Lord Of The Flies Quiz

Lord of the Flies is a novel by British author William Golding, published in 1954. A Nobel Prize winner (1983), Golding wrote the novel as a response to the idealized portrayal of boyhood adventure in R.M. Ballantyne's 1857 novel "The Coral Island." In Lord of the Flies, a group of British boys ranging from about 6 to 12 years old are stranded on an uninhabited island after their plane is shot down during a wartime evacuation. The novel follows their increasingly desperate and violent attempts to govern themselves without adult supervision, culminating in savagery and murder.

Characters and Symbolism

The novel's major characters embody different aspects of human nature and civilization: Ralph (the elected leader, who represents democracy, civilization, and the effort to maintain social order - He is associated with the conch shell, a symbol of democratic authority); Piggy (Ralph's intelligent, rational friend who represents science, intellect, and reason - His glasses are used to start fires); Simon (a sensitive, spiritual boy who represents morality and mystical insight - He discovers that the "beast" is within the boys themselves); and Jack Merridew (the antagonist, who represents the primal, savage impulse - He leads a breakaway group of hunters who paint their faces and abandon the rules of civilization).

The "Lord of the Flies" itself - The title character - Is the head of a pig on a stick that Simon encounters; it appears to speak to him, representing the beast within all humans (the name Beelzebub, one of Satan's names, means "Lord of the Flies" in Hebrew). Key symbols include: the conch (civilization and democratic order), Piggy's glasses (science and rational thinking), the signal fire (hope of rescue and connection to civilization), and the painted faces of the hunters (the abandonment of civilized identity). The novel's shocking ending - When a naval officer arrives and the boys realize how far they have fallen - Is one of the most powerful in 20th-century literature. Test your knowledge - Also try our Animal Farm quiz and our Shakespeare quiz.