Full title
Type of workNovel
GenreAllegory; dystopian fiction
LanguageEnglish
Time and place writtenEarly 1950s; Salisbury, England
Date of first publication1954
PublisherFaber and Faber
In-depth Facts:
NarratorThe story is told by an anonymous third-person narrator who conveys the events of the novel without commenting on the action or intruding into the story.
Point of ViewThe narrator speaks in the third person, primarily focusing on Ralph’s point of view but following Jack and Simon in certain episodes. The narrator is omniscient and gives us access to the characters’ inner thoughts.
ToneDark; violent; pessimistic; tragic; unsparing
TenseImmediate past
Setting (Time)Around the year 1950, during a fictional worldwide war
Setting (Place)A deserted tropical island
ProtagonistRalph
Major conflictFree from the rules that adult society formerly imposed on them, the boys marooned on the island struggle with the conflicting human instincts that exist within each of them—the instinct to work toward civilization and order and the instinct to descend into savagery, violence, and chaos.
Rising actionThe boys assemble on the beach. In the election for leader, Ralph defeats Jack, who is furious when he loses. As the boys explore the island, tension grows between Jack, who is interested only in hunting, and Ralph, who believes most of the boys’ efforts should go toward building shelters and maintaining a signal fire. When rumors surface that there is some sort of beast living on the island, the boys grow fearful, and the group begins to divide into two camps supporting Ralph and Jack, respectively. Ultimately, Jack forms a new tribe altogether, fully immersing himself in the savagery of the hunt.
ClimaxSimon encounters the Lord of the Flies in the forest glade and realizes that the beast is not a physical entity but rather something that exists within each boy on the island. When Simon tries to approach the other boys and convey this message to them, they fall on him and kill him savagely.
Falling actionVirtually all the boys on the island abandon Ralph and Piggy and descend further into savagery and chaos. When the other boys kill Piggy and destroy the conch shell, Ralph flees from Jack’s tribe and encounters the naval officer on the beach.
ThemesCivilization vs. savagery; the loss of innocence; innate human evil
MotifsBiblical parallels; natural beauty; the bullying of the weak by the strong; the outward trappings of savagery (face paint, spears, totems, chants)
SymbolsThe conch shell; Piggy’s glasses; the signal fire; the beast; the Lord of the Flies; Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and Roger
ForeshadowingPiggy’s death is foreshadowed by his physical frailty and dependence on his glasses; fire as a source of conflict is foreshadowed by the first fire the boys set on the island; the boys’ eventual rescue is foreshadowed by references to civilization and Simon’s prediction.
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