An Introduction to Lord of
the Flies
Sir William Golding- Personal
history
 10 September 1911- 19 June 1993
 Father was a science master
 Mother was active in the women’s
suffrage movement
 Married in 1939 and had 2 children,
Judith-Diana and David
Sir William Golding-War service
 Joined the Royal Navy in 1940
 During WW2, he fought in the Royal navy
and was involved in the sinking of
Germany’s mightiest ship the Bismarck
 Participated in the
invasion of Normandy
on D-Day
 At the war’s end he
returned to teaching
and writing
Lord of the Flies-Background
 The novel indicates that it takes place
during some unidentified Nuclear War.
 Some of the boys that are
marooned on the island
are ordinary students, some
are choir boys with an
established leader
 Most of the boys appear to have
never met
Lord of the Flies-Background
 The novel examines the boys’ descent
into savagery
 The boys are stranded on a deserted
island that looks to them to be
paradise
Lord of the Flies- Themes
 Central Theme- Civilization vs Savagery
 Groupthink vs individualism
 Rational reaction vs
emotional reaction
 Morality vs immorality
Lord of the Flies- Characters
Ralph
 Ralph is quickly elected
leader of the group
 Seems to mean well but attempts to remain
popular by any means
 Has a tendency to be logical and polite
even in the tensest of moments
 Embodies good intentions and reason
 Refuses repeatedly throughout the novel to
resort to violence
 Ralph is the protagonist
Lord of the Flies- Characters
Jack
 represents the worst of human nature
 Like Ralph, he is a natural leader
 Unlike Ralph, he assigns himself
leader and relies on the more
primal desires of the boys to
retain his authority
 Is the leader of the choirboys
 Has an unhealthy obsession with hunting
and killing a pig that is roaming the island
Lord of the Flies- Characters
Piggy
 Intellectual, poor eyesight,
has a weight problem and
asthma
 The most physically vulnerable
of the boys
 By repeatedly quoting his aunt,
he provides the ONLY female voice
 Acts as Ralph’s advisor
 Believes in upholding social conventions
 Believes that life is scientific
Lord of the Flies- Characters
 The rest of the group is made up of
several groups of boys including the
choirboys, the littluns and the biguns