experiences had a profound effect on him.
For Golding, the war demonstrated that humans are capable of

Lord of the Flies 6

Context
 unbelievable cruelty, savagery and evil. In Lord of the Flies, Golding
explores the idea that these traits exist in everyone and it’s only
our laws and rules that hold us back from acting on them. The
novel considers how people would behave if there were no rules
to guide them.

The world after the Second World War was split between two
sets of nations that competed for power in an era known as the
Cold War. On one side were Western countries led by the United
States, which were governed by elected democracies; on the other
side was the Soviet Union, which was an authoritarian nation.

Both sides believed that their own system of government was

superior and wanted to spread it to the rest of the world. In Lord
of the Flies, Golding examines the strengths and weaknesses of
democratic government, while also presenting a shocking vision
of a world without it.

Lord of the Flies 7

Context
 Who’s Who
Ralph
The book’s protagonist. Ralph is described as fair-haired,
athletic and charismatic. He is initially elected leader of the
boys on the island and tries to organise their attempts to survive
and get rescued. Ralph represents the ‘civilised’ aspect of
humanity - he values democracy, fairness and living by
the rules. However, he’s also naive and lacks authority.
He’s unable to control the other boys as they become
increasingly wild, and he ends up alone and hunted by
Jack’s tribe. Although Ralph is returned to civilisation at
the end of the novel, his innocence is gone forever.

Jack
The book’s antagonist. He is tall, thin and red-haired. Jack is
already a leader - he is the head of a school choir and enjoys
his commanding position. Jack loses out to Ralph for the
leadership of the whole group and instead leads his own
group of hunters, who become obsessed with violence and
killing. Jack wants power for himself and forms his own ‘tribe’
in which he has total authority. He becomes increasingly
cruel and barbaric, using fear and violence to seize
control of the island. Jack represents the ‘savage’ aspect
of humanity - he acts only out of self-interest rather than
for the good of the group.

Piggy
Ralph’s closest and most loyal friend on the island. He’s the
most intelligent and intellectual of the boys and most of
the good ideas come through him; however, he lacks the
charisma to be a leader himself, and his weight and
poor eyesight make him a target for bullying (as shown
by his cruel nickname). He has an unshakeable faith in
civilisation even after it completely breaks down on
the island. Piggy represents the rational and scientific
aspects of humanity. His brutal murder by Jack’s tribe
marks their complete rejection of civilised society.

Lord of the Flies 8

Who’s Who
 Who’s Who

Simon
A solitary and quiet outsider. Simon represents human
goodness and the spiritual and religious aspects of
humanity - he looks after the least powerful boys in
a saint-like way that draws comparisons to Jesus.
Simon shows a much deeper understanding than
any of the other boys; he’s the first character to
realise that the ‘beast’ lurking on the island is
not a monster but the savagery inside the boys
themselves. This savagery is demonstrated when
Simon is mistaken for the beast and killed by the other boys.

Roger
Jack’s closest supporter. Roger represents the darkest side of
humanity: he is violent simply because he enjoys it. While Jack
uses violence as a means to gain power, Roger is sadistic
and takes pleasure in hurting and torturing others. Roger has
been constrained by the rules of civilised society for his
whole life; under Jack’s leadership, he has the opportunity
to let out all of the violent tendencies he has been holding
back. Roger finally destroys any sense of civilisation on the
island when he deliberately murders Piggy.

Sam and Eric

A pair of identical twins. Sam and Eric are so close
that they can’t be told apart and are referred to as
one individual, ‘Samneric’. They stay loyal to Ralph’s
group for most of the novel but they ultimately give
in to their fear of Jack and join his tribe, betraying
Ralph. Samneric represent the ‘followers’ in society
who take the orders of whoever is in charge
rather than acting on their own. They have good
intentions, but they are easily coerced into evil
deeds by those with more power.

Lord of the Flies 9

Who’s Who
 Who’s Who

The Littluns
The ‘little ones’, the youngest children on the island. The littluns are too
small to look after themselves and rely on the older boys (the ‘biguns’)
to take care of them. Most of them are unnamed and they are mainly
concerned with playing and finding things to eat. While the older boys could
be seen as the political leaders, the littluns represent the common people
whose lives are controlled by those in power. Under Ralph’s leadership
the littluns are protected, but under Jack’s rule they are tormented and
abused.

Lord of the Flies 10

Who’s Who
 Symbols
The Conch
The conch is a large seashell that can be blown like a horn. Ralph and Piggy
find the conch at the start of the novel and use it to call the other boys
together. The group decides that the conch will be used to call meetings
and whoever holds it will have the right to speak. The conch is therefore a
symbol of civilisation - it represents a society with rules, order, democracy
and freedom of speech.
As the boys’ society starts to collapse, we see the conch gradually lose its
power. First, Jack interrupts Piggy while he has the conch, claiming that some
people have more right to speak than others. Later, Ralph tries to use it to call
a meeting in Jack’s camp, but Jack’s tribe ignores the call and throws stones
at him. Finally, the conch itself is destroyed by the boulder that kills Piggy.
The destruction of the conch at the moment of Piggy’s death symbolises the
final destruction of any sense of order on the island.
The conch is an important symbol of civilisation because it
only holds power as long as everyone agrees to respect
it. As an object, it is fragile and easily broken. Golding
shows that, in the same way, a civilisation only works
if everyone agrees to follow its rules, and it is easily
destroyed by people who abuse their power.

Piggy’s Glasses
Piggy is the group’s intellectual and problem solver. His glasses allow
him to see clearly, symbolising the ability to think rationally and logically.
Piggy’s glasses become damaged to symbolically represent the boys
turning away from rational thinking and replacing it with fear and violence.
When Piggy loses his glasses, he becomes powerless and helpless, just like
a civilisation without intellectual thought.
Piggy’s glasses are the only piece of man-made technology that the boys
have on the island and hold the power to light the fire that the boys
rely on for rescue. As such, they symbolise the boys’ connection to the
civilised and scientific world that they have left behind. As long as Ralph’s
group has Piggy’s glasses, they have a link to this old world and
a chance to return to it. When Jack’s tribe
steals Piggy’s glasses from him, this chance
is lost; their last link to civilisation has been
broken and savagery has won.

Lord of the Flies 11

Symbols
 Symbols
The Beast
The boys live in fear of an imaginary monster known as the ‘beast’ which they
come to believe is lurking on the island. The beast symbolises the savagery and
evil that exists within humanity. The more the boys believe in the beast, the more
savage their actions become. At first, they try to hunt it and develop an enjoyment
of killing; by the end it is treated like a god and the boys leave it sacrifices and
offerings to keep it on their side.

The fear of the beast begins when a littlun has nightmares about a “snake-thing”
that lives on the island. The snake is symbolic of the serpent in the Garden of
Eden in the Bible, which is a paradise without evil until the serpent tempts Adam
and Eve to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. In the Bible, this is the origin of
all the sin and evil in humanity.
Simon alone realises that the beast exists only within the
boys themselves. When the boys believe they have seen the
beast at the top of the mountain, Simon goes to see it for
himself and finds nothing but the dead body of a pilot.
The pilot symbolises war, another aspect of human
savagery. Simon tries to bring this news to the rest of
the group, but he is mistaken for the beast himself and
killed, symbolising the triumph of the evil inside the boys
over the good.

The Fire
The boys light a fire to signal to passing ships for help. The fire symbolises the
boys’ connection to civilisation - it represents their desire to be rescued and
return home.
Jack’s hunters neglect the signal fire and allow it to go out, symbolising the
fact that they have accepted their life on the island and are losing their
desire to return to society. When Ralph and Piggy try to relight the fire on
the beach, they find it hard to start it again, symbolising the weakening
connection to civilisation and the growing savagery on the island.
When Jack’s tribe steals Piggy’s glasses so they can make fire, it is to
cook pig meat for a feast rather than to signal for rescue, symbolising
the fact that they have completely left society behind.
Fire also symbolises the loss of control on the island. While it starts
out as a symbol of rescue, it soon burns out of control and kills one
of the littluns, representing the potential danger and destruction
inside the boys. This foreshadows the end of the novel, where
Jack’s tribe, now fully savage, deliberately burns the forest to
try and murder Ralph.

Lord of the Flies 12

Symbols
 Symbols

The Lord of the Flies

The Lord of the Flies is the novel’s most important symbol and gives
the novel its title. Physically, it’s a pig’s head on a stick that Jack leaves
as an offering to the beast. As the head rots, it’s covered by swarms of
flies. When Simon finds the head, he hallucinates that it speaks to him,
confirming that the real beast is the evil inside the boys and this is what
is making things fall apart on the island.
Symbolically, the Lord of the Flies is a representation of human evil. The
name ‘Lord of the Flies’ is the English translation of the name Beelzebub,
which is sometimes used as the name of the Devil in Christianity - the
ultimate symbol of evil. The brutally slaughtered pig symbolises the
violence and lust for blood that the boys have fallen into and the savagery
that they are capable of.
When the Lord of the Flies speaks to Simon, they symbolise opposite ends
of humanity. While the Lord of the Flies represents the evil inside mankind,
Simon represents goodness and innocence. This brings to mind the contrast
between the Devil and Jesus in Christianity. Just as
Jesus is killed for trying to share his message in
the Bible, Simon is killed while trying to share his
understanding of the beast.

Lord of the Flies 13

Symbols
 Summary
Chapter 1:
The Sound of the Shell
Ralph and Piggy encounter each other on the beach of a deserted
island. We learn that they were passengers on a plane that was
carrying English schoolboys away from a war, that the plane was
shot down and that the survivors have been spread out over the
island. Piggy implies that England has been attacked with
nuclear weapons.

Ralph finds a conch shell and Piggy encourages

him to blow it like a horn to signal the other
survivors. Ralph blows the conch and children
start to gather on the beach, but no adults
appear. The last to arrive are a group of
choirboys led by Jack.

Ralph suggests that they all need to have a chief

and the boys agree to hold a vote. Jack nominates
himself and Ralph is nominated by the other boys.
Ralph wins the vote, to the anger of Jack. Ralph appeases Jack
by letting him continue leading the choir. Jack says that the
choirboys will now be the group’s hunters.

Ralph, Jack and Simon climb the mountain and confirm that they
are on an uninhabited island. They treat this trip as an adventure,
laughing and playing as they explore. On the way
What are our first back, they find a pig tangled in some vines. Jack
impressions of Ralph, Piggy, draws his knife to kill the pig, but hesitates
Jack and Simon? and the pig escapes. Jack promises that next
time he will not hesitate.

Chapter 2:
Fire on the Mountain
The boys hold a meeting. Ralph tells the group that they are on
an island and until they are rescued they will have to have rules.
At the meetings, they will pass the conch around and only the

Lord of the Flies 14

Summary
 person holding it will be allowed to speak. Jack supports this idea
and suggests that boys who break the rules should be punished.

One of the smaller boys claims that he saw a snake-like “beastie”

in the woods. This scares the younger children. Ralph insists that
the beast doesn’t exist and Jack declares that if it does then he
will hunt and kill it.

Ralph says that the boys need to

start a fire to act as a signal to any
passing ships. The group rushes up
to the top of the mountain to build
the fire, using Piggy’s glasses to light
it. Jack says that his hunters will
be in charge of keeping the signal
going. In their rush to make the fire,
the boys accidentally set some trees
alight. Piggy is
infuriated by the group’s recklessness and
How does Golding foreshadow
points out that some of the little children
things going wrong for the boys in
had been playing in the trees that are
this chapter?
now burning.

Chapter 3:
Huts on the Beach
Jack tracks a pig through the jungle but it escapes before he can
catch it. He returns to the beach, where Ralph and Simon have
been building shelters for the boys to sleep in. Ralph is frustrated
that none of the other boys are helping. He complains that they
are all involved in making plans in the meetings but they don’t
put in the real work to make the plans happen. Ralph points out
that the hunters haven’t caught a single pig and implies that they
are hunting to get out of doing real work.

Jack is annoyed by this suggestion and argues with Ralph, saying

that the boys want meat. Ralph argues that Jack seems to care
more about hunting pigs than getting
rescued. The boys become increasingly Does Ralph resolve his conflict
hostile to each other until they decide with Jack effectively? Does he show
to go for a swim together to make up. enough leadership?

Lord of the Flies 15

Summary
 Meanwhile, Simon goes for a walk in the jungle. He
helps to pick fruit for the littluns from high branches
they can’t reach. As he walks further into the
forest, he finds a peaceful clearing and stops to
take in the beautiful sights and sounds of nature.

Chapter 4:
Painted Faces and Long Hair
The boys settle into a routine on the island. Roger
and Maurice, two of the older boys, torment the littluns
by kicking over their sandcastles. Roger throws stones at a littlun
named Henry, although he deliberately misses.

Jack still hasn’t caught a pig and is

obsessed with the idea. He paints
his face with camouflage and takes
a group of hunters into the jungle.
While the hunters are gone, they
neglect the signal fire and allow
it to go out. Ralph and Piggy see
a ship on the horizon but there is
no signal and the ship doesn’t spot
them. Before they can relight it, the
ship is gone.

Jack and the hunters return, having successfully hunted and

killed a pig. Jack is too excited by the kill to care that the fire has
gone out. Ralph furiously tells him that a ship passed them by.
When Piggy criticises Jack, Jack hits him and breaks one lens of
his glasses. Jack apologises, but there is
a feeling of resentment among the boys. What signs does Golding give us
The boys cook and eat the pig, and the in this chapter that savagery is
hunters re-enact the kill with a strange beginning to rise in the boys?
chant and dance around the fire.

Chapter 5:
Beast from Water
Ralph calls a meeting to restore order to the group. He tells them
that they have been failing to put in their fair share of work and
that they need to do better at working together. He says that
keeping the signal fire going is most important of all. Ralph then

Lord of the Flies 16

Summary
 tries to address the boys’ fear of a beast on the island, which has
been growing. Ralph and Jack both assert that there is no such
thing as a beast. However, one of the littluns claims that he saw
the beast coming out of the ocean at night. This idea terrifies the
group.

Simon tries to suggest that the beast is the boys themselves, but
the rest of the group do not understand what he means and make
fun of him. Jack insists that he and his hunters will kill the beast
and runs off, with many of the boys following him, leaving only
Ralph, Piggy and Simon behind. Ralph worries
that he has lost control of the group and if
he blows the conch then the others won’t Is the meeting successful? What
come back. He considers giving up the might Golding be suggesting about
leadership of the group, but Simon and democracy in this chapter?
Piggy convince him to carry on.

Chapter 6:
Beast from Air
During the night, while all the boys are asleep, a military plane is
shot down above the island and the dead pilot falls to earth in a
parachute. The parachute becomes
caught in some rocks and the wind
blowing into it causes the dead body
to move back and forth.

Sam and Eric, who are tending the

signal fire, see the strange shape of
the dead pilot in the firelight and
are convinced it is the beast. They
run back down to the beach and
tell Ralph, who calls a meeting. The
group sets out with wooden spears to investigate.

They head to a part of the island they have never been to before, a
large rocky hill. Ralph and Jack climb the hill together and find no
sign of the beast. When the other boys arrive, they excitedly talk
about building a fort on the rocky hill. Ralph
What’s the significance of the is frustrated by how easily distracted the
‘beast’ being represented by a group is and reminds them that they
military pilot killed in an air battle? need to find the beast and keep the
signal fire going until they are rescued.

Lord of the Flies 17

Summary
 Chapter 7:
Shadows and Tall Trees
The hunters find fresh pig droppings and Jack decides to hunt
the pig while they are searching for the beast. Ralph takes part
in a hunt for the first time. They
come across a large boar and Ralph
throws his spear at it, hitting it in the
snout. The boar escapes, but Ralph
is thrilled by the excitement of the
hunt.

The boys are caught up in their

excitement and start to re-enact
the hunt with a boy named Robert
playing the boar. They get carried
away with the game and start to beat Robert and poke him
with spears, chanting and dancing. They stop just in time before
Robert is badly hurt. Robert says that they should use a real pig
next time and Jack jokes that they should use a littlun.

Jack says he is going to climb the mountain to look for the beast.
Ralph is hesitant as it is getting dark but he agrees to go too to
avoid looking scared in front of the rest of the group. Jack, Ralph
and Roger head up the mountain. Jack leads the way and claims
to see something moving at the top. The
three boys reach the top and see the
Ralph enjoys the hunt and takes part in dead pilot in the parachute, moving
the beating of Robert. What is Golding in the wind. Convinced that it is
suggesting about savagery? the beast, the boys flee in terror
back to the camp.

Chapter 8:
Gift for the Darkness
In the morning, the boys discuss what they saw. Piggy is sceptical
about the existence of the beast but Ralph and Jack are convinced
that it’s real. Jack calls a meeting and tells the others that the
beast is real. He calls Ralph a coward and suggests that they
should vote him out as leader, but the rest of the group refuses
to vote against Ralph. Furious, Jack announces that he’s leaving
the group and invites anyone else who wants to leave to come
with him.

Lord of the Flies 18

Summary
 The boys are now too scared of the
beast on the mountain to go up and
tend the signal fire. Piggy suggests
that they light a new fire on the
beach. They set to work building
the new fire but many of the boys
sneak off to join Jack’s group.

Jack gathers his new group and

announces that he will be their
chief and they are going to hunt.
Jack’s hunters brutally kill a pig. They cut off its head and mount
it on a sharpened stick. Jack announces that the head is a gift for
the beast in the hope that it will leave them alone.

As Ralph’s group tends the fire on the beach, Jack’s group raids
the camp and steals burning logs from the fire to cook their pig.
Jack announces to Ralph’s group that he is throwing a feast and
they are welcome to join him. They are tempted by the idea.

In the meantime, Simon returns to the peaceful clearing he

previously sat in. This time, he finds the pig’s head that Jack left in
the middle of the clearing, covered in flies.
Simon imagines that the head speaks to This chapter is a major turning
him mockingly as the ‘Lord of the Flies’. It point for the boys. What are the key
tells Simon that the beast is part of him events that show that their previous
and that he will never be able to escape society is collapsing?
it. Simon collapses and faints.

Chapter 9:
A View to a Death
When Simon wakes up, he climbs the mountain and discovers the
body of the dead pilot. He understands that this is the ‘beast’ the
others saw. He frees the parachute
from the rocks and then heads to
the camp to share his discovery
with the rest of the group.

Ralph and Piggy join Jack’s feast.

Jack has painted his face and sits
like a king, with other boys acting
as his servants. Once the boys
have all eaten, Jack invites those in

Lord of the Flies 19

Summary
 Ralph’s group to join his tribe, offering meat and protection from
the beast. Ralph protests that he is chief, but many of the boys
agree to join Jack.

As a storm begins, Jack starts up a wild dance and chant, imitating

the pig hunt. As the dance becomes more savage, Simon emerges
from the forest, trying to explain that he found the
pilot’s body and that there is no beast. However,
the frenzied boys mistake Simon for the beast and
brutally kill him.

The storm hits the island and the wind drags the
pilot’s body down to the beach. The boys run in
terror as the body is carried
How does Golding present Simon’s out to sea. After the storm
death and what happens to his body? dies down, Simon’s body is
What might he be suggesting about gently carried off the beach
life and death? by a calm and peaceful tide.

Chapter 10:
The Shell and the Glasses
Ralph and Piggy meet on the beach the next day. Both of them
took part in the dance and chant that resulted in Simon’s death.
Piggy states that the killing was an accident but Ralph is deeply
ashamed and says that it was murder. Sam and Eric arrive; they
are the only other biguns who have not joined Jack’s tribe. All
four boys pretend that they didn’t take part in the dance.

Jack has set up a camp on the hill known as Castle Rock. He is

now an all-powerful ruler, known only as ‘the chief’. He ties up
and beats a boy named Wilfred for no particular reason. Jack’s
tribe believes that Simon really was the beast in disguise. They
plan to hunt again and to steal more fire from Ralph’s group.

That night, as Ralph’s group are sleeping, Jack’s tribe invades

their camp. After a fight, Jack steals Piggy’s glasses and takes
them back to his own camp. Ralph’s group loses
their ability to keep the fire going and they
Why is it significant that Ralph
lose their chance
and Piggy deny their involvement
of rescue with it.
in Simon’s murder?

Lord of the Flies 20

Summary
 Chapter 11:
Castle Rock
The remaining members of Ralph’s group hold a meeting. Piggy
announces that he is going to go to Jack’s camp and demand his
glasses back, and the others agree to come with him. They decide
to bring the conch with them as a reminder of the civilisation that
Jack’s tribe has forgotten.

When they arrive at Castle Rock, they find it guarded by boys

with spears and painted faces. Ralph blows the conch and tries to
summon Jack’s tribe to an assembly but they laugh at him. Jack
returns from a hunt and Ralph demands that he return Piggy’s
glasses. Jack refuses and attacks Ralph with his spear. They fight.

Ralph tries to remind Jack’s tribe of the importance of the signal

fire if they want to be rescued, but he is laughed at again. Jack’s
tribe captures Sam and Eric and
ties them up, enraging Ralph, who
fights with Jack again.

As Ralph and Jack fight, Piggy holds

up the conch and tries to remind
all the group of the importance of
following the rules and trying to
be rescued. As Piggy speaks, Roger
pushes a huge boulder off the top of
the mountain, smashing the conch
and knocking Piggy off a cliff to his death. Jack throws his spear
at Ralph with intent to kill and Ralph flees into
At what point in the story do the forest.
you think all civilisation is lost on
After Ralph escapes, Jack and Roger torture
the island?
Sam and Eric, forcing them to join Jack’s tribe.

Chapter 12:
Cry of the Hunters
Hiding in the jungle, Ralph realises that all civilisation is now
gone from the island. He knows that Jack’s tribe will hunt him
down and kill him. Ralph comes across the clearing where the
pig’s head stands on a stick. He is disgusted by the sight of it and
knocks it down, taking the sharpened stick to use as a weapon.

Lord of the Flies 21

Summary
 Ralph sneaks up to Castle Rock and speaks to Sam and Eric, who
refuse to join him out of fear. They tell Ralph that the entire tribe
is going to hunt him the next day. After Ralph leaves to hide, Jack
tortures one of the twins to find out where he is.

One of Jack’s tribe nearly finds Ralph in the jungle and Ralph fights
him off with his spear. He then realises that the forest is on fire
- Jack has deliberately burned it to smoke Ralph out, and Jack’s
hunters are searching for him. Ralph runs for his life through the
burning forest as the savage tribe chases him down.

Just as the hunters are about to

catch Ralph, he emerges from
the forest onto the beach to see
a British naval officer standing in
front of him. The officer tells Ralph
that he saw the smoke from the
burning jungle from his ship and
stopped to investigate. He asks
the boys if they are playing a game
and is shocked to learn that two
of them have been killed. The officer is surprised that a group
of British boys could behave so savagely.
Overwhelmed by his experience and his The novel ends with the loss
loss of innocence, Ralph begins to cry. The of innocence. What has Ralph
naval officer is embarrassed and turns learned about human nature since
away to look at his ship in the distance. the beginning of the novel?

Lord of the Flies 22

Summary
 Themes
Civilisation vs Savagery
The central theme of the novel is the conflict between two different
human instincts: one telling us to be good, follow the rules and act
in the best interest of everyone, and one telling us to be selfish,
take power and do what we want without concern for others. These
two instincts can be summed up as ‘civilisation’ and ‘savagery’. For
Golding, the desire for civilisation is a force for good, while the desire
for savagery is a force for evil. Golding shows that both of these
desires exist inside everyone to different degrees, but he implies that
the pull towards savagery is far more powerful than the desire to be
civilised.

When the boys arrive on the island, their first instinct is to try to create
a civilised society with rules and order, based on the world they know.
Ralph encourages the boys to organise and cooperate so they can
find food, build shelters, keep the signal fire going and look after the
most vulnerable members of the group. Golding presents the civilised
instinct as the boys’ only hope for survival and rescue. At the same
time, the rules of civilisation initially hold the boys back from their
darkest urges - to hurt, steal and kill. Society teaches us that these
things are wrong and this prevents us from acting on these desires
even when we want to.

However, Golding suggests that civilisation is merely something that

we learn and choose to take part in, while savagery is something
that exists more deeply within us. In Golding’s view, if the rules of
civilisation are removed, our savage instinct is let loose. He shows
us that, without rules and laws to keep our savage instincts in check,
almost everyone has the potential to be cruel, violent and selfish.
Some people (like Jack and Roger) take
this chance at the first opportunity,
but even the most civilised characters

Lord of the Flies 23

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery
 find it hard to resist the temptation to be savage, as shown when
Ralph and Piggy take part in the dance and chant that lead to Simon’s
murder. This illustrates how fragile civilisation is and how strong the
urge to be savage can be.

At the end of the novel, Golding ironically shows the reader that
civilisation and savagery are not as far apart as we might think.
The naval officer who arrives to rescue the boys seems to represent
the civilised world, with his smart uniform and modern technology.
However, the gun he carries and the warship he arrives on remind the
reader that his real purpose is to fight and kill other humans. Although
they have been rescued, the ‘civilised’ world the boys will return to is
just as violent as the island they are leaving. Golding suggests that
civilisation is a mask that covers up, but doesn’t destroy, the evil
nature of humans.

Lord of the Flies 24

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery
 Context
From the time of the British are presented as bloodthirsty and
Empire into the early 20th inhuman. Golding rejected this
century, it was a common belief belief. In his view, the world is not
among British people that they divided into ‘civilised’ and ‘savage’
were inherently ‘civilised’ because people; instead, everyone has the
of their advanced society. The potential to be savage if they are
native peoples they colonised allowed to be. It’s significant that
were often seen as ‘primitive’ or he chose to make the characters
‘savages’. This attitude is seen in Lord of the Flies British, as this
in The Coral Island, in which the shows that they are not immune
British protagonists are civilised to savagery.
heroes fighting native people who

Lord of the Flies 25

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Context
 The balance between savagery and civilisation in the novel can be
related to the ideas of the psychologist Sigmund Freud. In Freudian
theory, our personality is divided into three parts: the id, the ego and
the superego. The id is our selfish desire for pleasure and the superego
is our sense of right and wrong; the ego is the part of our mind that
tries to balance the two. In Lord of the Flies, the desire for civilisation
can be seen as the superego and the desire for savagery can be seen
as the id. The battle between the two is the central conflict in the
novel.

Lord of the Flies 26

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Context
 Civilisation vs Savagery

Key Quotes
Early on, Ralph shows his desire for
“And another thing. We can’t have civilisation by setting rules that keep
everybody talking at once. We’ll have to order and allow everyone a chance
have ‘hands up’ like at school. [...] Then I’ll to have a say. He shows confident
give him the conch.” leadership and makes decisions with
“Conch?” authority, but gives everyone a voice.
“That’s what this shell’s called. I’ll give the The conch becomes a symbol of order
conch to the next person to speak. He can and civilisation to the boys.
hold it when he’s speaking.”
Ralph, Chapter Two Jack also shows his support for
civilisation. However, his desire for
order doesn’t come from his own
sense of right and wrong; Jack has
“I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have just been taught how to behave in a
rules and obey them. After all, we’re not civilised way by the expectations that
savages. We’re English, and the English English society has placed on him. His
are best at everything. So we’ve got to do comment that “we’re not savages”
the right things.” becomes deeply ironic as the boys
Jack, Chapter Two descend into savagery later on.

Golding shows that civilisation has the

Roger gathered a handful of stones and power to hold back our worst instincts.
began to throw them. Yet there was a Roger throws stones at a littlun but
space round Henry, perhaps six yards in misses on purpose. He wants to cause
diameter, into which he dare not throw. pain and suffering to others, but he
Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo stops himself because of his fear of
of the old life. Round the squatting child the consequences of breaking the
was the protection of parents and school rules. If there were no rules and no
and policemen and the law. consequences, there would be nothing
stopping Roger from acting on his
Chapter Four
sadistic desires. This foreshadows
Roger’s murder of Piggy at the end of
the novel.

Lord of the Flies 27

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Key Quotes
 Civilisation begins to give way to savagery
“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we as Jack rejects the rules of society. He shows
hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! his belief that violence can solve problems
We’ll close in and beat and beat and more effectively than talking, but he also
beat –” shows a desire and enthusiasm for violence
Jack, Chapter Five that reveals his own savage nature.

The scene of Piggy’s death represents the

end of all civilisation on the island. Piggy
stands for intelligence and rational thinking
The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from and his death symbolises the destruction
chin to knee; the conch exploded into a of these things by savagery. At the same
thousand white fragments and ceased to time, the conch is destroyed, symbolising
exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time the destruction of democracy and society.
for even a grunt, travelled through the air Piggy’s death shows that there are now no
sideways from the rock, turning over as rules or consequences; Roger feels free to
commit the ultimate crime of murder with
he went. The rock bounded twice and was
nothing holding him back.
lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and
landed on his back across that square, red
rock in the sea.
Chapter Twelve

Lord of the Flies 28

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Key Quotes
 Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery

Mini Exams
Question 1

Which character is the most civilised? Which is the most savage?

Explain your answers.

Question 2

At what point in the novel do you think savagery overtakes civilisation on

the island?

Question 3

Do you agree with Golding’s assessment that civilisation is

ultimately doomed? Why or why not?

Lord of the Flies 29

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Mini Exams
 Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery

Exam Question
How does Golding use the character of Piggy to present the importance of civilisation in
the novel?

Write about:
• how Golding presents the character of Piggy;
• how Golding uses the character of Piggy to present ideas about civilisation.

Don’t forget to plan your response.

You should spend approximately five minutes organising your thoughts. This will help you to
structure your answer, as well as showing the examiner where you were headed should you
run out of time (which, of course, you won’t if you manage your time wisely).

connotations symbolism
glasses

PIGGY
intelligent vssavagery

rational order dance death

Sm
i on own

Intro - an overview statement that directly addresses the question

Point - Evidence – Analysis (PEA) paragraphs are an efficient way of meeting AOs

P Echo key words in question e.g. One way in which Golding presents . . . is . . .
E Memorise quotations – those that address more than one theme are particularly precious

A Explore the effect of language/structure/context in your evidence

Aim to write at least three PEA paragraphs

Conclusion - summarise your main point(s)

Lord of the Flies 30

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery - Exam Question
 Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery

Sample Answer
Good Response
In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the character of
Piggy to show that civilisation is important. Firstly,
Piggy is shown as an intelligent character who
comes up with good ideas that benefit the group. Uses references
At the beginning of the novel he explains to Ralph to the text to
illustrate a clear
how to blow the conch and he also takes charge
point.
of counting the boys and learning their names. This
shows that he cares about setting up a society on the
island and taking care of everyone. Golding shows
that people who are civilised are able to create
rules and order to keep everyone safe. Piggy also
criticises the other boys for “acting like a crowd of
kids” when they run up the mountain to make a fire.
This shows that he is mature and wants everyone
to behave in an orderly way like they did at home.
Golding shows that civilisation is important because
when the boys do not work together in an organised
way the fire goes out of control and a littlun is killed,
which shows the potential danger that humans can
cause if they don’t keep order.

Piggy also thinks in a scientific way and does not

believe that the beast is real: “there isn’t no beast”.
He tries to stop the other boys from believing in it
and being afraid. Golding shows that civilisation
keeps people thinking logically and rationally and
A good point without it people would be more fearful and violent.
but this could However Piggy is not able to convince the other boys
be developed
that the beast does not exist and they begin to hunt
further - why do
Piggy’s glasses it. Golding suggests that the violent and savage part
have particular of humanity is stronger than the civilised part and
significance?
can easily take over. This is represented by Piggy

Lord of the Flies 31

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery- Sample Answer
 being physically weaker than the other boys such as
Jack who push him around and take his glasses.

Through Piggy, Golding shows that civilisation is

easily broken because of the evil nature of people.
Good use of
When the boys hold the savage dance and kill Simon,
a relevant
and specific Piggy denies taking part and takes no responsibility:
quotation. “we never done nothing”. This suggests that
civilisation masks the evil parts of human nature
and helps us to deny them but it doesn’t stop
them from coming out. Civilisation is completely
destroyed on the island when Piggy is murdered and
the conch is destroyed by Roger. Golding does this
Reference to
to show the reader that civilisation is fragile and if
context, but it
we allow violent people to take charge then it could seems like an
potentially be completely destroyed. This links to the afterthought -
this could have
context of the time the book was written as the Cold
been integrated
War was taking place and society was threatened and developed in
by nuclear war. the response.

This is a well-structured response and the student

clearly shows understanding of Piggy’s character
and his role in the novel. Although the student has
strong ideas, they’re a little underdeveloped. They
could be fleshed out to consider how Golding uses
language to construct Piggy’s character and how the
reader might respond to his ideas.

Lord of the Flies 32

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery- Sample Answer
 Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery

Sample Answer
Great Response
Golding uses the character of Piggy to represent
the rational and intellectual aspects of civilisation.
Piggy believes that “life is scientific”; he looks for
clever solutions to problems and inspires ideas such
as using the conch to signal the group and building
shelters. Piggy is able to see past the immediate
present to consider the bigger picture: he values
maintaining the signal fire and being rescued over
playing and having fun. For these reasons, Ralph
values Piggy’s friendship and treats him as a trusted
advisor. Golding shows that humanity has the ability
to be thoughtful, intelligent and innovative and
A very astute civilisation is important because it allows these traits
point linked to come to the fore; in a civilised society, Piggy’s Reference
clearly to the
intelligence gives him a valued position and a voice to a literary
question.
despite his lack of the physical and social skills that technique used
by the author
the other boys value. This is further represented
but it could be
through the symbol of Piggy’s glasses, which are developed further
a product of civilisation and become invaluable to - what are the
connotations of
the boys as the source of their fire; Piggy therefore
glasses?
becomes essential to the boys’ survival and chances
of rescue.

Piggy also represents the strongest link between

the boys on the island and the civilised world they
have left behind. He regularly references adults,
Excellent point asking “What’s grownups going to think?” when
with a quotation the boys’ society begins to degenerate. To children,
as evidence and
adults represent order and authority; Piggy uses
reference to a
language feature. this rhetorical question to try to appeal to the boys’
civilised nature, reminding them that their actions
would have negative consequences in their former
lives. Golding shows that the rules and consequences

Lord of the Flies 33

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery- Sample Answer
 of civilisation keep the human instincts towards
violence and selfishness in check; for Piggy, these
rules still apply and hold weight on the island even
when other boys begin to abandon them. Golding
suggests that civilisation provides humans with a

Reference to a moral compass that soon erodes when there are no

literary device consequences for our actions. There is also a deep
and its effect on irony in Piggy’s question for the reader, as we are
the reader.
aware that the world of “grownups” has also been
ripped apart by violence and savagery. This could be Relevant
reference to
linked to Golding’s own experiences in the Second
context.
World War, when he saw atrocities committed by
soldiers who had been freed from the normal civilised
rules that prevent us from harming each other.

Although Golding presents Piggy as intelligent,

rational and loyal, he is also shown to be physically
unfit and easily bullied (as when Jack cruelly
remarks “Shut up, Fatty”). As the novel progresses
and civilisation begins to crumble, Piggy becomes
physically weakened further: after Jack steals his
glasses, he is virtually blind and helpless. Through
Piggy’s declining physical condition, Golding
presents the idea that civilisation is vulnerable to
attack by those who abuse their power (represented
by Jack). This comes to a head with Piggy’s murder,
which symbolises the end of civilisation on the
island: Piggy’s death represents the death of
rational thought, order and faith in democracy. It
is no coincidence that the symbol of civilisation, the
conch, is also destroyed at the moment of Piggy’s
Nice summary
point - how death. Through Piggy, Golding makes the ultimate
might the reader point that without the protection of a civilised
respond to society, humanity would have no place for reason
Golding’s ideas?
or intellect and would regress to a brutal state of
savagery and violence.

Lord of the Flies 34

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery- Sample Answer
 This is a thoughtful and detailed response that
focuses clearly on the question and shows an
excellent understanding of Piggy’s role in the novel
and of Golding’s ideas. There is some reference to
specific language features but these could be further
developed and the student could also have made
more use of contextual information to extend their
ideas further.

Lord of the Flies 35

Themes: Civilisation vs Savagery- Sample Answer
 Themes
Evil and Human Nature
In Lord of the Flies, Golding looks at what makes us human. His view
of human nature is cynical and pessimistic, presenting humanity as
essentially evil at heart and depicting a dystopian view of our future.
In Golding’s view, the evil in humanity will always find a way to come
out, no matter how civilised we might try to be.

Although the boys initially agree on rules and hold meetings to

organise their society, most of them soon start to neglect their
responsibilities. They choose selfish enjoyment and quick satisfaction
(playing and eating) over more long-term goals that benefit the whole
group (building shelters and maintaining the fire). Golding suggests
that most people only look out for their own interests and won’t work
for the benefit of others unless they have to. In the novel, Golding
shows that when we act on selfish desires, we unlock an evil part of
ourselves that tempts us towards savagery and violence.

Golding presents the evil part of human nature as a ‘beast’ that lurks
within us. The symbol of the beast becomes stronger and more physical
throughout the novel as the boys become increasingly savage. At
first, it is described as a mysterious snake-like creature that appears
in dreams; then it is represented by the dead body of the pilot on the
mountain; and finally it ‘speaks’ to Simon as the Lord of the
Flies. Golding suggests that once the beast inside us is
set free, it destroys our sense of right and wrong and
turns us into animals who act only to satisfy selfish
needs.

The evil within the boys grows throughout the

novel and is shown in many different ways. Evil is
shown in Jack in his desire for power and control
over those weaker than himself. In Roger, it is
shown in his sadistic desire to hurt others for

Lord of the Flies 36

Themes: Evil and Human Nature
 no reason other than his own enjoyment. Almost all of the boys
find enjoyment in the act of hunting and killing. This is shown in the
graphic killing of the sow in Chapter Eight, the murders of Simon and
Piggy, and the hunting of Ralph at the end of the book. Golding shows
that the evil inside us is strong enough to destroy every other aspect
of humanity - our spirituality, our compassion, our intelligence and
reason, and our desire to live in an ordered society.

Lord of the Flies 37

Themes: Evil and Human Nature
 Context
Golding’s idea that evil exists evil is part of human nature. He
inside everyone can be linked to once wrote about his experiences
his time spent in the Royal Navy in the war: “I began to see what
during the Second World War. people were capable of doing.
Golding personally witnessed Anyone who moved through those
many horrors during the war and years without understanding
saw the cruelty that ordinary that man produces evil as a bee
people are capable of committing produces honey, must have been
against each other if they are blind or wrong in the head.”
allowed to. This convinced him that

Lord of the Flies 38

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Context
 Theme: Evil and Human Nature

Key Quotes
Jack’s pride and laughter at his
“I cut the pig’s throat,” said Jack, proudly, first successful pig hunt reveal his
and yet twitched as he said it. [...] “There enjoyment of violence and killing. This
was lashings of blood,” said Jack, laughing foreshadows the boys’ descent into
and shuddering, “you should have seen it!” savagery later in the novel. The island
provides the boys with a setting where
Chapter Four
they can let out their desire for violence
without consequences.

Simon is the only character to suggest

Simon felt a perilous necessity to speak; that the ‘beast’ is something within the
but to speak in assembly was a terrible boys themselves. He’s referring to the
thing to him. evil of human nature. The other boys
reject and mock Simon’s idea; Golding
“Maybe,” he said hesitantly, “maybe there
implies that although humans have an
is a beast. [...] What I mean is... maybe it’s
evil nature, we deny it and refuse to
only us.”
admit it to ourselves, which allows it to
Chapter Five grow.

The boys hold a mock hunt with Robert

“Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig!
playing the pig. The game gets out
Bash him in!”
of control as the boys begin to hurt
Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get Robert. By placing Ralph in the game
a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. and showing his excitement and desire
The desire to squeeze and hurt was over- to cause pain, Golding shows that
mastering. even good and civilised people contain
Chapter Seven the potential for evil and are easily
tempted into taking part in evil deeds.

The Lord of the Flies is the most

“There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. important symbol of evil in the novel.
And I’m the Beast.” It represents the evil that is ‘part
Simon’s mouth laboured, brought forth of us’ or present inside everyone.
audible words. Golding pessimistically suggests that
civilisation is “no go” - implying that
“Pig’s head on a stick.”
the evil nature of humans will always
“Fancy thinking the Beast was something surface and destroy our efforts to be
you could hunt and kill!” said the head. civilised.
For a moment or two the forest and all the
other dimly appreciated places echoed
with the parody of laughter. “You knew,
didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close,
close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why
things are what they are?”
Chapter Eight

Lord of the Flies 39

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Key Quotes
 At the end of the novel, evil and
savagery have fully taken over the
“What are you going to do—?”
island. The implication of the ‘stick
From the top of the towering rock came sharpened at both ends’ is that Ralph
the incomprehensible reply. will be killed and given as an offering
“Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.” to the beast, just like the pig’s head.
Chapter Twelve Golding implies that if human evil is
unleashed then it completely destroys
our civilised qualities and turns us into
bloodthirsty and animalistic creatures.

Lord of the Flies 40

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Key Quotes
 Themes: Evil and Human Nature

Mini Exams
Question 1

What is the first event of the novel that you would call evil?

Question 2

Who is responsible for the death of Piggy? Is it the same as the person who
actually killed him?

Question 3

Do you agree with Golding that people are innately evil, or do

you think evil is learned?

Lord of the Flies 41

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Mini Exams
 Themes: Evil and Human Nature

Exam Question
How does Golding use the symbol of the beast to present human nature in the novel?

Write about:
• how Golding presents the beast;
• how Golding uses the beast to present ideas about human nature in the novel as a whole.

Don’t forget to plan your response.

boys'fears
littluns-''beastie''
imagination

BEAST morereal
war - pilot

symbol savagery
Lord Flies
Simon vs Jack - ''I['m part of you''

Intro - an overview statement that directly addresses the question

Point - Evidence – Analysis (PEA) paragraphs are an efficient way of meeting AOs

P Echo key words in question e.g. One way in which Golding presents . . . is . . .
E Memorise quotations – those that address more than one theme are particularly precious

A Analyse the effect of language/structure/context in your evidence

Aim to write at least three PEA paragraphs

Conclusion - summarise your main point(s)

Lord of the Flies 42

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Exam Question
 Themes: Evil and Human Nature

Sample Answer
Good Response
Golding uses the symbol of the ‘beast’ throughout
the novel to represent that human nature contains
Reference to an innate evil. The atrocities that Golding saw
the context of
committed during the war convinced him that all
Golding’s life.
humans contain the potential to do evil deeds. In
Lord of the Flies, as the boys’ evil natures grow, the
symbol of the beast becomes stronger.

At the beginning of the novel the beast is not actually

A good point
seen physically but the boys start to fear it anyway. but is there a
This suggests that the beast is something that the reference to the
boys have brought to the island within themselves text to support
this?
rather than something that exists physically. The
‘beast’ is simply the boys’ own fear. However their
response to their fear is to create weapons and to
organise themselves as hunters, which in turn leads
them to violent actions such as the brutal slaughter
of a pig which the boys take pleasure in. Golding
implies that the desire to be violent and brutal was
inside the boys from the beginning and was part of
their nature, and the beast represents their desire
to let it out.
Identifies a
The symbol of the beast grows stronger as the literary device.
boys start to become more savage and brutal. The
fallen body of the pilot gives the beast a physical
form which the boys discover and interpret as a
monster. However, as the reader knows, it is just the
consequence of the war raging outside the island.
The symbol of the pilot represents this war and
Golding shows to the reader that warfare is another
part of the evil of human nature. By discovering
the pilot, Jack and the other boys become more

Lord of the Flies 43

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Sample Answer
 determined to protect themselves from the beast
and this only increases their savagery.

Jack commits one of the most brutal and gruesome

acts of the novel when he cuts off the sow’s head
to mount on a stick as a gift to the beast. This is
significant because Jack actually creates the novel’s
most important symbol of the ‘beast’ of human
nature, the Lord of the Flies. Golding shows that
This is a very we create our own ‘beast’ through allowing our evil
astute point.
natures to surface in our actions. The Lord of the
Flies confirms to Simon that the real beast exists
within humans: “I’m part of you”. This confirms to
the reader Golding’s overall message that savagery
and violence are unavoidable facts of existence
because the desire to be evil is contained within all
of us.

This is a solid effort that shows a clear focus on the

question. The student has some really good ideas but
they need to make sure that they are developed fully
and linked together effectively. Always make sure to
make specific references to events or quotations in
the text when making points to provide evidence for
your ideas.

Lord of the Flies 44

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Sample Answer
 Themes: Evil and Human Nature

Sample Answer
Great Response
The ‘beast’ is a recurring symbol in the novel that
Don’t waste
represents various aspects of the evil nature that
time - keep your
introduction to a Golding believed humans to hold. The beast is
simple statement. presented in various ways throughout the novel
with different impacts on how it represents human
nature.

When the beast is first mentioned, one of the littluns

describes it as a “snake-thing” in the trees and it is
treated with fear and horror by most of the boys.
This draws a comparison to the serpent in the
Garden of Eden in the Bible, which is responsible
for all human evil; Golding was a Christian and Good use of
influenced by the idea of original sin, which states context to
develop a point.
that all humans inherited sin from Adam and Eve.
Through the symbol of the snake, Golding is implying
that evil is present on the island. Spurred on by Jack,
most of the boys perceive the beast as a physical
threat and plan to hunt and kill it; this behaviour in
turn ironically unleashes their own savage instincts
towards violence and brutality. Golding suggests
Point clearly that human nature contains an innate potential for
linked to the violence and savage behaviour and these traits can
question.
be easily unleashed in the right circumstances. Only
Simon recognises the truth about the beast: “maybe
it’s only us”. As a representation of spirituality and
religion, Golding uses Simon to imply that religion
allows us to understand the truth about our own
natures and recognise our own potential for evil.

Another representation of the beast is in the form

of the dead pilot whose body parachutes onto the
island. Again, Golding chooses this form to represent

Lord of the Flies 45

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Sample Answer
 another facet of human nature: the pilot is a
military airman killed in combat and he represents
warfare, which Golding considered an expression of
humanity’s evil nature. Although the boys discover
Reference to a
the body and mistake it for a monster, Golding uses specific literary
dramatic irony to show the pilot’s real identity; this technique.
demonstrates to the reader that the true ‘beast’
is just the boys’ own fear, which is turning them
savage, and the violent nature of humanity which
leads us to war.

The most significant representation of the beast

in the novel is the Lord of the Flies itself, the pig’s
head on a stick which comes to symbolise the evil
Good focus on of human nature. Golding presents the head as a
how Golding gruesome sight, emphasising its gory appearance
crafts his work
and the thousands of flies inhabiting its rotting
to create ideas
and evoke flesh. This evokes a reaction of horror in the reader
reactions from which underlines the beast’s significance as a
the audience.
representation of evil. Through Simon’s vision, the
Lord of the Flies shows explicitly that the true beast
is the boys themselves: “Fancy thinking the beast
was something you could hunt and kill… I’m part of
you”. By suggesting that the beast cannot be killed
and that it is part of us, Golding implies that evil is
an innate aspect of human nature which will always
be present in us. This pessimistically suggests that
humanity’s attempts to civilise are doomed because
our violent and savage nature will always surface
and lead us back towards brutality and warfare.

This is a well-written response that shows a thorough

understanding of the different ways in which the
beast is presented and provides clear references
to the text to evidence points. The student could
develop their analysis of how Golding specifically
uses language to construct the concept of the beast
and how this is used to present his ideas but this is
still a great effort.

Lord of the Flies 46

Themes: Evil and Human Nature - Sample Answer
 Themes
Innocence
Through the novel, Golding presents the boys’ loss of innocence. The
boys are still full of childhood innocence and naivety at the start of
the novel. They show little understanding of the events of the adult
world but they trust that adults will come to rescue them and in the
meantime they think that they will have fun and adventures on the
island like they have read about in stories. They also trust that by
imitating the adult world they remember (by having leaders, votes
and rules) then everything will work out fine.

As the level of violence on the island grows, the innocence of the

characters erodes. At the start, the boys find it hard to commit violent
acts - Jack can’t bring himself to hurt the first pig they hunt - but they
soon lose their inhibitions about killing and causing pain and even
start to take pleasure from it. When the boys torture and kill the sow
in Chapter Eight, they take a shocking enjoyment from it and Golding
uses language with sexual connotations to show that their childhood
innocence is being left behind.

The island itself changes to represent the loss of innocence. At the

beginning, the clearing that Simon visits is calm, peaceful and pristine,
reflecting his perfect goodness. When he returns to it later, he finds
the rotting head of a pig, symbolising how human evil has taken hold
in the boys and corrupted the innocence of childhood. At the end,
the forest is burned completely, representing the total
destruction of innocence on the island.

By the end of the novel, with Piggy and Simon dead, all
of the characters have lost their innocence. Some, like
Jack and Roger, have deliberately taken part in torture
and murder and are barely recognisable as the children
who arrived on the island. Although Ralph has not become
savage, he has lost his innocence in a different way: he is
now fully aware of the evil that lives inside humans and
understands what people are capable of doing to each other.

Lord of the Flies 47

Themes: Innocence
 Context
Golding spent much of his life as a presented to be in the children’s
teacher. He started teaching after books of the time (such as The
leaving university in 1935 and Coral Island) and he wanted to
was working as a schoolmaster at present what he saw as a more
Bishop Wordsworth’s, an all-boys’ realistic story. He believed that
school, at the time he wrote Lord children were not free from the
of the Flies. Golding’s students evil that he saw in all of humanity
inspired the characters in the and that if they were freed from
novel. His teaching experience the rules of society they would
gave him the view that children revert to savagery.
aren’t as innocent as they were

Lord of the Flies 48

Themes: Innocence - Context
 Theme: Innocence

Key Quotes
The boys’ innocence is highlighted
The three boys rushed forward and Jack drew in Chapter One when they first
his knife again with a flourish. He raised his encounter a pig. Jack is unable to
arm in the air. There came a pause, a hiatus, bring himself to kill the animal.
the pig continued to scream and the creepers As a young boy from a civilised
to jerk, and the blade continued to flash at country, he has been sheltered and
the end of a bony arm. The pause was only protected from violence and has
long enough for them to understand what never had to experience killing first-
an enormity the downward stroke would be. hand. To begin with, it’s too much
Then the piglet tore loose from the creepers for him.
and scurried into the undergrowth. They
were left looking at each other and the
place of terror. Jack’s face was white under
the freckles.
Chapter One

Ralph shows his childish naivety

through his faith in his father and
“My father’s in the Navy. He said there aren’t
the world of adults. He’s still young
any unknown islands left. He says the Queen
enough to believe that adults would
has a big room full of maps and all the islands
never allow anything bad to happen
in the world are drawn there. So the Queen’s
to them. Golding emphasises how
got a picture of this island.”
young the boys are through Ralph’s
Again came the sounds of cheerfulness and
juvenile language, making their
better heart.
loss of innocence later in the novel
“And sooner or later a ship will put in here. all the more shocking and powerful.
It might even be Daddy’s ship. So you see,
sooner or later, we shall be rescued.”
Ralph, Chapter Two

By Chapter Seven, savagery has

started to emerge on the island
When you went to bed there was a bowl of
and fear of the beast is spreading
cornflakes with sugar and cream. And the
among the boys. When Ralph
books—they stood on the shelf by the bed,
daydreams about his old life,
leaning together with always two or three
Golding reminds us that he is just
laid flat on top because he had not bothered
a little boy. His immaturity is shown
to put them back properly. They were dog-
by his refusal to read books about
eared and scratched. There was the bright,
girls and his fear of the illustration
shining one about Topsy and Mopsy that he
of a spider, but his chance of a
never read because it was about two girls;
happy and innocent childhood has
there was the one about the magician which
been taken from him.
you read with a kind of tied-down terror,
skipping page twenty-seven with the awful
picture of the spider; there was a book about
people who had dug things up, Egyptian
things; there was The Boy’s Book of Trains,
The Boy’s Book of Ships.
Chapter Seven

Lord of the Flies 49

Themes: Innocence - Key Quotes
 Golding’s violent and shocking
Here, struck down by the heat, the sow fell description of the killing of the
and the hunters hurled themselves at her. sow emphasises the boys’ loss of
This dreadful eruption from an unknown innocence. Jack’s brutality here
world made her frantic; she squealed and contrasts with his first hunt where
bucked and the air was full of sweat and he could not bring himself to kill;
noise and blood and terror. Roger ran round now he kills without hesitation.
the heap, prodding with his spear whenever Golding’s violent language also
pigflesh appeared. Jack was on top of the contains sexual connotations,
sow, stabbing downward with his knife. Roger symbolising the end of the boys’
found a lodgment for his point and began to childhood innocence.
push till he was leaning with his whole weight.
The spear moved forward inch by inch and
the terrified squealing became a highpitched
scream. Then Jack found the throat and the
hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow
collapsed under them and they were heavy
and fulfilled upon her.
Chapter Eight

By the end of the book, Ralph’s

And in the middle of them, with filthy body, innocence has been taken entirely.
matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept He has seen what humans are
for the end of innocence, the darkness of capable of doing to each other
man’s heart, and the fall through the air of and his faith in humanity and
the true, wise friend called Piggy. civilisation is gone. Golding has
shown us “the darkness of man’s
Chapter Twelve
heart”, suggesting that innocence
will always be lost because of the
innate evil of humanity.

Lord of the Flies 50

Themes: Innocence - Key Quotes
 Themes: Innocence

Mini Exams
Question 1

How do you think Golding defines innocence in the novel?

Question 2

Are any of the characters innocent at the beginning of the novel?

Question 3

Who is the last character to

remain innocent?

Lord of the Flies 51

Themes: Innocence - Mini Exams
 Themes: Innocence

Exam Question
How does Golding present the loss of innocence in the novel?

Write about:
• how Golding presents the boys’ innocence at the start of the novel;
• how Golding presents the loss of innocence in the novel as a whole.

Don’t forget to plan your response.

Island - utopian idyll

- playground / exploration

Choirboys - Jack can't kill pig

Loss of innocence - hunters ''fulfilled'' - psychosexual connotations

Descent into savagery - murder

Intro - an overview statement that directly addresses the question

Point - Evidence – Analysis (PEA) paragraphs are an efficient way of meeting AOs

P Echo key words in question e.g. One way in which Golding presents . . . is . . .
E Memorise quotations – those that address more than one theme are particularly precious

A Analyse the effect of language/structure/context in your evidence

Aim to write at least three PEA paragraphs

Conclusion - summarise your main point(s)

Lord of the Flies 52

Themes: Innocence - Exam Question
 Themes: Innocence

Sample Answer
Good Response
Golding presents the reader with the expectation of
This is a
innocence from the opening of Lord of the Flies. The nicely-written
setting of an uninhabited island seems idyllic and the paragraph with
some thoughtful
choice of schoolboys as the protagonists evokes an
ideas.
atmosphere of innocent childlike adventure; in the
opening chapters, Ralph swims naked in the lagoon
and then explores the island with Jack and Simon,
scenes which evoke a carefree and playful mood.
Ralph is also naive about the events of the outside
world: he is convinced that his “daddy” who is a
Reference to captain in the navy will come to rescue him because
how Golding “the Queen has a map of every island”. His childish
uses language
use of language demonstrates his innocence to the
to construct
character - could reader.
this be expanded?
Other characters are also shown to be innocent from
the beginning. Although Jack has a more aggressive
mood than Ralph, he is still unable to bring himself
to kill a pig on his first hunt. However, Golding shows
that innocence is lost extremely easily and this can
lead to a slippery slope into savagery. Once Jack
does kill his first pig, his innocence is lost forever;
after that he develops an enjoyment of violence that
becomes more and more brutal.

As the novel goes on the childlike atmosphere

disappears and Golding begins to present the boys
in more adult ways. This can be seen in the scene
of the slaughter of the pig in Chapter 8. Not only

Good reference to do the boys no longer hesitate to kill but they now
specific language take pleasure in it and Golding uses language with
with an analysis sexual connotations, such as the hunters being
of its meaning.
“fulfilled”; this image links the scene to the loss of

Lord of the Flies 53

Themes: Innocence- Sample Answer
 virginity which could be traditionally viewed as a
rite of passage out of childhood innocence and into
adulthood.

Another important point in the novel that represents This paragraph

loss of innocence is Simon’s encounter with the Lord slips slightly
of the Flies. The vision tells Simon that the beast is into narrative -
make sure you’re
inside him, meaning that human nature is innately
analysing the
evil; this understanding that all humans are evil at text and relating
heart ends Simon’s innocence and soon leads to his it back to the
murder at the hands of the other boys. The deaths question and not
just rewording
of Piggy and Simon can be seen to represent the the story.
end of all true innocence on the island as by the end
all the characters have either taken part in murder
and savagery or are aware of what humans are truly
capable of doing to each other.

This is a good answer that hones in on Golding’s

specific language choices and how they create or
erode innocence, although these could be expanded.
There’s a lack of contextual information which would
help this response score higher and the student
needs to be careful to always focus on analysis and
avoid storytelling.

Lord of the Flies 54

Themes: Innocence- Sample Answer
 Themes: Innocence

Sample Answer
Great Response
Golding’s characters turn from a group of ordinary
deserted schoolboys into deadly savages, thereby
showing a loss of innocence.

However, it could be argued that the boys’ innocence

This is an
interesting point is lost before the novel even begins. On the one
that shows hand, they are innocent victims of war. It is because
independent
of this that they were being transported in the plane
thinking by
subverting the that crashed, leaving them stranded. On the other
question from the hand, Golding uses the apparently atomic conflict
start. to frame events on the island, suggesting perhaps
that the whole of mankind is already lost. It could
also be argued that the instinctive cruelty of boys
is immediately apparent in the taunting of Piggy.
Nevertheless, the image of youthful choirboys still
acts as a symbol of innocence and Golding slowly
reveals the beast within the boys, in particular Jack.

Jack’s thirst for power is hinted at almost from the

beginning in his frictional relationship with Ralph.
Overall, Ralph represents a civilising influence,
while Jack represents savagery. Initially at least,
Jack observes the rules of democracy when Ralph is
voted leader, even though he is already accustomed
to leading a large group of the boys. From the outset
though, he is more interested in hunting than he is
in anything that ties him to civilised society, such
as the huts that Ralph gets little help in building.
While Ralph and a few others such as Simon and
Piggy get to work, the other boys splash about and
play in the lagoon. Splashing about is a playful
This is a
image appropriate to innocent children, yet their very clever
turning their backs on building a new civilisation observation.

Lord of the Flies 55

Themes: Innocence- Sample Answer
 is also sowing the seeds for savagery that is very
much a loss of innocence. Similarly, initial attempts
at hunting resemble child’s play rather than life or
death missions. It is telling that, at this early stage,
Jack can’t bring himself to kill the pig tangled in
the vines yet before long he will allow the murder
of the aptly-named Piggy without any qualms. And
when Roger stamps on the littluns’ sandcastles and
throws stones at them, it signals a shift from play
towards violence.

The ‘beastie’ is also used to represent the shift

Reference to from innocence to savagery. The very word sounds
language - what’s babyish, the sort of thing that a small child would
the effect of this dream up in a nightmare. But as the beast starts
word choice?
to seem more real, it gives Jack the chance to fully
unleash his primal side. At one point he shouts,
“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If
there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down!” Gone is the How is the reader
weak child, indicated by the declaration of strength affected by this
and the swear word that an innocent child wouldn’t use of language?

use. The move from fearing the beast to hunting for

it further demonstrates loss of innocence, leading
to Simon’s thought that “Maybe there is a beast…
Maybe it’s only us.” When Ralph and others spill
blood, the beast goes from being something outside
to something within. Towards the end, when they
again play-act the hunting of a pig, the wild dancing
and chanting give it a much more sinister air and it
results in the murder of Simon, who is probably the
only character to stay innocent. Indeed, the clearest
symbol of innocence lost is Simon returning to the
peaceful forest clearing to find the rotting pig’s
head that gives the novel its title!

The slide into the heart of darkness is also summed

up by the line in Chapter 12, ‘Ralph wept for the end
of innocence’. Ralph stood in opposition to Jack’s
savagery but even he at times gets caught up in the
excitement of the hunt. However, his weeping could
be taken as tears of atonement when he stumbles

Lord of the Flies 56

Themes: Innocence- Sample Answer
 across the naval officer. Although the boys will
never be truly innocent again, perhaps reflecting the
This contextual nature of the world that they will return to. Lord of
info feels like
the Flies was written in 1954 when the horrors of the
an afterthought
- it needs to be Second World War were followed by the threat of
more embedded nuclear war and the end of civilisation as we know
throughout the it, which definitely influenced Golding’s pessimistic
response.
worldview.

This is a creative and individual response which

picks out some really interesting points and develops
them well. While they have made some references to
language, these could be expanded and developed
into a deeper analysis of how Golding’s choices
affect the reader. There is some reference to context
right at the end but it feels tacked on. The student
should try to embed context throughout.

Lord of the Flies 57

Themes: Innocence- Sample Answer
 Themes
Power
Lord of the Flies presents us with a conflict between two types of
power. Ralph’s leadership represents democracy, where everyone has
a say in decision-making and a chance to be heard. Ralph holds power
as the elected leader, but he wants to use this power responsibly for
the good of the whole group. He creates rules that keep order on the
island and ensure that the boys have a chance of being rescued. In
contrast, Jack’s leadership represents dictatorship. He has absolute
power and what he says goes. He controls others through fear, both
of ‘the beast’ and of the beatings he gives to those who disobey him.
He also offers to provide food and safety to the others, but only on
the condition that they serve him. In other words, he wants power
out of his own selfishness and not because he wants to do good for
others.

Golding presents democracy as both essential and fragile. It’s clear

that the boys need to create a community if they want to survive and
be rescued - they have to work together to build shelters, keep the fire
going, hunt for food and look after the littluns. The problem is that
this requires everyone to take their share of responsibility and do their
part for society. Although Ralph has good ideas as leader, he has
little power to force the others to do as he asks, and things
quickly begin to fall apart when the boys become selfish and fail to
pull their weight. Democracy also gives everyone a right
to a voice, but this right can be abused by people like Jack
who use it to spread fear and encourage violence.

Golding shows how easily democracy can fall into

dictatorship when Jack takes power. Jack preys on
the boys’ selfish instincts, telling them that they’ll
get meat and have fun if they follow him; Golding
suggests that people are more likely to follow a
leader who promises them individual pleasures

Lord of the Flies 58

Themes: Power
 than one who asks them to work for the good of the group. Golding
also shows that many people (like Jack’s choir) are simply ‘followers’
who will take orders without question from those with power; Jack
is able to manipulate his followers until they treat him almost as a
god. Once he’s in charge, Jack uses fear and violence to enforce his
rules and takes away the freedom that the boys had under Ralph’s
leadership, creating a savage and cruel society.

Power is also linked to physical strength in the novel. In the conflict for
power on the island, the real victims are those who can’t stand up for
themselves. Piggy and Simon are the smartest and most understanding
of the boys but their ideas are ignored because they are easily bullied
by those who are larger and stronger. Golding suggests that brute
force is the quickest and easiest way to power, but it comes at a cost
- it destroys our ability to think freely and intelligently, symbolised by
the deaths of Piggy and Simon.

Lord of the Flies 59

Themes: Power
 Context
Lord of the Flies was written the reader how easily democracy
during the Cold War, a period can be destroyed and replaced
of tension between democratic by dictatorship. Golding gives the
countries (the USA and its reader a warning of what might
allies, including the UK) and happen if the Cold War became a
authoritarian countries (the full-blown conflict.
Soviet Union and its allies). The
The character of Jack was
novel can be seen as an allegory
inspired by a number of real-life
for the Cold War, with Ralph and
dictators from Golding’s lifetime,
Jack representing the two sides.
particularly Joseph Stalin of the
Through the novel, Golding shows

Lord of the Flies 60

Themes: Power - Context
 Soviet Union and Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany. Both of these rulers
persecuted and killed those who criticised them or challenged their
authority (symbolised by the murders of Simon and Piggy and the
hunting of Ralph). Both of them also created a cult of personality
around themselves - they were followed by fanatical supporters who
saw them as almost godlike, just as Jack is. Golding wanted to show
the reader both how easy and tempting it can be to follow a dictator,
but also how dangerous and destructive such leaders are.

Lord of the Flies 61

Themes: Power - Context
 Theme: Power

Key Quotes
Jack’s attitude to power is made
He lifted the conch. “Seems to me we ought clear early on: he wants it for himself.
to have a chief to decide things.” Jack doesn’t display any particular
“A chief! A chief!” leadership skills, but he thinks he
should be in charge because he always
“I ought to be chief,” said Jack with simple
has been in positions of power. Golding
arrogance, “because I’m chapter chorister shows that a taste of power can corrupt
and head boy. I can sing C sharp.” people and make them arrogant.
Chapter One

Golding presents both strengths and

weaknesses in Ralph’s leadership.
“A fire! Make a fire!”
Ralph’s ideas are good and his
At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack intentions are in the right place, but
clamoured among them, the conch forgotten. he struggles for authority and is easily
“Come on! Follow me!” undermined by Jack. Golding suggests
that democracy is easily weakened by
The space under the palm trees was full of ineffective leadership.
noise and movement. Ralph was on his feet
too, shouting for quiet, but no one heard him.
All at once the crowd swayed toward the
island and was gone—following Jack.
Chapter Two

The novel’s power conflict is shown

here. Ralph’s argument that he was
“And you shut up! Who are you, anyway? “chosen” as chief puts him on the side
Sitting there telling people what to do. You of democracy. By rejecting the authority
can’t hunt, you can’t sing—” of an elected leader, Jack puts himself
“I’m chief. I was chosen.” on the side of authoritarianism and
dictatorship. Their attitudes to power
“Why should choosing make any difference?
can’t coexist peacefully, driving their
Just giving orders that don’t make any society apart.
sense—”
Chapter Five

Lord of the Flies 62

Themes: Power - Key Quotes
 As chief, Jack takes absolute control
Jack spoke. of his tribe, acting as a dictator and
“Give me a drink.” treating the other boys as servants.
Golding personifies Jack’s authority
Henry brought him a shell and he drank,
and uses the simile of an “ape” to show
watching Piggy and Ralph over the jagged
that Jack’s desire for power is savage
rim. Power lay in the brown swell of his
and animalistic rather than civilised.
forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and He doesn’t care about the good of his
chattered in his ear like an ape. group; he simply enjoys having power
Chapter Nine over them.

With Piggy’s death and the destruction

Suddenly Jack bounded out from the tribe of the conch, there is nothing left of
and began screaming wildly. the democratic society that the boys
“See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant initially created. With democracy and
civilisation defeated, Jack finally feels
that! There isn’t a tribe for you any more! The
free to commit the ultimate crime by
conch is gone—”
murdering Ralph without fear of any
He ran forward, stooping. consequence. Golding shows that
“I’m chief!” under authoritarian leaders, there is no
tolerance for opposition.
Chapter Eleven

Lord of the Flies 63

Themes: Power - Key Quotes
 Themes: Power

Mini Exams
Question 1

Is Ralph the best leader on the island? Explain your answer.

Question 2

Do you think democracy was doomed to fail on the island, or is Ralph’s

leadership to blame?

Question 3

Why do you think Jack is able to gain followers?

What’s in it for them?

Lord of the Flies 64

Themes: Power - Mini Exams
 Themes: Power

Exam Question
How does Golding use the characters of Jack and Ralph to present
conflicting ideas about power in the novel?

Write about:
• how Golding presents Ralph and Jack’s attitudes to power;
• how Golding presents power in the novel as a whole.

Don’t forget to plan your response.

conch
Ralph = democracy shelter collective good - progressive
intelligence+order

strength +& savagery

selfish & primitive -
Jack = dictatorship hunting
ideals abandoned
chants / bullying

Intro - an overview statement that directly addresses the question

Point - Evidence – Analysis (PEA) paragraphs are an efficient way of meeting AOs

P Echo key words in question e.g. One way in which Golding presents . . . is . . .
E Memorise quotations – those that address more than one theme are particularly precious

A Analyse the effect of language/structure/context in your evidence

Aim to write at least three PEA paragraphs

Conclusion - summarise your main point(s)

Lord of the Flies 65

Themes: Power - Exam Question
 Themes: Power

Sample Answer
Good Response
Both Ralph and Jack are powerful characters in Lord
of the Flies but the way they use their power is very
different. This can be seen from the beginning of
the novel when the boys decide to choose a chief.
Ralph suggests that the boys vote for the chief,
which shows he believes in fairness and giving other
people a say. In contrast, Jack tries to make himself
chief because he was head boy at school, which
shows that he is used to having power over people
and expects to be in charge. Golding sets up the
Clearly focused two boys as having conflicting ideals, with Ralph
on the question. representing democracy and Jack representing
dictatorship.

When Ralph is chief, he tries to do good for the

whole group by focusing on building shelters and
trying to signal for rescue. However most of the boys
fail to pull their weight; they do not help with the
shelters and allow the signal fire to go out. Golding
suggests that democratic power is only effective
when everyone takes part. He suggests that people
are naturally more individualistic and selfish and
this makes democracies vulnerable. In contrast,
Jack appeals to the boys’ selfish nature by saying
they can have meat and fun if they join him. Many of
the group defect to Jack’s tribe. Golding shows this
to represent how dictators such as Hitler were able Some contextual
to overthrow democracies and seize power during reference here.
This paragraph his lifetime by appealing to the more selfish needs
is well structured
of people.
with references
to the text and to Golding shows that power can be used by those
Golding’s ideas.
who are physically strongest to oppress people

Lord of the Flies 66

Themes: Power- Sample Answer
 who are weaker than themselves. Although Jack is
not presented as the most intelligent of the boys
and does not come up with ideas, he is followed
by many of the boys simply because he is strong
and threatens them with fear and punishment. The
people who suffer most under this rule are kind and
intelligent characters like Simon and Piggy who
have their voices ignored (such as when Simon tries
to explain that the beast is inside the boys and is
laughed at ) or are physically bullied (such as when
Jack’s tribe steals Piggy’s glasses). Golding suggests
that dictators like Jack who use violence to achieve
power destroy the intelligence and kindness in their
societies.

Overall Golding presents democracy as essential

for a society to have freedom of speech and to look
after the most vulnerable, but he suggests that
democracies are also easily destroyed and warns us
that dictatorships can easily take over.

This is a solid response that shows a good

understanding of the differences between Ralph and
Jack’s characters. The student should try to focus on
how Golding crafts his characters through language
as well as through their actions in the plot and
how a reader would respond differently to the two
characters.

Lord of the Flies 67

Themes: Power- Sample Answer
 Themes: Power

Sample Answer
Great Response
Through the characters of Ralph and Jack,
Golding presents to the reader a conflict between Reference to a
two competing attitudes to power and styles of specific literary
device.
leadership. Through this conflict, Lord of the Flies
can be seen as an analogy for the conflict between
democratic and authoritarian governments in
Detailed Golding’s lifetime, such as between the UK and Nazi
contextual
Germany in the Second World War and between the
information used
to develop points. USA and the Soviet Union at the time of the novel’s
writing.

Ralph can be seen to represent a democratic style of Really detailed

leadership; his power on the island comes from being paragraph with
elected by the other boys, which he emphasises to embedded textual
references.
show that he is a legitimate leader: “I’m chief. I was
chosen”. His attitude to power is to allow everyone’s
voice to be heard and to make decisions that benefit
the wider society over individual needs. This can
be seen in his initial decision to call an assembly
and elect a leader and his priorities to build huts
for shelter and maintain a signal fire for rescue. He
listens to and trusts the advice of other members of
the group, including those who are less physically
strong, such as Piggy and Simon. He creates rules
out of a desire to maintain order and keep everyone
safe rather than to control them; this is epitomised
in his statement to Jack that “the rules are all we’ve
got”, which suggests that order and authority are
the only things preventing the boys’ society from
collapsing.

In contrast, Jack holds an authoritarian style of

leadership which Golding uses to represent dictatorial

Lord of the Flies 68

Themes: Power- Sample Answer
 rulers from his lifetime such as Hitler and Stalin; he
wants power for his own benefit rather than for the
good of others. Jack enjoys exercising control over
others, as seen in his declaration that he should be
chief because “I’m head boy”, which suggests that
he feels entitled to a position of authority. As the
novel progresses, Jack increasingly uses violence
and intimidation to enforce his authority, forcibly
stealing Piggy’s glasses and beating members of his
tribe who cross him. His disdain for any authority

Excellent
other than his own is seen in his retort to Ralph:
understanding of “Bollocks to the rules!” This shows that he has no
character shown interest in working towards a common good, but
- how would a
instead acts on his own desires regardless of the
reader respond
differently to the impact on others.
two characters?
Golding critiques these ideas about power through
the conflict between Ralph and Jack. While Golding
presents Ralph’s leadership as fair and focused
on the common good, Ralph’s tribe is ultimately
defeated by Jack’s and Jack assumes complete
control over the island when he throws his spear at
Ralph with intent to kill and declares “I’m chief!”.
While Ralph is idealistic and has good intentions, he
is also naive and struggles to control the boys under
his rule and convince them to work together as a
society. In contrast, Jack is shown as a stronger and
more assertive leader and effectively controls the
members of his tribe. Golding implies that rule by the
use of fear and violence can be more powerful than
the rule of democracy and suggests that democratic
This is a well-
societies are at risk of being overthrown by more crafted summary
authoritarian leaders; however, he also shows that of Golding’s
the societies created by authoritarian leaders are ideas.

violent and self-destructive and provides a warning

to the reader of the dystopian consequences of
dictatorship.

Lord of the Flies 69

Themes: Power- Sample Answer
 A really detailed response to the question that shows
a thorough understanding of how Golding uses Ralph
and Jack to represent different power structures. I
would want this student to pay closer attention to
how the audience would respond to the characters
and how the reader’s response would play into
Golding’s conclusions about power and authority.

Lord of the Flies 70

Themes: Power- Sample Answer
 Themes
War
War is at the centre of Lord of the Flies. The boys are on the island
because they were being evacuated from a nuclear war raging around
the world. As the society on the island collapses and the boys split
into two rival groups, they end up starting a miniature war of their
own. The irony that the boys were trying to escape from one war
and end up fighting another one sums up Golding’s view: that war is
an unavoidable part of humanity because of our inherently violent
nature.

The only world that we see outside the island is the world of war. The
dead pilot who parachutes onto the mountain is killed in an air battle
between military planes. The fact that his body is identified as the
‘beast’ by the boys is symbolic - the pilot’s death and the haunting
image of his body represent the brutal consequences of war, which
is a result of the innate savagery of humanity. The only other adult
character we see in the novel is the naval officer who arrives at the
end. He initially seems disappointed in the boys for the destruction
and chaos that they have created on the island and jokes
about them “having a war”. However, his reaction changes
to embarrassment as he realises that he isn’t really any
different from the boys - he is fighting a war himself
and, though it’s on a bigger scale, it’s been caused
by the same human savagery that the children
have fallen into.

Golding shows that war has a totally destructive

impact on both humanity and nature. At the start of
the book, Piggy implies that the society the boys came from
has been wiped out as a consequence of war (“They’re all
dead”). This foreshadows the fate of the boys’ society on
the island. The deaths of Simon and Piggy symbolise war’s
destruction of goodness, innocence, morality and rational

Lord of the Flies 71

Themes: War
 thinking; all that’s left afterwards is violence. The burning of the island
at the end of the book shows the cost of war - Jack is so desperate to
destroy his enemies that he is prepared to destroy everything else to
do it. In this way, Golding suggests that war has no real winners - even
when the war is over, the victor is left with nothing but a wasteland
to rule over.

Lord of the Flies 72

Themes: War
 Context
Lord of the Flies was published two nations and their allies were
in 1954, less than a decade after facing off against each other and
the end of the Second World War, the possibility of a third world
which Golding himself fought in. It war breaking out was a very real
was the deadliest war in history, one. Both sides possessed atomic
with up to 85 million people killed bombs, the most destructive
and entire cities destroyed. After weapons ever made. This meant
the war, the USA and the Soviet that a full-scale war between them
Union emerged as the two most had the potential to wipe out the
powerful countries in the world. whole of civilisation, an idea known
When the novel was written, these as mutually assured destruction.

Lord of the Flies 73

Themes: War - Context
 In Lord of the Flies, Golding explores what might happen in such a situation,
where civilisation has been destroyed and people try to rebuild it from
scratch. In Golding’s view, the new society would be doomed to repeat
the mistakes of the old one and tear itself apart in war again.

Lord of the Flies 74

Themes: War - Context
 Theme: War

Key Quotes
Golding never shows us what’s
“Didn’t you hear what the pilot said? About
happened to Britain in the novel but
the atom bomb? They’re all dead.” he alludes to it in Chapter One. Piggy’s
- Piggy, Chapter One mention of the “atom bomb” suggests
that a nuclear war has broken out and
it is likely that the world the boys came
from has been destroyed. Golding
shows that global warfare has the
potential to wipe out civilisation as we
know it.
The creature was a party of boys, marching
approximately in step in two parallel lines
and dressed in strangely eccentric clothing.
Shorts, shirts, and different garments they
carried in their hands: but each boy wore When Jack and his choir are first
a square black cap with a silver badge in introduced, their appearance alludes to
it. Their bodies, from throat to ankle, were an army: they march in step and wear
hidden by black cloaks which bore a long matching uniforms and insignia. This
silver cross on the left breast. foreshadows their role in the novel as
hunters and, later on, soldiers in Jack’s
- Chapter One
war against Ralph and his followers.

Golding gives the reader a brief glimpse

A sliver of moon rose over the horizon, hardly
of the war that is taking place in the
large enough to make a path of light even world beyond the island when a battle
when it sat right down on the water; but is fought high in the sky above it. The
there were other lights in the sky, that moved dead body of the pilot is a symbol of
fast, winked, or went out, though not even war and the destruction it causes. The
a faint popping came down from the battle boys mistake the pilot for the beast,
fought at ten miles’ height. But a sign came but the real beast is the evil inside them
down from the world of grown-ups, though - the same evil that caused the war that
at the time there was no child awake to read took the pilot’s life.
it. There was a sudden bright explosion and
corkscrew trail across the sky; then darkness
again and stars. There was a speck above the
island, a figure dropping swiftly beneath a
parachute, a figure that hung with dangling
limbs.
- Chapter Six

Lord of the Flies 75

Themes: War - Key Quotes
 Golding uses dramatic irony to highlight
The officer grinned cheerfully at Ralph. the horrors that Ralph has witnessed.
“We saw your smoke. What have you been The sailor jokes about the boys “having
doing? Having a war or something?” a war”, expecting that they have been
playing a game, but Ralph is deadly
Ralph nodded.
serious. Golding suggests that war is an
- Chapter Twelve inevitable part of humanity: the boys
came to the island trying to escape war
but still ended up fighting one.

The novel ends with the naval officer

The officer, surrounded by these noises, was looking out to his warship, embarrassed.
moved and a little embarrassed. He turned He expresses his disappointment that
away to give them time to pull themselves the boys have descended into savagery,
together; and waited, allowing his eyes to but his embarrassment shows the
rest on the trim cruiser in the distance. truth: he’s not really any different from
the boys. Just like them, he is fighting
- Chapter Twelve
a savage and brutal war, and his ship
is yet another symbol of humanity’s
violence.

Lord of the Flies 76

Themes: War - Key Quotes
 Themes: War

Mini Exams
Question 1

Is Lord of the Flies a war story or is the setting just coincidental?

Question 2

Is it significant that all the adults in the novel are in the military?

Question 3

“Golding’s war experience is crucial to understanding the novel.”

Discuss.

Lord of the Flies 77

Themes: War - Mini Exams
 Themes: War

Exam Question
How does Golding present the theme of war in the novel?

Write about:
• how Golding uses the character of the naval officer to present ideas about war;
• how Golding presents war in the novel as a whole.

Don’t forget to plan your response.

Represents Looks
safety / embarrassed
salvation
Warship
Ralph's Naval
father Officer Island
Adult
Uniform world Hunting Dead
=order pilot
BUTgun
holster Whole
Bullying novel
Anonymous

Fighting Atomicwar
- context

Intro - an overview statement that directly addresses the question

Point - Evidence – Analysis (PEA) paragraphs are an efficient way of meeting AOs

P Echo key words in question e.g. One way in which Golding presents . . . is . . .
E Memorise quotations – those that address more than one theme are particularly precious

A Analyse the effect of language/structure/context in your evidence

Aim to write at least three PEA paragraphs

Conclusion - summarise your main point(s)

Lord of the Flies 78

Themes: War - Exam Question
 Themes: War

Sample Answer
Good Response
The naval officer at the end of the novel is an
interesting character because on the surface he
represents a return to civilisation. The boys have
been abandoned by the adult world and left to fend
for themselves. They are dirty and dishevelled and
some have been killed. The naval officer juxtaposes Nice use of
with the boys with his clean white uniform with shiny language
buttons and this contrast gives the initial idea that terminology with
an explanation of
he represents safety and peace. However Golding effect that leads
is ironically pointing out that the civilisation that into a good point.
they are returning to is just as violent as the island
they are leaving. This is made clear by the gun the
officer carries and his “embarrassed” look at his
warship, which is a weapon of war designed to kill
other humans. Golding is saying that humanity is
violent regardless of how civilised we try to be and
the officer is really no different to the savage boys
on the island.

Throughout the novel, war is presented as a

This is a well-
structured consequence of mankind’s innate savagery. This
paragraph with can be seen in the representation of the beast as a
a clear point, military pilot shot down and killed in an air battle.
evidence from
the text and an
The war in which the pilot was killed represents the
explanation of violence of humanity and he is a victim of it; in turn,
meaning. his body comes to symbolise the evil which is present
inside the boys on the island too. The body of the
pilot reinforces the boys’ belief in the beast and
this accelerates their own descent into savagery.
Golding suggests that violence and warfare are a
continuous cycle that will always plague mankind
because of our innate desire for violence.

Lord of the Flies 79

Themes: War - Sample Answer
 Golding presents war as almost totally destructive.
All the death and destruction in the novel is
ultimately a consequence of war; the boys are only
on the island because they were trying to escape
from danger, but even a plane full of children is not
safe from the violence. Ironically, as the boys are
trying to escape from one war, they end up creating
another war between themselves. At the end of
the novel the island is totally destroyed. This can
be linked to the world at the time Golding wrote
Decent use
the book, when there was a real risk of a nuclear
of contextual
war breaking out that would have the potential to information to
destroy all life. It could be seen that Golding is trying explain Golding’s
ideas.
to warn the reader about the horrifying potential
consequences of war.

This answer is neatly structured and contains some

really good ideas relating solidly to the question,
although they could have honed in more specifically
on the character of the naval officer. The response is
somewhat underdeveloped and could do with some
of the points being fleshed out and expanded but the
student shows a good understanding of the theme in
the novel.

Lord of the Flies 80

Themes: War - Sample Answer
 Themes: War

Sample Answer
Great Response
The theme of war is ever-present throughout the
novel but it is referenced directly only scarcely. A
world war is clearly the backdrop of the novel but
Golding never specifies explicitly which nations are
at war or why. This gives the reader the impression
This is a really
that war is a constant or an inevitability; that interesting take
regardless of what countries are in power, conflict on the effect on
the reader.
will always hang over humanity. This relates to
Golding’s own pessimistic views about humanity
as an innately violent and warlike species. Piggy’s
fatalistic statement that “they’re all dead” shows
Golding’s stark view about warfare - that a conflict
in the nuclear era would likely wipe out all humanity.

This idea is continued with the fact that all references

This is a great
to war are faceless and anonymous. The pilot who idea and
parachutes to the island is masked by a helmet and developed really
well in the rest of
identifiable only by his uniform; in this way, Golding
the paragraph.
uses him to represent all the lives lost to war from
all countries and backgrounds and suggests that
he could have been anyone and from anywhere; his
death is just one among a countless number and
war has stripped him of an identity in death. In the
same way, the naval officer who greets Ralph at the
end of the novel is identified only by the tools of
his job: his uniform, his ship and his gun. He has no
purpose or identity beyond war and killing. This is
foreshadowed in Chapter One by the appearance
Great use of Jack’s choir, who wear identical uniforms and
of language matching insignia which depersonalise them and
terminology here.
could be seen as an analogy for military uniforms.
Golding implies that war dehumanises people and

Lord of the Flies 81

Themes: War - Sample Answer
 reduces them to mere killing machines, with their
own identities and personalities of no consequence
to those giving the orders. This attitude could
certainly have been influenced by Golding’s own
Nice use of service during the Royal Navy in the Second World
context to War; it’s perhaps not a coincidence that he chose a
develop analysis.
naval officer to represent the adult world of war in
the novel.

The conflict between Ralph and Jack’s tribes on

Another well-
the island can be seen as representing a war on a
developed
micro scale, with the two tribes representing the paragraph.
major powers of the world at the time of the novel’s
writing (the western democracies for Ralph and the
USSR for Jack). The outcome of the “war”, with the
entire island being destroyed by fire, symbolises
the concept of mutually-assured destruction in
a nuclear war: regardless of which side starts
the war, there can be no winners as there will be
nothing left to rule over afterwards. This miniature
conflict is remarked upon by the naval officer with
the joking comment “having a war?”, but his mood
soon changes to “a little embarrassed”. Golding
implies that a world war with modern technology
such as warships and nuclear weapons is ultimately
no different from a war with sharpened sticks on an
island - both ultimately reflect humanity’s innate
desire for violence and power.

This is a detailed and confidently written response

that shows a thorough understanding of the theme
and Golding’s ideas. The student makes some
interesting and individual points and backs them up
with good references to the text. Again, the response
could take a more detailed focus on the character
of the naval officer but the student has embedded
their analysis of him amongst other points in an
interesting way.

Lord of the Flies 82

Themes: War - Sample Answer
 Themes
Religion and Spirituality
Lord of the Flies can be interpreted as a religious allegory. Many of the
symbols and characters have links to scenes from Christianity. This is
one of the most complex themes in the novel.

Simon can be seen as a parallel to Jesus Christ. Just like Jesus, Simon
is presented as kind, selfless and morally good; he seems to have no
interest in the savagery that tempts the other boys. He looks after
the weakest and most vulnerable children on the island, picking
fruit for the littluns to eat, just as Jesus looked after the hungry and
sick. He also shows a strangely deep and mature understanding of
humanity for someone so young - he is the only character that comes
to understand that the ‘beast’ is the evil inside the boys themselves.

Simon’s perfect goodness is contrasted with the Lord of the Flies,

which symbolises evil and can be seen as representing the Devil. The
Lord of the Flies tries to convince Simon to reject his good nature and
become savage like the other boys. This is reminiscent of a scene in
the Bible where Satan tries to tempt Jesus into evil. Simon rejects the
Lord of the Flies just as Jesus rejects Satan. In the Bible, Jesus tries to
share his message with the world but is persecuted and killed for his
beliefs by people who fear what he has to say. In the same way, Simon
tries to share his knowledge of the ‘beast’ with the others, but he is
killed as he tries to do so.

Golding presents religion and spirituality as a way to uncover the real

truth about ourselves. He shows us that civilisation can mask the evil
of humanity and hide it from us, but it doesn’t destroy it. However,
through religion and spirituality we are able to look inside ourselves
and confront the evil within us head-on, just like Simon confronts the
Lord of the Flies. Only by understanding and accepting that there’s a
‘beast’ within us can we lose our fear of it. At the same time, Golding
shows that most people are too afraid of this truth to accept it. Simon’s

Lord of the Flies 83

Themes: Religion and Spirituality
 murder by the other boys symbolises the way fear can overpower
truth and shows that this fear leads to savagery.

Lord of the Flies 84

Themes: Religion and Spirituality
 Context
Golding was a Christian and the tree and became sinners. This
themes in the novel were influenced was the origin of human evil and
by key concepts from Christianity. all other humans inherited this sin
The idea that evil is part of human from them. Christians believe that
nature resembles a Christian we have to acknowledge our sins
teaching called original sin. This and ask for forgiveness to avoid
teaches that the first humans, going to Hell. In Lord of the Flies,
Adam and Eve, were completely the boys do not acknowledge their
innocent until they disobeyed God own evil and they turn the island
by eating fruit from a forbidden into a Hell on earth.

Lord of the Flies 85

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Context
 In the Bible, the Garden of Eden was a perfect paradise until it was
corrupted by the sins of humans. The island in the novel is an allusion
to the Garden of Eden: it is an unspoilt and beautiful place until the
boys arrive, but they corrupt its natural beauty and eventually destroy it
completely.

Lord of the Flies 86

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Context
 Theme: Religion and Spirituality

Key Quotes
“He wants to know what you’re going to do This is the first mention of the ‘beast’
about the snake-thing [...] he says it was a in the novel. Up to this point, the boys
beastie.” have had a happy and adventurous
“Beastie?” time on the island. The ‘snake-thing’
alludes to the serpent in the Garden
“A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it.”
of Eden, which tempted and corrupted
Chapter Two Adam and Eve and destroyed their
paradise. In the same way, the fear of
the ‘beast’ eventually tears apart the
boys’ society.
Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon
sunlight, Simon found for them the fruit they
could not reach, pulled off the choicest from Golding presents Simon as a Christ-like
up in the foliage, passed them back down to figure when he picks fruit for the littluns.
the endless, outstretched hands. Just like Jesus, Simon selflessly looks
after the powerless and vulnerable; he
Chapter Three
shows no interest in taking power for
himself or exploiting others.

Simon has a secret place in the jungle

Simon paused. He looked over his shoulder that he retreats to on his own. This
as Jack had done at the close ways behind draws another comparison to the life
him and glanced swiftly round to confirm of Jesus, who spent forty days alone in
that he was utterly alone. For a moment his the desert. Satan tried to tempt Jesus
movements were almost furtive. Then he bent away from God during this time but
down and wormed his way into the center of Jesus refused every temptation.
the mat. The creepers and the bushes were
so close that he left his sweat on them and
Simon comes to understand that the
they pulled together behind him. only beast on the island is human evil,
Chapter Three represented by the Lord of the Flies.
The Lord of the Flies takes its name
from Beelzebub (Satan), the ultimate
symbol of evil in Christianity. Like Satan
“What are you doing out here all alone?
tempting Jesus to turn away from God,
Aren’t you afraid of me?” the Lord of the Flies tries to convince
Simon shook. Simon to ignore what he has learned
“There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And and join the other boys in becoming
I’m the Beast. [...] Come now,” said the Lord savage.
of the Flies. “Get back to the others and we’ll
forget the whole thing.”
Chapter Eight

Lord of the Flies 87

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Key Quotes
 Simon’s death is a parallel to the death
Simon was crying out something about a of Jesus. He is killed while trying to
dead man on a hill. share an important message with the
“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! rest of the boys (that the beast is not
Do him in!” real and they have nothing to fear from
it ); this alludes to the death of Jesus,
The sticks fell and the mouth of the new
who was killed by people who feared
circle crunched and screamed. The beast was and rejected his teachings.
on its knees in the center, its arms folded
over its face. It was crying out against the
abominable noise, something about a body
on the hill.
Chapter Nine

Golding juxtaposes Simon’s brutal

Somewhere over the darkened curve of the murder with a peaceful and strangely
world the sun and moon were pulling, and beautiful image of his body being
carried out to sea by the tide. Golding
the film of water on the earth planet was
implies that in death Simon has
held, bulging slightly on one side while the
found peace and an escape from the
solid core turned. The great wave of the savagery of the island. His body returns
tide moved farther along the island and the to nature, free from human evil. This
water lifted. Softly, surrounded by a fringe could be seen as an allusion to Heaven,
of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver in the same way that Jesus ascended to
shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Heaven after his crucifixion.
Simon’s dead body moved out toward the
open sea.
Chapter Nine

Lord of the Flies 88

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Key Quotes
 Themes: Religion and Spirituality

Mini Exams
Question 1

Is the novel a religious allegory? Explain your answer.

Question 2

Does Jack’s tribe have a religion? How does Golding present their beliefs?

Question 3

How important is Simon to the novel as a whole?

Lord of the Flies 89

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Mini Exams
 Themes: Religion and Spirituality

Exam Question
How does Golding use the character of Simon to present ideas about religion
in the novel?

Write about:
• how Golding presents the character of Simon;
• how Golding uses the character of Simon to present religious themes.

Don’t forget to plan your response.

1. Simon = Jesus = moralistic

e.g. helping littluns, at one with nature

2. Lord of the Flies = Satan = monstrous

e.g. beast within, Simon's death

3. Religion vs. human condition

Intro - an overview statement that directly addresses the question

Point - Evidence – Analysis (PEA) paragraphs are an efficient way of meeting AOs

P Echo key words in question e.g. One way in which Golding presents . . . is . . .
E Memorise quotations – those that address more than one theme are particularly precious

A Analyse the effect of language/structure/context in your evidence

Aim to write at least three PEA paragraphs

Conclusion - summarise your main point(s)

Lord of the Flies 90

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Exam Question
 Themes: Religion and Spirituality

Sample Answer
Good Response
Golding links the character of Simon to religious
themes in a number of ways. Firstly he is presented
as being the most morally good of the boys on the Clearly addresses
the question
island. He is seen to help the littluns by picking fruit AO1 box
with a textual
from the trees they can’t reach. Golding does this to reference and
draw a comparison between Simon and Jesus Christ, explanation.
who also selflessly looked after the vulnerable in the
Bible. Simon also has a close connection to nature
which is seen when he sits alone in the forest clearing
and admires the sights and sounds of the island.
This sets him apart from the other boys and gives
him an otherworldly or spiritual tone. Furthermore
Simon is shown to have a deeper understanding of
human nature than the rest of the boys. This is seen
when he says “maybe it’s only us” about the beast;
this shows that he understands that the beast is not
a physical monster but something within the boys
themselves.

Golding shows that religion can help us understand

the truth about ourselves through Simon. Simon’s
conversation with the Lord of the Flies symbolises
him confronting the devil and recognising the
potential for evil that lives inside humans. The other
boys refuse to listen to Simon’s message when
he tries to share it with them and ironically he is
What’s the
significance of mistaken for the beast and viciously killed while
this in the novel? trying to share his knowledge that the beast is not
physical. Simon’s death therefore is linked to the
death of Jesus who was crucified for trying to share
his teachings with the world.

Lord of the Flies 91

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Sample Answer
 Golding’s presentation of religion is mixed in the
novel. Although Simon is kind, innocent and morally
The points in
good, this does not prevent him from meeting
this paragraph
a violent death and he is not able to convey his are good but
message to the rest of the boys. This could be need more
Golding suggesting that religion is not able to hold development.
Why is Simon
back the savagery of human nature. At the same a significant
time, Simon’s death is presented as peaceful and character and
beautiful when his body is carried into the sea and how did Golding
construct him to
returns to nature. This could be a reference to Simon
convey ideas?
entering heaven and Golding suggesting that Simon
has found some peace in death that he could not
find on the brutal and violent island.

There are some good ideas in this response but they

need much more development. The student should
focus on how Golding develops the character of
Simon and how his character is important to the
novel as a whole. Much more detailed contextual
references are also needed to show why Simon’s
character has such religious connotations.

Lord of the Flies 92

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Sample Answer
 Themes: Religion and Spirituality

Sample Answer
Great Response
Simon is the purest, kindest and most spiritual of
the boys and therefore represents a Christ-like
figure, though his fate might suggest that Golding
views religion as having insufficient answers to
the savagery of modern society. He was writing in
the aftermath of World War II and at a time when
A relevant and
nuclear holocaust was a very real possibility so it is
interesting
contextual point. understandable if he thought society had turned its
back on God.

One example of Simon’s kindness is when he helps Specific textual

the littluns reach a high branch of fruit. This simple reference linked
act of goodness and generosity is in contrast to some to another point
in the text to
of the other older boys such as Roger who torment develop it.
those smaller and weaker than them. Simon, on the
other hand, never descends into savagery and sets
an example of goodness and charity that the others
unfortunately don’t follow. Just as Jesus tried to
do good but was let down by some of his followers
and even persecuted, the boys think Simon is
wrong when they describe him as “queer… funny…
cracked”. Golding suggests that purely morally
good behaviour is so rare among people as to be
seen as strange, implying that immoral behaviour is
the norm.

The reference to fruit also calls to mind the idea

of original sin and the story of Adam and Eve. The
island might not exactly be the Garden of Eden but
the boys have the chance to create their own utopia
and fail dismally. Only Simon resists the temptation
to turn savage, as even Ralph and Piggy get caught
up in the strange euphoria of chanting and dancing

Lord of the Flies 93

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Sample Answer
 in the aftermath of a kill. It is no coincidence that
Simon alone seems to notice the beauty of their
surroundings, such as when he marvels at the forest
glade that he finds. When he returns there later in
the novel, the beauty of nature has been infected by
man in the shape of the bloody sow’s head that sits
on a spike.

This all verifies Simon’s idea that “maybe there is a

beast… maybe it’s only us”. The “beast” that Simon
recognises as being inside the boys is representative
of the devil, tempting them towards evil. The
hallucinations that Simon experiences in front of
this “Lord of the Flies” have been interpreted as a
Strong contextual
knowledge used
reference to Jesus’ confrontation with Satan during
to develop ideas. his 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. The name
“Lord of the Flies” also has biblical connotations
as it refers to Beelzebub, an alternative name for
Satan; the visions foreshadow Simon’s death when
the head promises to have some “fun” with him. This
evil spirit is working in the boys when they tragically
attack Simon. And like Jesus Christ, he suffers a
sacrificial death.

However, the comparison between Simon and Christ Some really

is complicated in other ways. He is not a preacher interesting
and has no pretensions to being a saviour, even if he comparisons in
this paragraph
does set a strong moral example. Even though they but it needs to
both die sacrificial deaths, Jesus was killed for his consider what
beliefs whereas Simon is killed because of the other Golding was
trying to get
boys’ delusions. And Jesus died after spreading the
across to the
word of God, whereas Simon dies before he is able reader - what’s
to speak and explain the beastly shadow of the his overall
dead parachutist. And whereas Jesus’ teachings message?

continued after his death, the bodies of both Simon

and the parachutist are washed away so that the
boys are unable to learn from them. Finally, Jesus
supposedly died to absolve our sins but Simon’s
death conversely intensifies the sins of the others.

Lord of the Flies 94

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Sample Answer
 This response shows a really thorough understanding
of Simon’s role in the novel and a strong focus on the
question. Contextual information is used to develop
points and is integrated into the analysis. The student
should try to hone in on what they think Golding was
trying to get across as an overall message - what
did he want the reader to take away from Simon’s
character?

Lord of the Flies 95

Themes: Religion and Spirituality - Sample Answer
 Glossary
allegory territories across 1990s.
Something is the globe that connotations
allegorical if it has was governed and Ideas or feelings that
a deeper meaning controlled by British are evoked by words,
or message that’s rule. The Empire in addition to their
designed to give the expanded through literal definitions.
reader a moral or the eighteenth and For example, gold is
teach them a lesson. nineteenth centuries defined as a precious
Lord of the Flies is an and declined in the metal or as the colour
allegory as it has a twentieth century, of said metal but it
moral lesson contained though its legacy is connotes wealth and
within it. still felt today. luxury.
allusion Cold War contrasted
An allusion is a Period after the A contrast is formed
reference to another Second World War by two or more
text. Lord of the Flies when the United things being strikingly
contains allusions to States of America different
Bible stories. and the Soviet Union from each
antagonist emerged as global other.
superpowers whose
The antagonist is the
ideas and ways of ...
enemy, the person
life were in conflict;
or force which is
warfare was a
in conflict with the
constant threat but,
protagonist.
partly thanks to the
authoritarian
concept of mutually
A form of government
assured destruction,
that favours
it never materialised,
disciplined control
hence the adjective
over democratic
‘cold’. The Cold
procedures.
War ended with the
British Empire dissolution of the
Describes a set of Soviet Union in the

Lord of the Flies 96

Glossary
 cult of personality or frightening. This lead to mutually
A cult (fanatical contrasts with utopian assured destruction
following) built up societies in which life or, in other words, the
around a leader. is idyllic. certain devastation
Adolf Hitler in Nazi Freudian theory of both sides. The
Germany and Joseph Sigmund Freud was an fitting acronym MAD
Stalin in Soviet Russia influential psychologist is sometimes used to
are twentieth century of the late eighteenth describe this dilemma.
examples of political and early nineteenth original sin
personality cults. centuries. Freudian Refers to Eve’s biting
cynical theory suggests that into the forbidden
Describes the feeling as children develop, fruit in the Garden of
of cynicism, which is they progress Eden which, according
a distrust towards through a series of to Christian thinking,
authority and a belief psychosexual stages. resulted in humanity
that all are motivated intellectual inheriting a tainted
by self-interest. Engaged in critical nature and tendency

democracy thinking; able to to sin.

Democracies are understand levels pessimistic

states with an of information and Describes a negative
elected system of deeper meanings. mental attitude of
representation, irony always expecting the
such as Britain and A rhetorical device worst.
America. They contrast in which a contrast
with dictatorships. is created between
dictatorship surface and reality.
A dictatorship is It is ironic that Jack
when a single person insists on rules before
has control over becoming the leader of
government. Hitler the savages.
and Stalin were both mutually assured
dictators and Ralph destruction
aspires to be one. After the invention
dystopian of nuclear weapons,
A dystopia is a any escalation of
fictional society conflict between
that is undesirable nuclear powers would

Lord of the Flies 97

Glossary
 protagonist sadistic arrogant assumption
The main character Getting pleasure that the populations
who faces narrative from inflicting pain or there were savages
obstacles. suffering on others. who could not govern

rational savages themselves.

Able to act based on Wild and uncivilised

logic or reason, as people. The British
opposed to the often Empire’s colonisation
irrational influence of of other territories
emotion. was justified on the

Lord of the Flies 98

Glossary
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