Themes (Lord of the Flies)

This section explores the key themes in Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lord of the Flies is a complex novel with rich themes that explore human nature, civilisation, and the breakdown of order. Below are the key themes you should focus on for your revision.

Civilisation vs. Savagery

One of the central themes in Lord of the Flies is the tension between civilisation and savagery, which is represented by the boys’ gradual descent into barbarism.

Civilisation: The boys initially attempt to establish order, rules, and a society with leadership (Ralph) and a symbol of authority (the conch). This reflects the civilised values of the society they came from. Ralph, Piggy, and Simon symbolise this aspect of the human condition.

Savagery: As the boys become more isolated from the constraints of society, they revert to their primal instincts. Jack, the hunter, becomes the embodiment of savagery, seeking power through violence. The boys paint their faces, kill animals, and eventually each other. The descent into savagery is complete with the death of Piggy and the shattering of the conch, representing the breakdown of civilisation.

Key Moments:

The election of Ralph as chief symbolises order and democracy.

The hunting of pigs and the chants (“Kill the pig! Cut her throat! Spill her blood!”) show the boys' increasing obsession with violence.

The conch’s destruction symbolises the end of structured society.

Loss of Innocence

The boys start as innocent schoolboys but gradually lose their innocence as they succumb to the darker aspects of human nature.

Beginning: The boys initially have a sense of morality, mostly trying to emulate the adult world they came from. Ralph and Piggy, in particular, cling to notions of order and reason.

Progression: As the boys become more entrenched in savagery, they lose their childlike innocence. This is exemplified by their first kill, and later, the murder of Simon, which is not just an accident but a result of mob mentality and a loss of empathy.

End: The final image of Ralph weeping at the end of the novel for the “end of innocence” is a poignant reflection of how the events on the island have transformed the boys into something unrecognisable from their former selves.

Inherent Evil in Humanity

Golding’s novel suggests that evil is not an external force but something intrinsic in human beings. Without the constraints of society, humans naturally revert to cruelty and chaos. The island becomes a microcosm of the world, where Golding explores the idea that civilisation merely masks the underlying evil within people.

The Beast: The beast is a symbol of this internal evil. While the boys fear a literal beast, Simon realises that the "beast" is within them: "Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us."

Lord of the Flies: The decaying pig’s head on a stick, known as the “Lord of the Flies,” symbolises the manifestation of evil. It speaks to Simon in a hallucinatory vision, confirming that the true source of fear and destruction is the boys’ own nature.

Key Quotes:

“The thing is - fear can't hurt you any more than a dream. There aren't any beasts to be afraid of on this island... unless we get frightened of people.”

“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?”

Power and Leadership

Golding explores different types of leadership and power through the characters of Ralph, Jack, and Piggy.

Ralph: Represents democratic leadership. He tries to establish a system where decisions are made collectively, emphasising the importance of the conch and rules. However, Ralph’s authority begins to wane as the boys favour Jack’s more exciting, but brutal, leadership.

Jack: Embodies autocratic power and dictatorship. Jack rules through fear, violence, and control. His leadership appeals to the boys’ basic instincts, as he prioritises hunting, savagery, and domination.

Piggy: Though physically weak, Piggy represents intellectual power and rational thought. His ideas, such as the use of the conch for democratic debate and the importance of maintaining the signal fire, are consistently ignored or undermined by the others, symbolising society’s disregard for reason.

Fear and its Consequences

Fear plays a critical role in the novel, driving many of the boys’ actions and leading to irrational decisions and violence.

Fear of the Beast: The boys’ fear of the unknown manifests in the creation of the beast. Though it does not exist physically, their terror of it becomes real, leading to hysteria, chaos, and the murder of Simon, whom they mistake for the beast.

Fear of Each Other: As fear escalates, trust between the boys deteriorates. The fear of the beast morphs into fear of one another, which is symbolised by the separation of the boys into two rival factions, leading to violence and Piggy’s death.

 The Island as a Microcosm of Society

Golding uses the island as a microcosm to reflect broader human society. The boys’ behaviour on the island mirrors the chaos and violence occurring in the outside world, particularly the context of post-World War II.

Isolation: The island, cut off from civilisation, becomes a testing ground for the boys' morality. It reveals that without societal structures, human nature tends to devolve into savagery.

War: The novel's setting in the context of a nuclear war (alluded to in the story) implies that the conflict on the island is a smaller reflection of the global conflict. The arrival of the naval officer at the end, with his warship, suggests that while the boys' battle has ended, the greater conflict in the world continues.

Religion and the Nature of Evil

Lord of the Flies contains religious undertones, especially in relation to the character of Simon, who can be seen as a Christ-like figure.

Simon’s Vision: Simon’s conversation with the Lord of the Flies (the pig’s head) is an allegory for the biblical temptation of Christ by Satan. The Lord of the Flies symbolises evil and the temptation to give in to one's baser instincts.

Sacrifice: Simon’s death, as he tries to reveal the truth about the beast, can be interpreted as a form of sacrifice, echoing the crucifixion of Christ. He is killed for trying to bring knowledge to the boys, and after his death, his body is carried out to sea in a peaceful and almost divine manner.

Summary of Key Themes

Civilisation vs. Savagery: The fragile nature of societal order and the ease with which humans revert to savagery.

Loss of Innocence: The boys’ descent from innocence to brutality.

Inherent Evil: The darkness that exists within all humans.

Power and Leadership: Different styles of leadership and their consequences.

Fear: How fear manipulates and controls behaviour.

Microcosm of Society: The island as a reflection of wider human conflict.

Religious Allegory: The representation of good, evil, and sacrifice.