William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

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The novel “Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding, starts with 2 main characters, Piggy and Ralph, meeting. They are from England, where a war is happening. Piggy and Ralph were part of a larger group of schoolboys who were being evacuated to an unnamed destination. Unfortunately, their plane crashed on a deserted island, leaving the boys stranded. It was likely no one knew the boys whereabouts. The next few chapters describe the island (a tropical paradise with an unlimited amount of fruit) and the boys feelings about their situation. Later on, Piggy finds a conch shell. This becomes a calling tool to summon other survivors to the beach. The conch is also a symbol of the order and civilization which the boys try to recreate. During their first…show more content…
It is meant as an insult, calling someone evil. In Greek, it literally translates into “Lord Of The Flies”. With the context of the book, “Lord Of The Flies” is very meaningful. The sow’s head on a stick is referred to as Lord Of The Flies, because it had flies swarming around it at all times. The head represented the undeniable evil in humans, and the evil and savagery of Jacks tribe. Losing any type of God to worship made the boys seek a new one. Having the sow’s head on a stick, almost like an idol, it was Jack’s new thing to worship: evil. The Lord Of The Flies also represents the truth of evil, that it is inescapable. That the “good” people in the world are simply better at ignoring their evil instincts. This is proven true when Ralph gets a taste of hunting, striking a boar in the snout with his spear. “With the boar only five yards away, he flung the foolish wooden stick that he carried, saw it hit the great snout and hang there for a moment… Ralph was full of fright and apprehension and pride.” (page 102). The phrase Lord Of The Flies is very significant to the theme of the book. The theme is that evil is inherent in humanity, and cannot be overthrown by a genius government system. The Lord Of The Flies, the character, is the one who reveals that truth. And so, the book being titled Lord Of The Flies not only correlates with the theme of the book, but it is our sow’s head on a stick. It is telling all who read it the true meaning of

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