Lord of the Flies - Revision

Lord of the Flies - Revision

Appearance

BackgroundRelationships with others

Character

Tall, blonde hair, athletic.

Confident,seems to be agood leader.

Father a Naval officer.Piggy and others look up to

him, friendly with Jack.

Ralph – Key Points

He is an example of the stereotyped protagonist –tall, fair-skinned, blonde hair, blue-eyed.

Elected leader, but not forceful enough to maintain the position.

An idealist and a dreamer – it is Piggy who does all of the thinking for him.

At the end of the novel he is a disillusioned realist, who now sees the world and its inhabitants for what they really are.

Appearance

BackgroundRelationships with others

Character

Fat, asthmaticand short-sighted.

Orphan, liveswith aunt.Different accentto others.

Intelligent and sensible –teaches Ralph how to blow the conch, suggestsmaking a listof names.

Fears Jack, is taunted by others because of nickname.

Piggy profile

Piggy – Key Points

Piggy is the stereotypical ‘victim’ in the novel – overweight, fat, asthmatic and short-sighted. His presence initially makes the other boys either wince or make fun of him.

He is represented as being of a lower class than the other boys, and consequently speaks and acts differently.

Ironically, he is the boy who speaks the most sense – he is intelligent, thoughtful and able to reason.

He is a paternal figure who looks after and supports the littluns.

He becomes a wise counsellor who supports Ralph’s attempts at democratic, parliamentary rule.

Appearance

BackgroundRelationships with others

Character

Leader of thechoirboys.

Thin, red hairand freckles, meanexpression.

Dominates the choir. LikesRalph but takes an immediatedislike to Piggy.

Bossy and rude – ordersthe choir about.

Jack profile

Jack – Key PointsHis physical appearance serves as a warning sign – the

flame red hair, the pale face that blanches with displeasure.

He is used to taking up a leadership position – first leader of the choir, he becomes leader of the hunters.

He is responsible for splitting the group – he does this by terrorising them and offering them a tempting life of hunting and plenty of meat.

His leadership results in a dictatorship, where he rules ‘his’ tribe with fear.

He doesn’t think through the consequences of his actions (as Ralph does), but puts himself first at all times.

Appearance

BackgroundRelationships with others

CharacterKind and helpful. Introverted –doesn’t like to speak in assemblies. Likes nature.

Loyal towards Piggy and Ralph.Looked on as strange by the other boys.

Small, physicallyfrail, black hair and bright eyes.

Simon profile

Choirboy.

Simon – Key PointsHe is a mystical boy who the other boys find ‘odd’ or ‘queer’.He goes barefoot and is an isolated figure – Golding deliberately makes Simon

a Christ-like figure, the analogy is not coincidental.He is helpful and cooperative, and the only boy to help Ralph build the shelters.It is interesting that he is one of the three boys who initially explores the island

(with Jack and Ralph – would we overtly notice that he’s there?)He has a marked physical weakness in that he appears to suffer from epilepsy.He has a high level of intuitive intelligence and this allows him to confront the

boys’ fears about the ‘beast’An original member of the choir, he is ultimately killed by the choir in a ritual

frenzy (murder/ manslaughter?)

Appearance

BackgroundRelationships with others

CharacterRoger profile

Is a choirboy.

Quiet and secretive.

Cruel – enjoyspicking on thelittluns.

Black hair, gloomy face.

Allied with Jack.

Roger – Key PointsHe is mysterious, secretive, slight .As Jack’s lieutenant, he comes to think like Jack

and does not question the consequences of his actions.

He is a sadist who delights in inflicting pain – he is unnecessarily cruel in the sow killing incident.

He prepares the stick ‘sharpened at both ends’ to mount Ralph’s head.

Symbolism – using things or people to represent ideas

Fire The fire has good and bad uses. It is useful for

attracting rescue, gives warmth and can be used for cooking, but it can be very destructive as we see at the end of the novel. It’s ironic that although Ralph insisted on fire, he was the one who was almost killed by it.

LOTF Symbols Piggy’s Glasses The last surviving evidence of

the lawful, structured World. Piggy’s glasses represent intelligence and clear thinking.

They are useful for the boys to get the fire started both to attract rescuers and for cooking the meat.

When one lens is smashed it represents the lack of clear thinking of the others.

The glasses are completely destroyed when Piggy dies and this is Golding’s way of representing the further fall of the boys into chaos and darkness.

Conch Shell New democracy and order on the island.

Colour changes to show a loss of innocence in the boys.

Loses its importance as the novel progresses as Jack and his ‘Tribe’ take over.

Smashed into a thousand pieces at the end to show loss of order and civilisation

Important ImagesThe Beast : The beast is different

for different boys.It is represented as the dead

parachutist, snakes, the pig’s head and noises heard in the night.

The real beast is our deep, dark primeval urges.

Lord of the Flies: A pig’s head on a stick that becomes the physical acceptance of evil on the island.

Let’s write!PEEL your answer and use

examples OR quotes.

Why is LOTF so popular around the world and why the students think it is important to read and study LOTF?