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ravalyn 's review for:
Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I read this book in 2002 (aged 16), I wrote down that I was very impressed by it. I couldn't stop reading because the author wrote so well. The book pulls you in when you read about the children on the island and how they slowly derange into evil. In the present (2025), I still remember the feeling of horror while reading it; it did leave that strong an impression. Children can be very mean to each other, and Lord of the Flies builds on and expands this concept in a way that feels very believable. So much so, that this has become a widespread trope. Researchers have actually conducted multiple experiments with groups of isolated young boys to see if they would exhibit similar behaviour. The good news for humanity is that they did not, not even when incentives for mean behaviour were introduced. The children always started to work together. I always keep this in mind when I read something about Lord of the Flies or the 'dark side of children' trope.
The following is a shortened and updated version of my 2002 book report, which contains spoilers:
Abstract
A group of English schoolboys travelled with an airplane. It crashed above the ocean, fortunately just above an uninhabited island. Two of the boys, Ralph and a boy nicknames Piggy, went to explore the environment. Ralph found a conch on the shore that could be used as a trumpet and he blew in it. It sounded a loud and clear note. The other children, all of whom survived the crash, came to him, attracted to the sound. The children didn't know what to do. They choose Ralph as their leader, because he had gathered them with the conch trumpet. A meeting was called. During the meeting the one who was speaking held the shell. This became a rule from that time onwards. They first ascertained that there were no adults at the island. The pilot who had flown the airplane must not have survived the crash. Ralph convinced the boys that it was of utmost importance to light a fire, at a high place. When a ship would pass by, the people at the ship could see the fire and come to save them. After that they divided the tasks amongst them. They appointed a fire guard, a group of boys would go hunting for meat under the leadership of a boy called Jack, others would go search for fruit, and a fourth group would build huts as a shelter.
In the end, little was realised. Many children preferred playing above working and they did not see why they should do their duties. Only the boys who went hunting did what they should do. They even began to like the hunting.
In a meeting, they talk about the fear for 'the beast', that a little boy in the beginning dreamed and talked about. When it was dark, the twins saw a dead airman in a parachute landing and they ran away scared, thinking that it was the beast.
In that meeting, Jack tried to take over as a leader, but he was not voted for. After that, he decided that he wanted his own tribe and he took several boys with him.
Soon the differences between the boys come to light. Ralph is more rational than Jack: he thinks things out carefully and does not want to exert power. Jack does, and attracts more and more boys to his group. He slowly evolves into a dictator.
On day, the boys from Jack's group hunted a pig. They enjoyed seeing the pig being in pain and exhausting itself. After killing it, they severed the head and put it on the end of a pole that they erected at the edge of the forest. Soon, it began to rot and flies gathered round it. For the boys of the hunting group, this pig head became their symbol. They gathered around Jack, their self appointed leader.
The next morning, Simon found the body of the pilot. He understood that it must have been the beast. In the evening, the boys of the hunting group had meat. They had painted themselves with mud and so, adorned like savages, went to perform a celebration dance. Simon arrived and wanted to share the truth about the beast, but the dance became violent and Simon was killed.
During the night, Jack stole Piggy's glasses, which were necessary to make fire. Ralph and Piggy went to the fort of Jack's boys to demand that the glasses would be returned. Roger threw a big rock that knocked Piggy into the sea and killed him. Sam and Eric were captured by the hunters and Ralph was chased away.
Ralph hid in the jungle, but heard from Sam and Eric that he was going to be hunted the next morning. He waked from the sound of the hunters, who tried to set fire to the area and he ran away in terror. Desperately, he tried to think rationally, but found it almost impossible. He ran to the beach, where he stumbled. Instead of the death blows he expected, he looked up to a Royal Navy officer who had seen the smoke of the burning woods and came to recue them. The officer was surprised to hear that two boys were dead. He did not understand the full horror of the island.
Characters
The principle characters are Ralph, Piggy and Jack. Simon, Roger and the twins Sam and Eric are side characters.
Ralph
He is a handsome 12 year old boy, athletic and with blond hair. He is kind and has great social skills, but he does not have exceptional intelligence or imagination. He has a clear image of decency and civilisation. The other children feel safe when they are around him. Ralph needed Piggy's ability to think to survive. During the story, he develops respect and affection for Piggy.
Piggy
He is an overweight and asthmatic boy with glasses. His mother and father are gone and he lived with his aunt in a sweet shop. Piggy is a nickname, but his real name is never revealed in the book. He has a certain disinclination for manual labour and is an outsider of the group. However, he is probably the most intelligent boy of the island. Ralph has great social skills and Piggy is intelligent. This way, the boys can support each other. They represent civilisation and reason on the island.
Jack Merridew
Jack is an aggressive and arrogant boy with red hair. He is the leader of the hunters and later the chief of the savages. Golding clearly intended for the readers to dislike him. Every action he takes is not based at logic, but just at wanting it because he is the leader of his boys. He sees the whole experience on the island as a game revolving around power. He has no empathy and he cannot think about anyone but himself. At the end of the book, Jack acts like an innocent boy again; the presence of an adult prompts him back in his role of little boy.
Symbolism and metaphors
The story contains many metaphors and objects with a symbolic meaning. I will name a few.
The following is a shortened and updated version of my 2002 book report, which contains spoilers:
Abstract
A group of English schoolboys travelled with an airplane. It crashed above the ocean, fortunately just above an uninhabited island. Two of the boys, Ralph and a boy nicknames Piggy, went to explore the environment. Ralph found a conch on the shore that could be used as a trumpet and he blew in it. It sounded a loud and clear note. The other children, all of whom survived the crash, came to him, attracted to the sound. The children didn't know what to do. They choose Ralph as their leader, because he had gathered them with the conch trumpet. A meeting was called. During the meeting the one who was speaking held the shell. This became a rule from that time onwards. They first ascertained that there were no adults at the island. The pilot who had flown the airplane must not have survived the crash. Ralph convinced the boys that it was of utmost importance to light a fire, at a high place. When a ship would pass by, the people at the ship could see the fire and come to save them. After that they divided the tasks amongst them. They appointed a fire guard, a group of boys would go hunting for meat under the leadership of a boy called Jack, others would go search for fruit, and a fourth group would build huts as a shelter.
In the end, little was realised. Many children preferred playing above working and they did not see why they should do their duties. Only the boys who went hunting did what they should do. They even began to like the hunting.
In a meeting, they talk about the fear for 'the beast', that a little boy in the beginning dreamed and talked about. When it was dark, the twins saw a dead airman in a parachute landing and they ran away scared, thinking that it was the beast.
In that meeting, Jack tried to take over as a leader, but he was not voted for. After that, he decided that he wanted his own tribe and he took several boys with him.
Soon the differences between the boys come to light. Ralph is more rational than Jack: he thinks things out carefully and does not want to exert power. Jack does, and attracts more and more boys to his group. He slowly evolves into a dictator.
On day, the boys from Jack's group hunted a pig. They enjoyed seeing the pig being in pain and exhausting itself. After killing it, they severed the head and put it on the end of a pole that they erected at the edge of the forest. Soon, it began to rot and flies gathered round it. For the boys of the hunting group, this pig head became their symbol. They gathered around Jack, their self appointed leader.
The next morning, Simon found the body of the pilot. He understood that it must have been the beast. In the evening, the boys of the hunting group had meat. They had painted themselves with mud and so, adorned like savages, went to perform a celebration dance. Simon arrived and wanted to share the truth about the beast, but the dance became violent and Simon was killed.
During the night, Jack stole Piggy's glasses, which were necessary to make fire. Ralph and Piggy went to the fort of Jack's boys to demand that the glasses would be returned. Roger threw a big rock that knocked Piggy into the sea and killed him. Sam and Eric were captured by the hunters and Ralph was chased away.
Ralph hid in the jungle, but heard from Sam and Eric that he was going to be hunted the next morning. He waked from the sound of the hunters, who tried to set fire to the area and he ran away in terror. Desperately, he tried to think rationally, but found it almost impossible. He ran to the beach, where he stumbled. Instead of the death blows he expected, he looked up to a Royal Navy officer who had seen the smoke of the burning woods and came to recue them. The officer was surprised to hear that two boys were dead. He did not understand the full horror of the island.
Characters
The principle characters are Ralph, Piggy and Jack. Simon, Roger and the twins Sam and Eric are side characters.
Ralph
He is a handsome 12 year old boy, athletic and with blond hair. He is kind and has great social skills, but he does not have exceptional intelligence or imagination. He has a clear image of decency and civilisation. The other children feel safe when they are around him. Ralph needed Piggy's ability to think to survive. During the story, he develops respect and affection for Piggy.
Piggy
He is an overweight and asthmatic boy with glasses. His mother and father are gone and he lived with his aunt in a sweet shop. Piggy is a nickname, but his real name is never revealed in the book. He has a certain disinclination for manual labour and is an outsider of the group. However, he is probably the most intelligent boy of the island. Ralph has great social skills and Piggy is intelligent. This way, the boys can support each other. They represent civilisation and reason on the island.
Jack Merridew
Jack is an aggressive and arrogant boy with red hair. He is the leader of the hunters and later the chief of the savages. Golding clearly intended for the readers to dislike him. Every action he takes is not based at logic, but just at wanting it because he is the leader of his boys. He sees the whole experience on the island as a game revolving around power. He has no empathy and he cannot think about anyone but himself. At the end of the book, Jack acts like an innocent boy again; the presence of an adult prompts him back in his role of little boy.
Symbolism and metaphors
The story contains many metaphors and objects with a symbolic meaning. I will name a few.
- The island: Firstly, the island itself could be compared to the Garden of Eden. The boys lose their innocence on this island. The savage instincts surfacing would be the serpent. One could also see the island as a metaphor for the Cold War that was going on when Golding wrote the book. In that case, the island would represent the world, the boys humanity, and two groups the fight between good and evil.
- The title: 'Lord of the Flies' is about the first time that the boys are experiencing their hunting instincts: when they are hunting a pig and slowly exhausting it just for the fun of killing. They put the pig's head on the end of a pole. Flies invade it, but the pig keeps smirking. It looks as if it is laughing at them because they let their instincts overrule them - they cannot think properly anymore. The pig's head is the Lord of the Flies. It represents evil and the hunters serve it.
- Objects: Finally, many objects have a symbolic meaning. Ralph's conch represents democracy, decency and the voice of reason. The use of itself beyond being a beautiful object is limited, but it is worth much to the boys because of what it represents. Piggy's glasses symbolise fire, without which they cannot be rescued or cook the meat which Jack provides. Furthermore, the ability to make fire is something which sets human beings apart from animals. That is why the glasses do not only symbolise fire, but also knowledge, rationality and dominion over primitive instincts. The beast represents the capacity of evil and wrongdoing. It must be served and accommodated, so the Lord of the Flies becomes its shrine. The pig's head is representative for the beast. It is a shrine for it and stands for evil or the devil. Negative feelings, such as fear, anger, instinctive feelings and chaos, are tied to the beast and its shrine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, Murder
Minor: War