lord of the flies character analysis sam and eric

• Lord of the Flies

William Golding

• Literature Notes
• Lord of the Flies at a Glance
• Book Summary
• About Lord of the Flies
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Character Analysis
• Character Map
• William Golding Biography
• Critical Essays
• Major Themes
• Concept, Identity, and Manifestations of the Beast
• Golding's Use of the Fable Structure
• Famous Quotes
• Film Versions
• Full Glossary
• Essay Questions
• Practice Projects
• Cite this Literature Note

Character Analysis Samneric

Samneric (Sam and Eric) represent totally civilized and socialized persons. As identical twins, they have always been a group, albeit the smallest of groups, but a group nevertheless. They know no other way than to submit to the collective identity and will. They are initially devoted to rescue but easily overwhelmed by the ferocity of tribe. They represent the well-intentioned members of general public who play by the rules of whoever is in charge. They are easily intimidated by Jack and abandon their fire-tending duties at his command. Seeing Ralph 's rage at the resultant loss of a rescue opportunity, Samneric mock him once they are alone, despite the fact that their desertion of duty caused his anger and the loss of possible rescue. On a realistic, perhaps human, level, they may laugh to dispel their guilt or because their childish perspective has already allowed them to forget the loss they caused or because their priority is merely to avoid punishment. On the symbolic level, however, laughter is a totally social act.

After the horror of Simon 's death, in which they participate, they fear for their own lives because they have remained loyal to Ralph. As Ralph's group plans to approach Jack's tribe, Samneric want to paint themselves like tribe members, hoping for mercy through assimilation. When the twins are captured by the tribe, Samneric "protested out of the heart of civilization" but abandon their loyalty to that civilization to avoid punishment, betraying Ralph out of concern for their own welfare. Their return to civilization will be fairly easy because they look only to appease whoever is in charge.

Previous Simon

Sam and Eric

Character analysis.

(Click the character infographic to download.)

Piggy tries, but even he can't manage to keep Sam and Eric straight: "Which is Eric-? You? No—you're Sam—" (1). For most of the novel, the boys are simply "Samneric." (Is anyone surprised that Jack is the first one to use a nickname that takes away someone else's individuality?)

Like Piggy and Ralph, Sam and Eric try to hold out against savagery. Surrounded by Jack's gang, they protest "out of the heart of civilization. "Oh, I say!" "—Honestly!" (11.175). And, sure, they participate in the Simon-slaughter, but they try really hard to convince themselves that they didn't:

The twins were very surprised to see Ralph. They flushed and looked past him into the air.

"Hullo. Fancy meeting you, Ralph."

"We just been in the forest—"

"-to get wood for the fire-"

"-we got lost last night."

Sam touched a scratch on his forehead and then hurriedly took his hand away. Eric fingered his split lip.

"Yes. We were very tired," repeated Sam, "so we left early." (10)

Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, guys: the split lip and scratch are dead giveaways. The thing is, Samneric might be the closest thing to us. They're not leaders like Ralph; they're not brains, like Piggy; they're just ordinary people, who want to be good but aren't strong enough to resist being caught up in the evil.

Brother vs. Brother

When Ralph's group is holed up in Chapter 10, Sam and Eric start fighting. It's not clear what they're fighting about, but it's part of the general hopelessness. 

"What's the good?," both of them ask. And then "from the darkness of the further end of the shelter came a dreadful moaning and they shattered the leaves in their fear. Sam and Eric, locked in an embrace, were fighting each other" (10.)

This is bad. If brother is turning against brother, then everyone's in real trouble. Piggy gets it. Right after they stop fighting, he whispers to Ralph, "We got to get out of this." If Samneric are fighting—and check out how Golding uses "Sam and Eric" instead of "Samneric," to show just how bad it is—then there's really no hope for the rest of them.

And if Samneric are stand-ins for us readers, then maybe Golding is telling us that war is a really, really bad sign: at its root, all human violence is brother against brother.

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W hy's T his F unny?

Lord of the Flies Characters

Characters are integral to a narrative , whatever genre it may take. They play an important role in the evolution of social issues, themes , and motifs . Characters also create suspense , curiosity, and creativeness in a story . They make up most of the story along with the setting , plot , and situations. The number of character determines the complexity of the story. The characters in Lord of the Flies by William Golding are mostly children, stranded on an island. Some of the significant characters are discussed below.

Characters in Lord of the Flies

Character #1.

The first boy, who lands on the island is Ralph. Not only is he the protagonist , but also the leader of the boys who slowly emerges out of the forest. As Ralph is the oldest and tallest, he assumes leadership on Piggy’s suggestion. He thinks Piggy as a creative and rational soul and pays heed to his suggestions. Ralph becomes the leader because of his calmness and rational thinking. He also possesses sound and strong moral obligation to unite the boys and to save them. Ralph tries to fight the bad influence of Jack but faces defeat. Hence, in the end, he is forced to flee from Jack’s hunters to save his life. He ends up before the British naval officer who saves his life from the hunters and asks him the reason for their presence on the island.

Character #2

Despite his hefty body, awkward posture and physical deformity, Piggy is the only sane voice among the boys. He takes care of the “littluns” and suggests new ideas to save the boys and trusts in the leadership of Ralph. He urges Ralph to take reins of the leadership to defy Jack’s assertion . He recognizes the importance of being rescued and hopes to leave the island. He also suggests using fire for rescue to save the boys. Seeing him as a threat to his domination, Jack plans to kill Piggy to end the rivalry. Piggy’s death is mourned as the end of rationality on the island. Following his death, Ralph is left alone to take care of the “littluns” and finally has to protect himself from Jack and the hunters.

Character #3

Jack merridew.

The leader of the masked boys, who make up the choir, Jack Merridew is an aggressive and cruel boy. He is a skilled manipulator who knows how to manipulate things to dominate. He gathers all the boys in the name of a hunting group. He soon provokes them by taking charge and leads them against Ralph, the first leader. Seeing Piggy as an obstacle, he plans to kill him and then use Ralph, a scapegoat. His eagerness to spread violence ends when the naval officer arrives and saves Ralph from his hunting party.

Character #4

Having a deep relationship with nature, Simon can be described as an introspective boy. He represents the spiritual aspect of the boys with rational thinking of Piggy. Simon remains alone and does not merge with the other boys. He is the one who suggests the beast is actually the dead pilot but fails to express the same in clear words. He instead represents a Christ-like figure as Golding himself has suggested at a point in the novel .

Character #5&6

Sam and eric: samneric.

Although Sam and Eric are two different characters, they are twin brothers and are identical. Their resemblance is so close that they sometimes think and speak together. They also seem to have some understanding of following a leader. That is why they stay loyal to Ralph and Piggy until it the very end and also take care of the fire. Golding’s naming them as Samneric may point to individualism and its status in a community .

Character #7

Maurice is a tall and sturdy young boy. He is one of the best hunters. He forces and trains the boys to learn hunting. For this, he pretends as a pig and makes others hunt him in a fake chase. In fact, Maurice is the representative of a mindless mob who acts on the popular issues without considering consequences.

Character #8

Percival is one of the “littluns”. He is one of the important characters due to his innocent acts of repeating his own name and recalling his home. When he comes to know that he may not be meeting his family members and others, he becomes hysterical. Other older boys comfort him. He represents the little boys who are habitual of not taking care of themselves and are dependent on their families.

Character #9

The naval officer.

The naval officer is the only adult in the novel. However, he appears in the end during utter the chaos and disorder. He comes face to face with Ralph and inquires him and his pursuers what they are doing. He informs Ralph that he has come to the island to see the cause of the fire. He then assures the boys that he has come to take them home. It is, however, quite strange that he has not become aware of the bloody games the boys were playing at the time of his arrival. He thinks that they are only showing unruly childish behavior over which he chides them. His uniform, his weapon, and his soldierly manners remind the readers that he is the representative of civilization and has come to restore the lost order.

Character #10

Although the beast is not a physical character in the novel, it has two representations at different places. If taken from the perspective what Simon has seen, the beast is the disfigured body of the pilot. The pilot’s parachute gets caught in the trees , and he dies. His face is hidden in the swarm of flies. The second is the unseen animal or thing that terrifies the boys. The boys think that the beast visits them when they are sleeping to scare them. Although Simon has seen it, he could not explain it to the other boys. He also realizes that the invisible beast of evil exists in every boy. Different people use this beast for different purposes. Jack uses it to create fear and to gather hunters to track the beast down and save others. Simon uses it to show his spiritual side and Ralph uses it to show and prove his leadership qualities.

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Lord of the Flies

William golding, everything you need for every book you read..

Lord of the Flies

By william golding.

Lord of the Flies is a multi-layered and character-rich novel. Golding utilized numerous, well-developed characters throughout.

About the Book

Article written by Lee-James Bovey

P.G.C.E degree.

They will appeal to readers for one reason or another. Some are more sympathetic, while others are easier to dislike. Each acts as a symbol for something else, such as leadership, hate, or the devolution of humankind, which are the main themes of ‘ Lord of the Flies ‘ .

Ralph is often cited as the novel’s protagonist. He is the first character introduced in the book and is referred to as “fair.” This term represents his physical appearance (his hair and skin) and is also a reflection of his character. Like many of the characters in ‘ Lord of the Flies ,’ Ralph represents a concept. He is symbolic of leadership and, in particular, a democratic approach. Interestingly, he is not shown to be as intelligent as Piggy, from whom he gets a lot of his ideas. But he is thrust into leadership due to his good looks and impressive physical stature – which in itself could be considered a commentary.

Jack is the antagonist of ‘ Lord of the Flies ‘. Although Ralph tries to get along with Jack, Jack dislikes Ralph after he is made the leader. It is because of this that Jack represents a desire for power. He also represents a dictatorship. When he finds himself in a leadership role later, he creates a tyrannical regime.

Piggy is the character with the most adult-like attributes. He is not really interested in fun. Instead, his mind is focused on a return to civilization. He seems to represent rationalization and order. While he can occasionally seem whiny, in many ways, he is the brains behind Ralph’s leadership. There is an interesting dynamic switch as the novel evolves, with Ralph initially dismissive of Piggy but later becoming increasingly reliant on him. In many ways, Piggy’s death represents the total descent to savagery.

Roger is arguably one of the novel’s most unlikeable characters. He, even more so than Jack, represents savagery. While Jack can be manipulative. Roger is just sadistic. He acts as Jack’s right-hand man and is responsible for Piggy’s death (rolling a boulder onto him). Roger’s descent is shown when earlier in the novel, he is seen throwing stones at the “little ‘ens” but deliberately missing (but purely because he feels restrained by the remnants of societal expectations).

If Roger represents mankind’s innate capacity for evil, then Simon represents the desire to be good. Simon is the moral compass of the story, and the fact that his death is not the pinnacle of the book’s action informs what the message of the novel is. Simon seems to have a deep connection with the island, which seems almost spiritual. He sees visions and can translate and really grasp that the beast that everybody fears is not a physical being but is within all of the boys on the island. Simon is pretty much the only character to never succumb to the allure of the so-called savagery.

Sam and Eric

The twins are interesting characters. At the start of the novel, they seem relatively distinct, but as the novel progresses, even their name becomes a single entity. They remain loyal to Ralph through most of the novel but eventually succumb to a new leader in Jack. In this regard, they seem to represent regular people who follow the leader regardless of whether they feel that leader is morally right. The act of betraying Ralph near the novel’s conclusion is deeply symbolic of man’s presumed compliance with dictatorships.

Although not really a character, the presence of the so-called beast is prevalent throughout. Sam and Eric believe the beast is the dead man on the parachute. There are suggestions that it is a snake or even a big cat (although that idea is quickly dispelled.) The Beast could be the pig’s head (or the “Lord of the Flies”) that Simon talks to. Although as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that the beast is within the children themselves.

The little ‘ens

There are some named characters among the little ‘ens. However, they are not focused on in-depth during the novel. They are often there as a reminder of the innocence of youth. While the older boys try and construct a society, the little ‘ens are content with playing in the sand despite becoming quite ill.

One could make a valid argument for the Island being a prominent character within ‘ Lord of the Flies ‘. The mess that the plane crash makes on the island is referred to as “the scar,” and this is a very deliberate word choice. There are no women present in the story, and the reason for this is contentious. Some have argued that women are a key component of society.

As quoted by Golding , “women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men. They are far superior.” Some have suggested that with women on the island that the savage behaviour that might have ensued would have been far too problematic to publish. However, nature and the island itself are often subject to personification throughout the novel. Could this be “mother nature?”

Who are the 5 main characters in Lord of the Flies ?

The five main characters are: Piggy, Simon, Ralph, Roger, and the island itself.

What do the characters represent in Lord of the Flies?

Some of the characters represent democracy and peace while others represent savagery and devolution of social norms.

What is Piggy’s real name?

Piggy’s real name is never revealed in the novel. It has been speculated to be Perkins or Peter.

About Lee-James Bovey

Lee-James, a.k.a. LJ, has been a Book Analysis team member since it was first created. During the day, he's an English Teacher. During the night, he provides in-depth analysis and summary of books.

Cite This Page

Bovey, Lee-James " Lord of the Flies Characters 🏝️ " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/william-golding/lord-of-the-flies/characters/ . Accessed 4 April 2024.

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