Brandilyn Tebo
AP Text Review Sheet
Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
Year of publication:
Setting and time period: Deserted tropical island; during a war (probably WWII)
Primary characters (name/ relationships/ job/ key traits):
Ralph: Protagonist. 12 years old. Attempts to lead the other boys. Civilized, caring and
concerned. Disturbed by other’s behaviors.
Jack: Antagonist. Older. Leader of the hunters. Completely uncivilized. Power hungry,
savage, uncaring.
Simon: The only good boy. Cares about the others, retains inherent morality throughout.
Cares for the little ones. Connected to nature. Shy.
“Piggy”-Consistently badgered for his gross appearance. Intellectual, characterized by his
glasses. The inventor. Assistant to Ralph. Rational.
Secondary characters (brief identifications):
Roger-Evil. Jack’s assistant. Abuses smaller children.
Sam and Eric-Inseparable twins. Assistants to Ralph. Part of the “biguns” but excitable
like the “littluns”
Point of view and other notable structural, literary and stylistic techniques:
Point of view: Third person, but not omniscient, he does not know everything (important
because the book is a microcosm of civilization; cannot hone in on the perspective of one
individual without disrupting the image as a whole, yet we never can know everything at
one time)
Allegory: The novel is allegorical. Each of the main characters in the novel represent an
entity of society (as noted above, it is a microcosm). Ralph represents the benevolent
dictator, Jack represents the savage, power hungry government, Piggy represents the
scientific, rational problem solving individuals and Simon represents the good hearted
that remain.
Symbolism: The most notable literary device in the novel is symbolism. It is used
extensively to represent the author’s thoughts on society. The conch represents the
pointless way in which we allot power to individuals in our society. The conch is revered
as an unquestionable symbol of power, but it does nothing to earn that from the boys.
The fire on the island represents the boys‘ desire to return back to their homes, but most
of them quickly lose interest in the fire, which shows that they are succumbing to their
primitive, devilish selves and do not want to return to the structure of society. The pig on
the stick (the “lord of the flies”) represents the devil. It says that it is present within all
boys and thus they cannot escape it. This means that they all have savage instincts and
inherent evil to which they will return if they are not forced away from it by the structure
of society.
Golding uses large, foreign-to-many words to emphasize the greater significance of the
novel, yet he uses simplified “littlun” language through much of the novel to remind the
Brandilyn Tebo
reader that of the inherent simplicity behind the chaos.
Major conflicts (in abstract terms, with resolutions):
When removed from society, all individuals have a tendency to allow their id (from
freud--basic needs, pleasure principle, often associated with the devil) to surface and
allow their primitive drives to turn them savage and control their actions. Therefore, we
live in a rigidly structured society that prohibits the id’s emergence.
Key scenes (turning points, resolutions, climaxes--inc. page #'s):
The boys’ plane crashes on the desert island, the pilot is killed-page 1
The boys light their first fire in attempt to be rescued (they use piggy’s eyeglasses)-page
38
Roger sees that he can’t throw rocks at henry because there is ora around him that it
would be taboo to disturb--page 56
Hunters make their first kill--page 34
Children think they see a beast (that beast just turns out to be the beast within them all)-page 75
The boys offer the head of the beast up on a stick--page 124
Simon encounters the head on a stick (the lord of the flies/the devil)--page 130
Simon is killed--page 137
Piggy is killed--page 190
They are rescued--page 235
Key quotations (annotate: identify speaker, situation, and relevance--inc. page #'s):
"[There was] something dark...fumbling along....The creature was a party of boys,
marching approximately in...two parallel lines...." Chapter 1, pg. 18
The way in which the boys are described in this quote by the narrator gives the
imagery of a beastly creature crawling around the island. They are referred to as “dark”
and “fumbling” and finally “the creature”. This is the first instance in the book of the
boys representing the beast that they attempt to conquer.
"Ralph sat on a fallen trunk, his left side to the sun. On his right were most of the choir;
on his left the larger boys who had not known each other before...before him small
children squatted in the grass." Chapter 2, pg. 30
Here, before the madness, is a description of all of the boys gathering, in a
peaceful, picnic-like style. This is the initial image that will later be contrasted with the
boys newfound savagery.
"'We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and
the English are best at everything.'" Chapter 2, pg. 40
Ralph proclaims this statement to the group, demonstrating that the boys are still
mindful of the regimes of society and they still retain a sense of belonging at home. The
statement “we’re not savages” will be completely debunked soon.
"[T]here was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he [Roger]
dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life." Chapter 4, pg. 56
This quote also represents a time in which some semblance of morality was
retained. Later in the novel, this “barrier” will be broken, representing the loss of any
sense of propriety.
Brandilyn Tebo
"'Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us.'" Chapter 5, pg. 80
Simon says this, and it’s the million dollar discovery. By this he means that there
is no living creature on the island that has been hidden against which the boys must
defend themselves. Rather, there is a beast (the psychological “id,” or primitive, savage
desires) that comes out to trouble the boys and kill some of them. He says this after
encountering the “lord of the flies” (the devil) that proclaims that he is in each of the
boys.
"'I'm chief. We've got to make certain [that there is no beast]....There's no signal showing
[on the mountain]. There may be a ship out there.'"
Ralph says this to the rest of the boys, dismayed that the signal fire has gone out.
The fact that this fire keeps going out shows that the boys are losing interest in returning
to their homes--they have adapted to the taboo lifestyle of savage island-living.
"Ralph...was fighting to get near....The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering."
Chapter 7, pg. 104
Even Ralph, the calm, rational leader, is being sucked in by the desire to do evil.
"'Right up her ***!'" Chapter 8, pg.123
The sow is described as a pure, innocent womanly creature before her death.
Then, once she is brutally murdered, the boys stick a stick through a part of her body, the
action of which represents rape. Figuratively, the boys are raping innocence. They are
completely overcome by their id--they have no sense of ego or superego left.
"'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 8, pg. 130
This is the “lord of the flies” speaking to Simon, telling him that he is a part of
each of the boys, an indestructible part that is normally kept hidden, but always has the
potential to emerge and conquer all the rest.
Theme statements (and "central questions"):
Theme: Those who are thought of as “good” are only able to acquire that appearance
because they have been shaped by a rigid society in which their “evil” side was not
allowed to submerge, but, removed of all of the regimes and values of society, everyone
has the same potential for evil.
The loss of innocence is natural and inevitable.
Questions: How can we maintain a sense of propriety such that our savage instincts are
not permitted to emerge? Is it only human to do evil; should we try to squelch these
desires? Should innocence be preserved; is there a point to this?
Your reactions/ reader responses (note personal reactions to any of the above categories,
or any other element of the reading experience):
I, being a psychological thinker, was extremely intrigued by this novel. It has always
been my view that no individual has the right to a holier-than-thou attitude, because we
all have the same potential for evil or good. I think that this novel is indeed a microcosm
for society as a whole. We think that the events that take place within “Lord of the Flies”
are absurd (how could they allow each other to die? How could they rape a pig? How
could they lose sight of their desire to go home?) yet I am certain that if any real life
group of people were placed on an island, the same would occur. In fact, the same has
occurred in our own society: we brutally murder animals and each other, and allow our
Brandilyn Tebo
fellow man to die in order for us to live. It’s not crazy, it’s who we are and this novel
makes me think that there isn’t much we can do about it besides cover it up.
This text would be good for the following type(s) of prompt:
Examples of past prompts that would be perfect for this novel:
Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in
which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character
exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In
your essay do not merely summarize the plot.
Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a
seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show
how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.
The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to
discover. However, in other works (for example, Measure for Measure) the full
significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Choose two works
and show how the significance of their respective titles is developed through the authors'
use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view.
Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterizations,
many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully. Select one work of
acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written essay, show how the conventional or
stereotyped character or characters function to achieve the author's purpose.
Basically, this novel would be excellent for any type of prompt that asks to analyze
symbolism or theme, because it is so clear cut and there are so many memorable scenes
to pull.