Study Guide to Lord of the Flies and Other Works by William Golding

Simon’s discovery of the corpse of the parachutist confirms his previous suspicion that the “beast” is an illusion prompted by the imaginations of the boys.

encounter between Simon and the Lord of the Flies represents the conflict between good and evil as it occurs in every man.

The head of the sow, hung on a stick as a gift for the beast, becomes another symbol of terror. Golding gives to the head the title “Lord of the Flies,”

s violent as the description of the killing of the sow appears to be, it should be noticed that Golding controls and checks the imagination of his reader. Instead of following the scene from the point of view of the boys, as he does at the beginning of the episode, he backs away and observes the event with detachment. Just before the sow is struck down, he shifts the lens of his camera from close-up to distance, taking in details of the landscap

point at which the powers of destruction, embodied by Jack, triumph over the restraints of civilization represented by Ralph. Here the boys totally and irrevocably commi

most of the boys have become part of Jack’s tribe of hunters

The movement from order to chaos is constantly repeated.

life far more primitive than that organized by Ralph on the beach

Castle Rock represents the increased primi

am and Eric look at the intruder, they see a strange beast, with teeth, claws, and the ability to slink through the trees in pursuit