lord of the flies essay questions

'Lord of the Flies' Questions for Study and Discussion

How to Understand William Golding's Famous Novel

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"Lord of the Flies" is a famous and highly controversial novel by William Golding. An unusually violent version of a coming-of-age story , the novel is viewed as an allegory , exploring the aspects of human nature that lead us to turn on each other and resort to violence.

Golding was a war veteran, and much of his literary career was spent exploring these themes central to an understanding of humanity. His other works include "Free Fall," about a prisoner in a German camp during World War II; "The Inheritors" which depicts a race of gentle people being overrun by a more violent race and "Pincher Martin," a story told from the point of view of a drowning soldier

Here are a few questions about " Lord of the Flies " for study and discussion, to help improve your understanding of its themes and characters.

Why Is the Novel Called 'Lord of the Flies'?

• What is important about the title? Is there a reference in the novel that explains the title? Hint: Simon is the one who names the pig's staked head. 
• Central to the plot of "Lord of the Flies" is the idea of order and society being crucial to survival. Does Golding seem to be advocating for a structured society, or against it? Explain your answer using one of the characters as your evidence.

Plot and Character in 'Lord of the Flies'

• Which of the boys on the island is the most well-developed character? Which is the most poorly developed? Could Golding have done more to explore the boys' backstories, or would that have slowed the plot?
• Could "Lord of the Flies" have taken place at another point in history? Explore this possibility by choosing a time period and determining how the plot would have played out there. 
• How important is the setting in "Lord of the Flies?" Would it have been as effective to the plot if Golding had stranded the boys on another planet, for instance? Explain your answer.
• The ending of "Lord of the Flies" is not unexpected; it seemed likely throughout the novel that the boys eventually would be "rescued." But does the ending satisfy you? What do you think Golding was trying to say by letting us hear the Navy officer's inner thoughts? 

Putting 'Lord of the Flies' in Larger Context

• If you were going to recommend "Lord of the Flies" to a friend, how would you describe it? Would you warn them of the novel's violence? 
• Understanding that the central plot is highly controversial, do you think "Lord of the Flies" should be censored or banned? Does it make sense that it has been banned in the past?
• Do you agree that "Lord of the Flies" is a companion piece of sorts to J.D. Salinger's " The Catcher in the Rye ?" How do you think Holden Caulfield would have fared on Golding's island with the rest of the boys? 
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Lord of the Flies

By william golding, lord of the flies study guide.

Sir William Golding composed Lord of the Flies shortly after the end of WWII. At the time of the novel's composition, Golding, who had published an anthology of poetry nearly two decades earlier, had been working for a number of years as a teacher and training as a scientist. Golding drew extensively on his scientific background for his first narrative work. The novel's plot, in which a group of English boys stranded on a deserted island struggle to develop their own society, is a social and political thought-experiment using fiction. The story of their attempts at civilization and devolution into savagery and violence puts the relationship between human nature and society under a literary microscope. Golding's allusions to human evolution also reflect his scientific training. The characters discover fire, craft tools, and form political and social systems in a process that recalls theories of the development of early man, a topic of much interest among many peoples including the mid-century Western public. The culmination of the plot in war and murder suggests that Golding's overarching hypothesis about humanity is pessimistic, that is, there are anarchic and brutal instincts in human nature. Ordered democracy or some other regime is necessary to contain these instincts.

As an allegory about human nature and society, Lord of the Flies draws upon Judeo-Christian mythology to elaborate on the novel's sociological and political hypothesis. The title has two meanings, both charged with religious significance. The first is a reference to a line from King Lear , "As flies to wanton boys, are we to gods." The second is a reference to the Hebrew name Ba'alzevuv, or in its Greek form Beelzebub, which translates to "God of the Flies" and is synonymous with Satan. For Golding however, the satanic forces that compel the shocking events on the island come from within the human psyche rather than from an external, supernatural realm as they do in Judeo-Christian mythology. Golding thus employs a religious reference to illustrate a Freudian concept: the Id, the amoral instinct that governs the individual's sense of sheer survival, is by nature evil in its amoral pursuit of its own goals. The Lord of the Flies, that is, the pig's head on a stick, directly challenges the most spiritually motivated character on the island, Simon , who functions as a prophet-martyr for the other boys.

Published in 1954 early in the Cold War, Lord of the Flies is firmly rooted in the sociopolitical concerns of its era. The novel alludes to the Cold War conflict between liberal democracy and totalitarian communism. Ralph represents the liberal tradition, while Jack, before he succumbs to total anarchy, represents the kind of military dictatorship that, for mid-century America and Great Britain, characterized the communist system. It is also notable that Golding sets the novel in what appears to be a future human reality, one that is in crisis after atomic war. Golding's novel capitalizes on public paranoia surrounding the atom bomb which, due to the arms race of the Cold War, was at a high. Golding's negative depiction of Jack, who represents an anti-democratic political system, and his suggestion of the reality of atomic war, present the novel as a gesture of support for the Western position in the Cold War.

In addition to science, mythology, and the sociopolitical context of the Cold War, Lord of the Flies was heavily influenced by previous works of speculative fiction. In particular, Golding's novel alludes to R. M. Ballantyne's 1857 The Coral Island , which tells the story of three boys stranded on a desert island. Golding, who found Ballantyne's interpretation of the situation naive and improbable, likely intended Lord of the Flies to be an indirect critique of The Coral Island . Golding preserves the names of two of Ballantyne's characters, Ralph and Jack, to force the two texts into deeper comparison. While the boys of Coral Island spend their time having pleasant adventures, Golding's characters battle hunger, loneliness, and the deadly consequences of political conflict after they are deserted. The pessimistic character of Golding's story reflects the author's emphasis on the necessity of democratic civilization. Critics also have noted the relationship between Lord of the Flies and Joseph Conrad's canonical 1902 Heart of Darkness , which follows a soldier's excursion into marginal African civilizations. Reflecting some biases, Heart of Darkness depicts these parts of Africa as places where social order is absent and anarchy rules, breeding death and disorder; the novel sees the same problem as an issue within the individual human soul. Like Conrad's work, Golding's novel emphasizes the brutal and violent human impulses that arise in the absence of political order.

Lord of the Flies, with its dystopian and speculative characteristics, established Golding as a solid author with an interest in the science-fiction literary genre that was popular in the 1950s. The novel depicts ostensibly realistic characters, but the plot, which follows a small group of humans isolated within an alien landscape, employs or alludes to the conventions of popular science fiction novels of the time. Golding's subsequent works saw him moving even further into the science fiction genre. The Inheritors , heavily influenced by H. G. Wells's Outline of History , imagines life during the dawn of man and is considered a modern classic of speculative fiction.

Lord of the Flies was not an instant success, selling fewer than 3,000 copies before going out of print in 1955. Shortly thereafter, however, the novel became a bestseller among American and British readers who, as the arms race intensified, likely saw in Golding's wartime dystopia a grim prediction of their own future. By the 1960s the novel was required reading for many high school and college courses, where it has remained to the present day. The enduring popularity of the novel inspired two film adaptations, one by Peter Brook in 1963, and the second by Harry Hook in 1990. Golding's original novel, however, remains the best-known version of the tale. In 2005, Time Magazine named the novel one of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923.

A continuing controversy surrounding the political message of the novel and its view of human nature has led some readers to challenge its status as a book suitable for children. The American Library Association thus positioned Lord of the Flies at number 70 on its list of the 100 most challenged books of 1990-2000. Among literary critics of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, however, Lord of the Flies has been revisited less as an allegory of human evil than as a literary expression of Cold War ideology. This historicizing does not do justice to the novel. But in terms of reception history, contemporary critics are right to note that the novel's position at the center of many English curricula across America and Great Britain during the Cold War illustrates how the pedagogy of literature has been used to bolster national identity and ideology.

Lord of the Flies Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Lord of the Flies is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How do the boys respond to Jack's call for Ralph's removal as chief? How does Jack react? Respond with evidence from the text.

There is a lot of immaturity here. The other boys refuse to vote Ralph out of power. Enraged, Jack has a tantrum and runs away from the group, saying that he is leaving and that anyone who likes is welcome to join him.The boys don't like the open...

What does Ralph recall hearing From Simon and seeing in the sky ?

The boys would see cargo planes in the sky and fishing boats in the sea.

Wooden huts on or near the beach are not called……

I'm not sure what you are looking for here, perhaps "shelters".

Study Guide for Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies study guide contains a biography of William Golding, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Lord of the Flies
• Lord of the Flies Summary
• Lord of the Flies Video
• Character List

Essays for Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

• Two Faces of Man
• The Relationship Between Symbolism and Theme in Lord of the Flies
• A Tainted View of Society
• Death and Social Collapse in Lord of the Flies
• Lumination: The Conquest of Mankind's Darkness

Lesson Plan for Lord of the Flies

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Lord of the Flies
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
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• Lord of the Flies Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Lord of the Flies

• Introduction

Lord of the Flies

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

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Golding's Lord of the Flies . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Lord of the Flies: Introduction

Lord of the flies: plot summary, lord of the flies: detailed summary & analysis, lord of the flies: themes, lord of the flies: quotes, lord of the flies: characters, lord of the flies: symbols, lord of the flies: theme wheel, brief biography of william golding.

Historical Context of Lord of the Flies

Other books related to lord of the flies.

• Full Title: Lord of the Flies
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1954
• Literary Period: Post-war fiction
• Genre: Allegorical novel / Adventure novel
• Setting: A deserted tropical island in the middle of a nuclear world war
• Climax: Piggy's death
• Point of View: Third person omniscient

Extra Credit for Lord of the Flies

Beelzebub. The phrase "lord of the flies" is a translation of the Greek "Beelzebub," a devil mentioned in the New Testament. In the Bible, Beelzebub sometimes seems to be Satan himself, and at other times seems to be Satan's most powerful lieutenant.

Coral Island. William Golding based several of the main ideas in Lord of the Flies on Coral Island (1858), a somewhat obscure novel by Robert Ballantyne, a 19th-century British novelist. In Coral Island , three English boys create an idyllic society after being shipwrecked on a deserted island. They battle wild hogs, typhoons, hostile island visitors, and eventually Pirates on the South Seas.

Lord of the Flies

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

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Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-11

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Compare/contrast what happensin “normal” society with what happens on the island. Is the society that the boys make more similar or different than the society you know?

Why are there no girls on the island? Do you think that having both genders represented would alter how the boys treat one another?

Why does the “Lord of the Flies” (138)—the pig’s head—tell Simon he is in danger? How does this scene relate to the novel’s title?

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Sample Essay

How does William Golding set the scene for the novel in the opening chapter?

The opening chapter of ‘Lord of the Flies’ is very effective in laying the foundation for the rest of the plot. Characters become instantly recognizable and significant. The surroundings around the characters become very clear and leave you with a vivid image in your mind whilst reading. Also, the use of the language helps the situation become familiar, with spectacular detail being during descriptions. All of these factors together help build a very strong and effective chapter as the script from then on becomes vaguely predictable, with the readers expecting to know the characters and lay out well enough to recognise their reactions to any/all situations that may arise.

The introduction of characters opens the chapter in suspense as all is not revealed immediately: “ The fair boy & the fat boy.” Golding’s approach in the opening chapter to the characters is effective as it doesn’t introduce them by name, but more by personality type. Upon reading this, you automatically believe you know the two characters and feel comfortable envisaging the two children stranded on an island rather young and clueless to the dangers of the island, with the concept of no food, water, shelter or food not phasing them. This also shows their immaturity, as a normal adult would immediately try to work a logical & strategic yet plausible plan of getting back to reality or how to survive. The fact that later on ‘the fat boy’ later is addressed by ‘Piggy’ strengthens the stereotype placed upon him, with ‘the fair boy’ being given quite a polite and gentle name of Ralph.

William Golding’s use of descriptive language builds a clear image of the scenery: “ All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat” . Such attention to detail allows us as the readers to be part of the story, placing us right in the scenery. The use of onomatopoeia such as ‘smash’ put emphasis on the beforehand scenes we aren’t exposed to, as we aren’t told they’re in a plane crash, yet the fact the scar ‘smashed’ into the island lets us know it was something with pretty heavy impact, it is quite a violent term. Describing it as a ‘Scar’ also tells a story as you regard a scar as being something unsightly and unwelcomed, possibly damaging attractive scenery. It shows us that it has damaged the island significantly. The metaphor ‘scar’ may also imply that the damage caused was irreversible as scars often are, which in turn just emphasises the impact the children/previous events have had on the island.

The way the characters are portrayed hints at a possible chance of survival: “Nobody don’t know we’re here”. During a conversation early on between Piggy & Ralph, Piggy intends to inform Ralph they’re stranded as no-one actually knows they’re there, but in matter of fact expresses that somebody does in fact know they’re on the island. This is because the double negative comment actually contradicts itself, and by intending to say nobody knows their whereabouts’ he actually does the opposite. This could be argued that Golding is doing this intentionally to push you to read on by leaving you, in a sense, subliminal messages. This also shows the importance of the characters personality type, as Piggy can be perceived as quite ‘dopey’, and only through him can William Golding voice such un-educated comments, and effectively and at the same time very cleverly hint at survival.      

The conch acts as a means of authority and Ralph soon becomes graced with power: “The children gave him the same simple obedience that they had given to the men with megaphones”. This shows Ralph as the natural leader and puts him in the same figure head roll as the parents. The conch shows authority and is soon likened to the megaphones of the parents. It almost shows Ralph as a religious symbol, as if he has the power of God now he has full control of the island, and everyone is at his lead while he stands on a rock taller than everyone there with the conch. It is argued that this is a very important factor during the opening chapter of ‘Lord of the Flies’ as you wonder whether the conch is going to fall into the wrong hands, and in turn, the authority and power that comes with it – soon over powering the natural but fair leader; Ralph.

Some of the aspects previously mentioned lead me to believe the ‘Lord of the Flies’ is going to be very eventful and could go either way in terms of surviving or making it off the island. After simply reading just the first chapter I find myself wanting to get answers to such questions as “How can a series of young boys create a survival plan and make it off the island?” or “was Piggy deliberately talking in double negatives to make us believe on thing contrary to another?” William Golding has created a very effective opening scene and should appeal to a vast audience, urging them to read on further after appealing so strongly during the opening chapter.

• Lord of the Flies

William Golding

• Literature Notes
• Major Themes
• 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
• Concept, Identity, and Manifestations of the Beast
• Golding's Use of the Fable Structure
• Famous Quotes
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Critical Essays Major Themes

Problem of Evil

Lord of the Flies was driven by " Golding 's consideration of human evil, a complex topic that involves an examination not only of human nature but also the causes, effects, and manifestations of evil. It demands also a close observation of the methods or ideologies humankind uses to combat evil and whether those methods are effective. Golding addresses these topics through the intricate allegory of his novel.

When Lord of the Flies was first released in 1954, Golding described the novel's theme in a publicity questionnaire as "an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature." In his 1982 essay A Moving Target , he stated simply "The theme of Lord of the Flies is grief, sheer grief, grief, grief." The novel ends of course with Ralph grieving the indelible mark of evil in each person's heart, an evil he scarcely suspected existed before witnessing its effects on his friends and supporters. The former schoolboys sought unthinkingly to dominate others who were not of their group. They discovered within themselves the urge to inflict pain and enjoyed the accompanying rush of power. When confronted with a choice between reason's civilizing influence and animality's self-indulgent savagery, they choose to abandon the values of the civilization that Ralph represents.

This same choice is made constantly all over the world, all throughout history — the source of the grief Golding sought to convey. He places supposedly innocent schoolboys in the protected environment of an uninhabited tropical island to illustrate the point that savagery is not confined to certain people in particular environments but exists in everyone as a stain on, if not a dominator of, the nobler side of human nature. Golding depicts the smallest boys acting out, in innocence, the same cruel desire for mastery shown by Jack and his tribe while hunting pigs and, later, Ralph. The adults waging the war that marooned the boys on the island are also enacting the desire to rule others.

Ironically, by giving rein to their urge to dominate, the boys find themselves in the grip of a force they can neither understand nor acknowledge. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!" and then laughs at the boys' efforts to externalize their savagery in the form of an animal or other fearsome creature. Simon has the revelation that evil isn't simply a component of human nature, but an active element that seeks expression.

Outlets for Violence

Most societies set up mechanisms to channel aggressive impulses into productive enterprises or projects. On the island, Jack's hunters are successful in providing meat for the group because they tap into their innate ability to commit violence. To the extent that this violence is a reasoned response to the group's needs (for example, to feed for the population), it produces positive effects and outcomes. However, when the violence becomes the motivator and the desired outcome lacks social or moral value beyond itself, as it does with the hunters, at that point the violence becomes evil, savage, and diabolical.

Violence continues to exist in modern society and is institutionalized in the military and politics. Golding develops this theme by having his characters establish a democratic assembly, which is greatly affected by the verbal violence of Jack's power-plays, and an army of hunters, which ultimately forms a small military dictatorship. The boys' assemblies are likened to both ends of the social or civil spectrum, from pre-verbal tribe gatherings to modern governmental institutions, indicating that while the forum for politics has changed over the millennia, the dynamic remains the same.

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