Book Review: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Introduction

“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.”

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is one of the most haunting and psychologically complex novels ever written about civilization, morality, and human nature.

Published in 1954, the novel begins as a survival story about a group of British schoolboys stranded on an uninhabited island after a plane crash during wartime. But beneath the adventure lies a dark allegory — an examination of how quickly society collapses when rules and order disappear.

Golding, a former schoolteacher and World War II veteran, used this story to explore one disturbing question:
Without civilization, what happens to the human soul?

Plot Summary

Chapter 1–3: The Beginning of Order

A group of boys, aged six to twelve, survive a plane crash on a deserted island. The first to appear is Ralph, who finds a conch shell with Piggy, an intelligent but physically weak boy. When Ralph blows the conch, the scattered boys gather, and they elect him leader.

Ralph tries to establish order — setting rules, building shelters, and keeping a signal fire burning in hopes of rescue. Jack Merridew, head of the choirboys, becomes leader of the hunters.

But tension builds between Ralph’s focus on rescue and Jack’s obsession with hunting pigs. The group begins to fracture.

Chapter 4–6: The Rise of Fear

Jack and his hunters kill their first pig, painting their faces and chanting. They let the signal fire go out — just as a ship passes by. Ralph is furious.

That night, the boys begin to fear a mysterious “beast” lurking on the island. The fear becomes contagious, and even rational boys like Piggy and Ralph start to doubt what’s real.

A dead parachutist from the war lands on the island — mistaken for the beast. Fear tightens its grip.

Chapter 7–9: The Fall into Savagery

The boys’ sense of civilization erodes. Jack splits off, forming his own tribe devoted to hunting and ritual.

Meanwhile, Simon, the most introspective boy, discovers that the “beast” is not a creature but the corpse of the parachutist — proof that their fear is imagined. But when he tries to tell the others, they’re caught in a frenzied dance and mistake him for the beast.

In one of the novel’s most chilling scenes, Simon is beaten to death by the group.

The beast, Golding implies, isn’t external — it’s inside the boys themselves.

Chapter 10–12: The End of Innocence

Ralph and Piggy remain the last defenders of reason. Jack’s tribe grows violent and primitive, stealing Piggy’s glasses to make fire.

When Ralph and Piggy confront them, Roger, Jack’s sadistic follower, pushes a boulder that kills Piggy instantly. The conch — symbol of order — shatters with him.

Jack’s tribe hunts Ralph through the jungle, setting the island on fire to flush him out.

Just as Ralph is about to be killed, he collapses on the beach — and looks up to see a British naval officer standing over him.

The boys burst into tears. Civilization has returned — but too late to save their innocence.

Major Themes

1. Civilization vs. Savagery

The novel’s central conflict is between the civilizing instinct (Ralph, Piggy) and the savage instinct (Jack, Roger). Golding suggests that without societal constraints, human beings revert to primitive violence.

2. The Loss of Innocence

The boys begin as proper English schoolchildren and descend into bloodthirsty hunters. Their innocence isn’t lost — it’s revealed as fragile illusion.

3. The Nature of Evil

Golding rejects the idea that evil comes from outside forces. The true “beast” is within — the darkness in human nature.

4. Fear and Power

Fear becomes a tool of control. Jack uses it to dominate the others, showing how leaders can manipulate mass hysteria to maintain authority.

5. Groupthink and Mob Mentality

The boys’ collective descent mirrors real-world political and social movements driven by fear, loyalty, and violence — a miniature study of dictatorship.

Character Analysis

Ralph

The symbol of democracy and reason. Ralph tries to maintain order and fairness, but he’s slowly overpowered by fear and chaos. His arc represents civilization’s fragility.

Piggy

The intellectual voice of logic and science. His death signifies the end of rationality on the island. His glasses — the source of fire — symbolize human innovation.

Jack

The embodiment of primal instinct and authoritarian power. Charismatic, aggressive, and manipulative, he thrives in chaos. His painted face represents freedom from morality.

Simon

The novel’s spiritual figure — a Christ-like character who perceives the truth. His death is a symbolic crucifixion, marking the island’s descent into moral darkness.

Roger

The purest symbol of cruelty. Roger’s sadism grows unchecked once societal rules vanish — proof that some darkness exists beyond reason.

Symbolism

• The Conch Shell – Law, order, and democracy. Its destruction marks civilization’s collapse.
• Piggy’s Glasses – Rationality, science, and progress. They bring fire — and therefore power.
• The Beast – Inner evil; humanity’s capacity for violence and irrational fear.
• The Signal Fire – Hope of rescue and connection to civilization. Its neglect shows moral decay.
• The Lord of the Flies (the pig’s head) – The physical manifestation of evil and corruption. A grotesque “idol” that speaks to Simon, confirming that the beast is within.
• The Island – A microcosm of human society, transforming from paradise to inferno.

Style and Tone

Golding’s prose is vivid and symbolic, blending realism with myth. His tone moves from idyllic to nightmarish as innocence gives way to horror.

He uses third-person omniscient narration to show both the boys’ thoughts and the broader allegorical meanings. The shift from structured language to chaotic imagery mirrors the boys’ psychological breakdown.

Why Lord of the Flies Still Matters

Nearly seventy years after publication, Lord of the Flies remains a chilling reflection of society — especially in an age of digital mobs and fractured communities.

Its message is simple yet devastating: civilization is a thin layer, and beneath it lies the instinct for domination and destruction.

The novel resonates with modern psychology, politics, and media culture — proving Golding’s insight that “the shape of society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual.”

In other words, the island is us.

Homework Questions & Answers

Q1: What does the “beast” symbolize?
A1: The beast represents the boys’ inner fear and capacity for evil. It’s a projection of their own savagery, not an external monster.

Q2: Why is Simon’s death important?
A2: Simon’s death marks the loss of morality and truth. It shows that fear can destroy even innocence and wisdom.

Q3: How do Ralph and Jack represent opposing forces?
A3: Ralph symbolizes order and democracy; Jack symbolizes chaos and tyranny. Their conflict mirrors the struggle between civilization and primal instinct.

Q4: What does the conch shell’s destruction mean?
A4: It symbolizes the end of law, order, and civilized discourse. Once it breaks, savagery reigns unchecked.

Q5: What is Golding’s overall message about human nature?
A5: That evil is inherent — civilization suppresses it, but never erases it. When rules disappear, humanity reverts to its darker instincts.

Conclusion

Lord of the Flies begins as a survival story and ends as a warning. Through the boys’ descent into barbarism, William Golding exposes the fragility of moral order and the terrifying ease with which humanity can destroy itself.

It’s a book about fear, power, and the thin line between civilization and chaos — a story as relevant today as it was in 1954.

When Ralph weeps at the novel’s end, he’s not just mourning his friends — he’s mourning the loss of innocence, the failure of humanity, and the truth Golding forces us to face:

The real beast is within us all.