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US English-Lord of the Flies: Themes/Characters/Plot/Setting

Golding on why he used only male characters

SparkNotes: William Golding's Lord of the Flies summary

Lord of the Flies | Symbols | William Golding Course Hero

Civilization vs savagery

The battle between civilization and savagery is represented in a number of Golding’s novels, most famously in Lord of the Flies and The Inheritors.

Lord of the Flies

In Lord of the Flies, the fragile civilisation created by the boys on the island fragments and the boys divide into two camps. Ralph and Piggy remain ‘civilised’, continuing to obey and uphold the rules, despite the threat from violence of Jack’s hunters, who symbolise savagery. Jack’s group don’t just act in a savage manner – they paint their faces in order to look ‘savage’, and to enhance their levels of intimidation. Lord of the Flies is an allegorical tale of the danger when civilisation breaks down, and savagery takes over.

https://www.william-golding.co.uk/explore-search/civilisation-vs-savagery

Study Resources-Summary

When a plane crashes on a remote island, a small group of schoolboys are the sole survivors. From the prophetic Simon and virtuous Ralph to the lovable Piggy and brutish Jack, each of the boys attempts to establish control as the reality - and brutal savagery - of their situation sets in.

The boys' struggle to find a way of existing in a community with no fixed boundaries invites readers to evaluate the concepts involved in social and political constructs and moral frameworks. Ideas of community, leadership, and the rule of law are called into question as the reader has to consider who has a right to power, why, and what the consequences of the acquisition of power may be. Often compared to Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies also represents a coming-of-age story of innocence lost.

Goodreads, 2016.

Lord of the Flies | Characters | William Golding Course Hero

Lord of the Flies | Themes | William Golding Course Hero

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