Lord of the Flies By William Golding William
Lord of the Flies By William Golding
William Golding • Born in England in 1911 • Attended an elite private school • Became a social worker and then an English and Philosophy teacher • Joined the Royal Navy during WWII where he witnessed the cruelty and savagery of human kind. • Had books published yearly until his death in 1993 • Received British Booker Prize Award, Nobel Prize for Literature, and was knighted
The Novel • Published in 1954 • Setting: A deserted island during WWII • Plot: A group of young English boys are marooned on a desert island must develop their own society. • “Lord of the Flies” is a translation of the Greek word Beelzebub • Major themes: civilization vs. savagery, loss of innocence
The Characters • • • Ralph—protagonist of the story; elected as the chief of the group; represents the civilized part of society Jack—antagonist of the story; leader of the choir; represents the savage instincts of society Piggy—the intellectual, scientific person in the group; picked on by the group Roger—sullen member of Jack’s choir; represents the brutality and cruelty of society Maurice—follower of Jack; similar to Roger Samneric—twins (Sam and Eric) who are treated as a single entity Simon—originally a member of the choir but resists becoming part of Jack’s group; always helping others; the martyr of the group; represents pure goodness and innocence Lord of the Flies—name given to the “beast”; literal translation is Beelzebub (demon of Hell and cohort of Satan) Littluns—general term used to describe the smaller boys, who outnumber the “biguns”; represent the common people in society Mulberry Birthmark boy—a littlun who first spoke of the “beast” and who disappears quickly in the book
Objects/Places • • • Conch—a shell used to call an assembly Piggy’s glasses—used to start fires Granite platform—site of the assemblies Mountain—site of the “beast” and signal fire Signal fire—to signal a rescue Lord of the Flies—a severed sow’s head stuck on a stick by Jack as an offering to the beast; it becomes the physical and symbolic representation of evil
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