Description of The Lord of The Flies

Structure: 

The structure of the Lord of the Flies is chronological order. The events are split into order in 12 chapters, in a time period during a fictional world war. Chronological order helps organize the plot in an orderly fashion, helping the readers understand when and what is happening. This type of structure is especially important when you reach key parts of the novel like Simon’s death and Piggy’s death.

Point of View: The point of view in the Lord of the Flies is Third Person Omniscient, meaning that the reader can hear the thoughts of more than one character. Third Person Omniscient is perfect for the Lord of the Flies, because the novel doesn’t focus on one character instead it focuses on multiple characters, and third person omniscient allows readers to get a glimpse at all of the characters thoughts. We can really see the importance of third person omniscient when after Jack failed to kill a pig in the first chapter, we hear the thoughts of Jack and what Ralph and Simon were thinking when it says, “They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood. Next time there would be no mercy. He looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict. Then they broke out into the sunlight and for a while they were busy finding and devouring food as they moved down the scat toward the platform and the meeting” (Chapter 1 Page 36). This POV also allows the narrator to tell us how the characters are feeling.

Characters:

Protagonist: The protagonist of this novel would most likely be Ralph, since he is the only boy through the end of the novel to not let the savagery and evil overwhelm him. Ralph is shown as “the boy with fair hair”(Chapter 1 Page 1) and his physique is described when it says’You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil.’ Ralph is a symbol of fairness, leadership, and civilization, as he was elected leader in the beginning of the novel, and unlike the other boy’s who wanted to have fun and kill, Ralph always was the one that wanted to be productive and do the jobs that would benefit the team.

Antagonist/Antagonistic Forces: 

The antagonistic force in this novel is the savagery and evil that exists within mankind and the isolation from civilization. Both of these factors contribute to the boys savagery and evil that they show as they remain on the island and as their fear of the beast increases.

Important Secondary Characters: 

Piggy- Piggy is described as, “-shorter than the fair boy[Ralph] and very fat […] then looked up through thick spectacles”(Chapter 1 Page 2). Piggy is a symbol of rationalism and intellect throughout the novel. Piggy is very talkative and smart. Piggy is the one behind many of Ralph’s ideas such as using the conch to call meetings and building shelters. Piggy is one of the three that doesn’t let his savagery and evil overwhelm him. Piggy’s rational and intellectual personality conflicts the savagery and evil of Jack and his tribe, which leads to his death. Simon – Simon is described as a “-skinny, vivid little boy, with a glance coming up from under a hut of straight hair that hung down, black and coarse.”(Chapter One Page 25)+

Symbolism or Allusion: One symbol that is prominent throughout the novel is boys fear of an imaginary beast that they believe in. The imaginary beast represents the primal instinct of savagery that the boy’s display as the time that they spend on the island increases. Simon is the first among all of the boys to speculate that the Beast is within themselves when he says, “Maybe,” he said hesitantly,”maybe there is a beast.” ”What I mean is…maybe it’s only us.””(Chapter 5 Page 119-120). Simon’s thoughts of the Beast being themselves is proven true, when he talks to the Lord of the Flies (pig’s head). The Lord of the Flies says, “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!, said the head. 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” “I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else-” (Chapter 8 Page 200-201). This quote shows how as Simon is hallucinating, he realizes that the Beast is within themselves and the more savage they act, the more realistic the Beast will become. Simon later finds out that the Beast that the boys were seeing was just a dead parachutist, giving further evidence about how to Beast is within themselves.

What is the Theme and Justification of the Theme: One of the central themes in this novel is the idea that evil exists within all mankind. The theme is portrayed by the savagery and evil of the boys especially Jack and Roger. The fact that cements the theme is the fact that when the boys first arrived on the island they were all civilized trying to build a civilized society within themselves, but as time passed by and their fear for the Beast increased we began to witness their savagery and evil. Jack Merridew is a prominent symbol that evil exists within all mankind. Jack was like all the other boys in the beginning, scared to even hurt nevertheless kill anything. Jack’s innocence and unwillingness to hurt is shown in the beginning of the novel when it says, “They found a piglet caught in a curtain of creepers. The three boys rushed forward and Jack threw his knife with a flourish. He raised his arm in the air. There came a pause, a hiatus, the pig continued to scream and the creepers to jerk, and the blade continued to flash at the end of a bony arm. Then the piglet tore loose from the creepers and scurried into the undergrowth.Jack’s face was white under the freckles. He noticed that he still held the knife aloft and brought his arm down, replacing the blade in the sheath. “I was choosing a place,” said Jack. “I was just waiting for a moment to decide where to stab him” They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of unbearable blood” (Chapter One Page 35-36). Jack shows signs of savagery however in Chapter 4, where it says, “His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.”(Chapter 4 Page 92).

Credits: 

(3)- http://biography.com/writer/william-golding