parts of society. What features are they, what do they represent and how

Although William Golding's, 'the Lord of the Flies', occurs on an island, many of it's

features clearly represent a microcosm of the society we live in today. Most of these

features are conveyed successfully, yet some are not. This essay will explore the

ways in which William Golding has represented modern western society throughout

the text. Features to be analysed are; Ralph who portrays democracy and logic,

Piggy who represents rationality and intellectualism, a "Christ-like figure"

illustrated by Simon, Jack who signifies savagery and anarchy, the conch which

delivers law and order and the beast which mirrors the evil, sins and darkness of

On the island, democracy and logic is represented by Ralph. Golding describes him

as tall, blonde, attractive and is 'built like a boxer', as is stated in the novel. Ralph is

calm and rational with sound judgement and a strong moral sensibility. His

handsome features and the conch as a symbol of power and order, make him stand

out from the other boys and led to his being proclaimed Chief: "Th

has been loosened during the time they have spent without supervision on the

younger children. Every move that Simon makes is slow and delicate; "...He picked

when Ralph is rescued by a officer, he states "And you don't know how many of

illustrates the disappearance of some of the last remnants of democracy on the

live sensibly according to rules and standards of behaviour, or to live in a state of

that Jack was a stronger and more self-assured leader gave in easily to the freedom

thievery and murder. Rules and proper behaviour by which he was brought up,

until reduced to a manageable system. He insists on collecting the names of all the

the island, as it is because of these features that he is brutally murdered.

Ralph displays quick, rational thinking, in a life threatening situation, that would

proves that he was respected for being familiar as the role of an adult. The second

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1548
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)