The Lord of the Flies

A detailed Summary of The Lord of the Flies

The Lord Of The Flies ends with the rescue of the school boys from the island when the British navy sights the fire meant to smoke out Ralph. At first sight, this does look like a typical happy ending: the children are rescued before the "hero" is killed, and go back to civilisation... but if you think about it, this ending only serves to highlight the greater tragedy of what happened during their relatively short time on the island, for example when the officer asks:

This last chapter lets us see what the boys have now become, and their change from the beginning of their arrival: "Other boys were appearing now... with the distended bellies of small savages". We see them as being older adults now, taking care of themselves without anyone's help, acting older than their actual age, but in reality, they were only young boys, and nothing more.

After the plane had crashed on the island, as time passes, the boys begin to change from well behaved schoolboys who try to follow rules given by society t

After his arrival, the naval officer's first impression is that the children are playing a game "Having a war or something?". When he says this, he is obviously joking, but Ralph's nodding makes him wonder then, his doubts are confirmed when he sees many panting, sweaty and dirty children. Most boys have sharp sticks in their hands, and he is shocked at their appearance: "You're all British aren't you? - would have been able to put up a better show than that". (When he goes on to: "Are there any adults - any grown-ups with you?", he realises what children without any real laws and order can become). However, the novel shows that even the so-called grown-ups are having a war, this can be seen from the plane crash at the beginning, the parachutist who was shot down on the island, and even the officer, who seems to be a knight dressed in white, but in reality, he is also fighting a war. The book clearly describes the officer and his uniform, and gives particular attention to his revolver: "... a white-topped cap..., gold foliage..., a revolver...".

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lord Flies, You're British, Castle Rock, William Golding, Coral Island,

Approximate Word count = 708
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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The Lord of the Flies

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