Lord of the Flies

LORD OF THE FLIESTim Corosanite, Matt Cummings,

Alex Gardner, Sarah Duffy

BACKGROUND

A plane crashes while evacuating a group of young boys from England during a major war.

The boys establish that a leader is needed, eventually electing Ralph.

THEMES

Loss of innocence• Deaths of both Simon and Piggy• Full abandonment of moral code• Live by their own desires

Rules and Order• Symbolized by the conch, which is smashed

Fear• Littluns fearful of the beast on the island

THEMES (CONT.)

Power• Jack and Ralph fight for dominance

Religion• Simon is widely depicted as a Christ figure

PLOT

During a major war, a plane is shot down on an island carrying a group of pre-teen boys. Upon arrival on the island, the boys decide that a leader needs to be elected. Ralph is the popular decision.

Some of the members soon seem to realize that normal rules do not apply on the island. Because of this, they do whatever they want, displeasing some of the others.

PLOT (CONT.)

The boys split into two groups, one led by Ralph, the other by Jack. They go about their separate ways, without much interaction for a short while.

Things tense up between the groups, leading to the death of Simon and Piggy. In an effort to find Ralph and kill him, the island is set on fire to lure him into the open. A naval officer sees the smoke, arrives and the island, and rescues all the boys.

ALLEGORY

An allegory is a story that has a deeper or more general meaning in addition to its surface meaning. Allegories are composed of several symbols or metaphors.

MORAL ALLEGORIES

Ralph – Common Sense• Ralph has the potential to stay the way he is or become a savage. He

is a leader who is trying to make the best decisions for his group.

Jack – Emotion• Jack has a careless attitude. He takes out savage ways because that is

what his emotions bring out.

Piggy – Intellect• Piggy is always the one questioning the decisions being made. He

wants to be safe and wants everyone to work together.

Simon – Soul• Simon represents soul because he talks to the Lord of the Flies, and

solves the mystery of the beast. Simon has faith in humanity and is religious.

SOCIAL ALLEGORIES

Ralph – Democracy• Ralph tries to achieve unity. He splits up the boys and tries to run a

fair society.

Jack – Power, Dictatorship• He has the desire to get power and to hunt. He puts his own needs

above the needs of others.

Piggy – Technology• His classes are a delicate item, necessary for life, the help build fire

for the boys to survive.

Simon – Humanism• Simon goes out into the jungle and figures out that the beast is within

all of them.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ALLEGORIES

Jack – Antagonist• Jack is the savage and wants to take over. He is the meanest and most

destructive. Jack becomes mad right away when Ralph is chosen as leader. Jack represents the unmoral side provoking the ego.

Piggy – Super Ego• Piggy is the only one that can see conflicts ahead and tries his best to

not make them happen. No matter what was going on, he tried to make things better. Piggy always wants peace and is on the other side of the ego.

Ralph – Ego• Ralph is one of the most modest people on the island. Having Jack on

one side and Piggy on the other, Ralph has to choose. His conscience is influenced by Piggy and Jack.

LORD OF THE FLIESTim Corosanite, Matt Cummings,

Alex Gardner, Sarah Duffy