Lord of the flies - William Golding

The novel starts off with the description and background information of the main characters and the atmosphere around them. The reader is forced to read the rest of the novel and find the answers to the questions they have after reading the introduction. It is set on a deserted island which is very effective because the characters can not escape and have to stay with those characters they don't like or characters who bully them. The setting is also ...
...survive? Some of the characters are also described with light and colour to show the mood and atmosphere around them. The opening chapter also gives hints on the conflicts between the characters. Golding has used symbolism to guide or warn the readers of what might happen next in the novel.

The first and the most important character introduced is Ralph. He is described as "the fair boy" and was wearing his school uniform ... more

The novel starts off with the description and background information of the main characters and the atmosphere around them. The reader is forced to read the rest of the novel and find the answers to the questions they have after reading the introduction. It is set on a deserted island which is very effective because the characters can not escape and have to stay with those characters they don't like or characters who bully them. The setting is also very important because it raises questions like will the boys survive? Some of the characters are also described with light and colour to show the mood and atmosphere around them. The opening chapter also gives hints on the conflicts between the characters. Golding has used symbolism to guide or warn the readers of what might happen next in the novel.

The first and the most important character introduced is Ralph. He is described as "the fair boy" and was wearing his school uniform when the plane crashed into the island. Ralph initially feels free on the island because there are no rules and it was every boys dream in that time to go on expeditions and adventures "The delight of a realised ambition overcame him". In contrast to Piggy he is physically fit, healthy and attractive. Golding has used foreshadowing in this novel which helps us give hints of the killing of Simon and Piggy later in the novel. Also Ralph is associated with gold and light which tells us that he is on the side of good and might be the chief. He may represent democracy. Ralph's father is a "commander in the navy" which suggests that he is from a wealthy family. When he is happy he says phrases like "wacco, whizzoh and smashing" and does a hand stand which shows his childlike qualities which soon disappear as Ralph becomes increasingly disillusioned.

The second character introduced to the readers is a "fat boy" called Piggy. Piggy is a total contrast to Ralph in terms of his appearance and background. He is physically not in shape; he has asthma, and depends on adults for supervision and protection from other kids. His "dad's dead" and he doesn't tells about his mother probably because she might have left him. He "lives with (piggy's) my auntie". "She kept a sweet-shop" which may explain why piggy is over weight and because he "used to get ever so many sweets". Although Piggy and Ralph appear to be very different characters at first and Ralph makes it clear that he doesn't respect Piggy initially, as the story develops it becomes obvious that Piggy and Ralph do have a lot in common. Piggy is presented as an outsider because he is different from others. This is shown when Ralph tells the others that his name is Piggy and because of this "A storm of laughter arose and even tiniest child joined in". He is also an outsider because the readers don't know his real name and this prepares us for Piggy's death later. He is persuaded while he is on the island and in same way lives and dies as a pig.

Piggy is very good at thinking and so gives ideas to Ralph. Ralph finds the conch and Piggy gives the idea to Ralph to blow it so "we can use this to call the others". This shows that Piggy has very good ideas. The conch is a symbol of democracy and Ralph as the chief made the rule that who ever wants to speak to the others he has to hold the conch . It is a bit like who ever holds the conch has the freedom of speech. It is a symbol of civilisation and social equality.

The most terrible character introduced is Jack. He is described as, 'tall, thin and a bony' and he has red hair. His face is freckled and "and ugly without silliness." The colour of his eyes is blue. Unlike Ralph, Jack is first described as an animal "the creature was a party of boys" and 'something dark was fumbling along'. The colour black is used a lot of times when Golding described Jack "Beneath the black cap" and "by black cloaks" because it is the colour of evil and darkness. This tells the readers that later in the novel he would do bad things. He is also represented with red which is again the sign of danger "his hair was red". Jack is rude to others for example he tells Piggy to "Shut up fatty" and he thinks he is the king or chief. He gives orders to other people saying imperative verbs (especially his choir) "Choir! Stand still!" and "sit down". He doesn't appreciate beauty, and is only interested in what he can use for survival or of for power. For example he says to Ralph "Green candles….we can't eat them". In this chapter Jack is in charge of the choir, and makes them a hunting group "Or hunters" which means being wild, killing animals and may be humans. He competes for leadership but he loses "With dreary obedience the choir raised their hands". Before crashing on this island Jack was in a school where rules were followed by every student and song had a value "I can sing C shape" (probably a religious school). He was also "chapter chorister and head boy" of the school and had a choir. At first Jack is not happy about being on the island because there are no grown ups which means no rules and regulations. The first words that he speaks are "Where's the man with the trumpet?". This tells us that he is obsessive about no grown ups on then island. At the end of the novel Jack becomes the leader of most of the boys. Golding has prepared us for this by presenting Jack as a dominating leader of the choir whom he chooses to be hunters and as a character with no concern for others. He is power hungry and there is a conflict with the other boys mainly Ralph and Piggy. He makes his shelter on a rocky shore which is shaped like a castle. Later in the novel Piggy is killed by Roger in this rock castle. Over here Jack is the king as he has the most power "Jack rose from the log that was his throne". He tries to persuade others to join his tribe by saying "I gave you food…and my hunters will protect you from the beast" to gain more strength and power.

After Piggy a few same aged boys are introduced including two boys called Sam and Eric. They were twins and are about seven years old. They become one character with one identity because they are some times called "San n Eric" and "Samneric. They shock and confuse others by doing things at the same time "they breathed together, they grinned together". The littluns are led by Jack after Piggy's death because they are unable to make decisions for themselves .Near the end they are forced to work as guards for Jack's tribe.

One of the main characters is Simon. He is described as "a skinny, vivid boy, with a glance coming up from under a hut of straight hair that hung down, black and coarse". He is vulnerable, sensitive to his environment and to beauty and Jack has no sympathy for him. Simon is seen as prophetic, he makes predictions about the future and later he is the only one who realises that "the beast" is evil and is inside them. They realises that the boys have mistaken dead parachutists for the beast but before he could tell any one else he is torn and stabbed to death because he is mistaken to be the beast by Jack and his tribe. His last words were about "a body on the hill" which is a biblical reference. He is also an outsider. His death is described as "a death of an animal by an animal tearing of teeth and claws". It is described in this way to show how savage and uncivilised the boys have become compared to what they were when they arrived. Just before he is being killed Simon is referred to as a "thing" and a "Beast" because Golding is writing from the other boys' point of view.

Another character is Roger. He is from the Jacks choir and is described as "there was a slight, furtive boy no one knew, who kept to himself with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy. He muttered that his name was Roger and was silent again" .Near the end of the novel he becomes increasingly sadistic and kills Piggy and destroys the conch which means the end of freedom of speech on the island.

In the first chapter after the main characters are introduced Jack, Ralph and Simon explore the island to make sure that it is an island "three of us will go on an expedition and find out". And on the way back to the others Jack tries to kill a pig but fails. When Jack raised his arm in the air "There came a pause, a hiatus, the pig continued to scream". There is no information given about Jack's parents or background. Further in the novel Ralph is left alone with Piggy and the littluns would be left alone and Jack and the others would make their own group and fight with Ralph and kill Simon and Piggy.

An island has been used as the setting for this novel. This is partly because characters are trapped there which automatically creates tension and conflict. The reader will want to know whether the characters work together or whether they will compete with each other or split up. They also want to know whether the characters will survive and, of course, whether they will ever be rescued from the island or find a way home. The word scar is usually applied to damage on human beings and Golding has personified the island by saying "the long scar smashed into the jungle" which in reality is the mark from the plane crash. This shows that the humans have caused damage to the island even before the novel has begun. The island is a microcosm of the wider world. It replaces the war on a smaller scale. The three boys on novel the whole island is lit on fire by Jack in order to kill Ralph but the smoke form the fire saves them by attracting a navy ship (Irony) . This suggests that where ever humans go they take destruction with them.

The expeditions to find out that were they on an island or on a place that had adults turned in to destruction of the island like the humans in the war. "The great rock…smashed a deep hole in the canopy of the forest." And they said "like a bomb" and at the end of the signs that show all is not well on the island and hints of the problem to come are "a bird, a vision of red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witch-like cry" This shows that the things on the island looks beautiful and nice but are actually sinister. Another example of this is "skull-like coco-nuts".

The main themes that are raised in this novel are civilisation v savagery, violence, law/rules, survival and conflict between the characters.

The first chapter does prepare us what happens later and also at the same time attracts the reader to read on more to find the answers to the questions they had in the first chapter. I think that the first chapter uses a lot of symbols and colour codes to help us have the correct concept and background information for the character. Golding raises tension in the first chapter through the conflicts and differences between the characters and through introducing the theme of survival. This grabs our attention and makes us want to read on.

Overall i will give it 5 stars because it was very interesting. if you like the novel then you will also the film because it has almost the same story, characters and same events take place.

Thanks for reading my review which was also my GCSE english coursework. i hope you found it helpful. 

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