Name: Lord of the Flies
Rating: 4.6 (58 reviews)
Author: William Golding

What’s in it for me? Dig into an allegorical classic and reflect on the true fragility of our society.

There are some things that we often take for granted. We wake up, go to work, and live our lives as well as we can. But take a step back, and think about what makes all this possible. What keeps the cogs of society clicking along? It all comes down to an implicit agreement that everyone – for the most part – will follow the fundamental rules of society.

But what happens when these rules break down? What are the innate aspects of our human nature that these laws are protecting – or protecting us from?

These are some of the questions that William Golding explores in his famous allegorical novel Lord of the Flies. Written in the early 50s – in the wake of the horrors of World War II and under the growing fears of the cold war and nuclear annihilation – thoughts of the fragility of civilization and the nature of man were at the forefront of Golding’s mind.

By presenting the story through the eyes of young boys stranded on a deserted island, Golding was able to create an allegory for our society, exploring just how ingrained are the darker sides of humanity.

This Blink will look at some of the most powerful themes presented in Lord of the Flies – themes that are as relevant today as they were in 1954: The struggle between civilization and savagery; the loss of innocence and moral decay; the dangers of mob mentality; and how this all relates to the very nature of humanity.

By the way: if you would like to listen to a very short summary right away, you can also skip to the very last section.

Ralph and Jack: Civilization vs. savagery.

Shortly after emerging from the wreckage of the plane, Ralph runs into the innocent and reasonable Piggy. While exploring the island, they discover a conch shell; Ralph blows into it, creating a deep and loud sound which alerts the other kids to their location. With everyone gathered around, it’s time for the stranded boys to take stock of their situation, and plan out their next move.

Things start out well enough. After a democratic vote, Ralph is chosen as the leader of the group, winning out against the ambitious Jack. To keep order, they agree on a rule that someone can only speak while holding the conch shell. With leadership and order established, Ralph starts allocating jobs: Sending a group to check out the island, starting a fire, building shelter.

However, it isn’t long until tensions emerge – particularly between Ralph and Jack. Firstly, Jack and his team of hunters fail in their duty to keep the fire lit. Secondly, there is disagreement over an alleged beast hiding somewhere on the island: Ralph is skeptical about its existence, while Jack insists that it is there, and he shall kill it.

As Jack grows more savage and obsessed with killing the beast, more of the boys start following him. Some out of the promise of meat, others out of fear of the supposed beast. Those who don’t join him are tortured or killed by Jack and his crew – Piggy is crushed by a giant rock, which also destroys the conch shell.

In the final dramatic moments of the book, Ralph remains the only boy not under the influence of Jack. He runs through the island, dodging spears, pursued by Jack and his crew. He would surely be killed like Piggy, but at the last minute he runs into a Naval patrol officer who had been attracted by the fire. This marks the end of Ralph’s struggles; and the end of the book.

ANALYSIS

The main element we see here is the power struggle and influence of Ralph and Jack, which serves to highlight one of the main themes of Lord of the Flies: Civilization vs. savagery. To understand what’s going on through this part of the story, you need to look at the role of the simple conch shell.

From the beginning, Ralph uses this to maintain order. It calls the group together in the first place, and they use it to stop everyone talking over each other. It is the perfect symbol of structure in society and the idea that if everyone agrees to do their part and follow the rules, then the system will work.

At one point, as the group begins to argue from fear and paranoia, Ralph considers blowing the conch, but stops, saying: “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back… we’ll be like animals” Piggy, the voice of reason, replies: “But if you don’t blow, we’ll soon be animals anyway.” If we don’t at least try to maintain order, then savagery will win out.

Which is what we see in the character of Jack. From the start he tries to undemocratically appoint himself leader, and is continuously obsessed with power and violence. As the group stops following Ralph and the rule of the conch, the boys descend further into depravity. This reaches its logical conclusion when Jack and his crew kill Piggy (the voice of reason) and destroy the conch (the symbol of order).

So, what’s the message here? Just below the safety of our social order, lies a primal savagery that will break out if those rules aren’t protected.

Simon and the loss of innocence.

Meet Simon. A bright-eyed boy with a scraggly mop of black hair, Simon seems different from the others: He is shy and secretive, and likes to spend time alone.

One day, after some time on the island, Simon finds himself wandering through the forest, helping the younger kids with the fruit they can’t reach. He leaves them to follow an overgrown path deeper into the jungle, finally emerging into a beautiful sunlit glade. In this secluded clearing, with its hanging vines and low, dark ferns, Simon simply sits – listening to the sounds of the island: The birds and the insects, the distant crash of the sea.

War and the adult world.

The story is about the boys on the island, and their own personal struggles. But there is a much bigger struggle in the background, of which we are only shown glimpses.

At the very start, the boys crash-land on the island, after being evacuated. Piggy talks about a man with a megaphone, and soldiers who may or may not save them. “Didn’t you hear what the pilot said? About the atom bomb? They’re all dead.” Without providing the details, it's clear that they are fleeing a nuclear war of a grand scale.

Final Summary

The story takes place on an unnamed island in the Pacific ocean, where a group of young British boys crashland after being evacuated from nuclear war. As he stumbles from the wreckage, twelve-year-old Ralph meets a fat, asthmatic boy called Piggy. Together they find a conch shell, which Ralph blows to summon the other survivors: The ambitious Jack and his friends, the epileptic Simon, and a group of younger children.

Using the conch to decide who can speak, they initially create a democratic society with Ralph as the leader. The children become afraid, believing that there is a beast on the island. Ralph tries to explain that there is no beast, while Jack declares that he will hunt it down and kill it. This disagreement eventually splits the boys into two competing factions, led by Ralph and Jack, respectively.

Key ideas in Lord of the Flies

What is Lord of the Flies about?

Lord of the Flies (1954) is the allegorical story of a group of young boys stranded on a deserted island and left to fend for themselves and create a society. As the boys struggle with the complexities of leadership, cooperation, and survival, they are forced to face some fundamental questions about human nature and the fragility of civilization.