Lord of the Flies

A detailed Summary of Lord of the Flies


Humanity centers around the moral authority in which the people build a structured society. With the absence of moral authority the structured society degrades to a point where anarchy and disorder rein. When man represses his noble instincts and embraces a life of savagery, it results in the break down of moral authority. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Golding portrays a group of young boys marooned on a Utopian world and their struggle to survive; ultimately, the bestial instinct of the boys crushes the struggle to remain civilized changing the Utopia to a Hell.

A large number of boys are marooned on an island that offers them shelter, food, safety, and a beautiful jungle. The boys are forced to create a structured society in an effort for survival. Jack Merridew immediately establishes authority over a portion of the boys. Jack's authoritarian leadership deters the boys from electing him as a leader and they choose Ralph instead. This immediately causes rivalry between the two boys. Ralph struggles to create order and experiences the agony of not being able to convince the boys to act in their own b


Heinous crimes are perpetrated by some of the boys on their fellows as a result of Jack's leadership and Ralph's lack of control. Jack becomes the primary cause of destruction on the island. Jack began as leader of a group of choirboys and ultimately became chief of the hunters. He quickly repressed any noble instincts he once held and embraced a life of savagery. "He knelt, holding the shell of water. A rounded patch of sunlight fell on his face and a brightness appeared in the depths of the water. He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger. He spilt the water and leapt to his feet, laughing excitedly...He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling...(64)" This shows how Jack makes the psychological break symbolically by baptizing himself with the blood of a slaughtered pig. Jack represents the bestial instinct of man unrestrained by any rational control.

Lord of the Flies shows how brutal people can be to each other. It serves as a warning of man's potential for brutality to his fellow man. Golding portrays a group of young boys marooned on a Utopian w

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Approximate Word count = 758
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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