Relation To Experiences In Life

In Lord of the Flies(LOTF), we see many different types of characters and themes portrayed. In fact, these characters and themes can relate well to our life.

For example, Piggy, who is the logical and mature one. Piggy goes through his thoughts in his mind reasonably before he makes assumptions and is one who is more mature as compared to the other boys. However, he is not welcomed, and is often ignored. I feel that he is just like our parents in real life. Our parents often try to help us in the best way possible, but most teenagers like us go against them and refuse to listen to their advices.

Another example would be Simon, who is a portrayed to be a saint-like figure. Simon often tries to help and stop any arguments that occur between the boys. Also, he is extremely loving, willing to help the littluns pick the best fruits as they are unable to do so on their own. In life, he is just like the peace-loving and kind friend that some of us meet, one who is always there to help you whenever you are in need.

The relationship between Ralph and Piggy in the beginning, and the relationship between Jack and Piggy portrays the darkness of human nature, and the "evil spirit" that most of us have within us. At the start of the novel, when Piggy told Ralph about his nickname, Ralph immediately started poking fun at Piggy, and even revealed it to the other boys later, when Piggy already mentioned that he wished for it to be a secret. Their relationship depicts how some individuals in real life do not spare a thought for the feelings' of others. Furthermore, Jack always deprives Piggy of the right to speak, telling him to "shut up" and often calls him names. Jack attitude towards Piggy portrays how bullies treat their victims, often looking down on them and seeing them as inferior to themselves.

In conclusion, we can relate to Lord of the Flies extremely well because some details of the novel are exactly alike to incidents that we may see or experience in real life. Therefore, Lord of the Flies is definitely an interesting read.

Response Based On Class Discussion

In class, we have discussed about the battle between good and evil that has occurred with the boys as their days spent stranded on the island dragged on. This is one of the few major themes that is seen in the context of the book, and is depicted in how the boys interact with one another on the island. When discussed about the topic, one of the questions raised was: mankind has a capacity for both good and evil—which would a person choose?

Over the course of the story, there were plenty of scenes in the book where the boys had to choose between their own conscience or give in to the evil that was tempting them. I would have to say that I believe that between the battle of good and evil, the boys (humans) seemed to tend towards evil. We always have evil lurking deep within us, no matter how good or righteous we may believe ourselves to be. Even in our current society, where we do not have to suffer from the horrendous environment the boys from LOTF had suffered in, if we given a situation where we have to choose between our friend or ourselves, for example choosing to give a highly valued position to your friend or keep it for yourself, there would be no doubt that there will be that certain number of people that value themselves over others—the selfish thoughts that linger in their minds seem to pull them away from selfless thoughts and into thinking that they pose a much higher value than others and want to receive all the benefits and glory.

One example from the book would be when Piggy confessed to Ralph that he was hurt when Ralph exposed his nickname to Jack and the others which resulted in him being teased. Even though Ralph saw that Piggy was ‘hurt and confused’, he did not apologise right away. Instead, he ‘hovered between the two courses of apology or further insult.’ This clearly depicted the internal conflict Ralph was struggling with—the battle between good and evil. Also, instead of apologizing, he glossed over the issue by saying ‘better Piggy than Fatty’ with the ‘directness of genuine leadership’. Ralph could have easily chosen to apologise to Piggy directly and being genuinely sorry about it, but for the sake of protecting his ego, he had not done so.

This just comes to show that mankind can be selfish and only think of themselves, and this is even more evident when we are placed in a very tight situation and is only a matter of survival of the fittest. In times like this, chances of the good winning the battle are very bleak, if not almost impossible. Yes, even though there had been scenes in which the boys had shown signs of cooperation, harmony and mutual friendship, such as when they build the large fire together. Jack and Ralph even shown rare moments of ‘strange invisible light of friendship, adventure, and content’. However, as the story further progressed, it was evident that this friendship had been utterly destroyed when Jack chose evil over good so quickly and easily, proving my point that humans are more easily swayed by evil and thus allowing evil to win good in the battle.

In conclusion, I feel that even though during the class discussion there had been incidences of good winning and not all humans favour evil over good (such as Simon), we cannot overlook the fact that Golding had portrayed the Lord of the Flies to show the darkest and bleakest side of human nature, and that human nature itself is the root of all evil. Therefore I believe that when it comes down to the battle between good and evil, evil would most likely win.

Photo Montage

The mask is a symbol of Jack's violent character. In chapter 4, Jack put on a camouflage by painting his face and in the sense, compelled by the mask. The mask is significant as it symbolises Jack concealing his original identity and to take on a new role: a hunter. It allowed Jack to escape from his original identity and to see the savagery side of his nature. Jack and the boys eventually succeeded in killing a pig and this shows civilisation leaving the boys and is replaced by violence and savagery. Therefore, the mask is significant as it shows how the boys, especially Jack could take on his new identity and to witness their change with civilisation leaving them.

The conch is a symbol of rules and order in Lord of the Flies. In the novel, Ralph made the rule that the boys have to listen to the person holding on to the conch. This is a symbol of law and order as the boys would respect the one holding the conch by listening to what he had to say and not engage in any forms of personal conversations or interrupt the speaker. However, when Piggy holds the conch, the other boys would tend to interrupt him and even neglect the fact that the one holding the conch has the right to speak and not to be interrupted. This is a sign of civilisation fading from the boys as they gradually forget the law and order that was intended to be imposed through actions such as bullying Piggy and ignoring what he said.

Change In Understanding

  Over the course of studying the novel "Lord Of The Flies", we have formed many different perceptions on the story itself. Our understanding of the book has changed from shallow understanding to having more insightful thoughts and understanding on the themes and characters of Lord Of The Flies.


 Before reading a novel, it is quite understandable for one to read the short synopsis at the back of the novel. However, the synopsis only gave us a brief understanding of the novel as it was only a summary of the novel. This is the synopsis of Lord Of The Flies:

"A plane crashes on a desert island and the only survivors, a group of schoolboys, assemble on the beach and wait to be rescued. By day they inhabit a land of bright fantastic birds and dark blue seas, but at night their dreams are haunted by the image of a terrifying beast. As the boys' delicate sense of order fades, so their childish dreams are transformed into something more primitive, and their behaviour starts to take on a murderous, savage significance."

  Initially, we had thought that the "terrifying beast" had referred to an actual beast living on the deserted island. This is further supported by the novel in chapter 2 when the little 'un with the mulberry birthmark wanted to know what Ralph was "going to do about the snake-thing" which "came in the dark" and  was living "in the woods". We had thought that the beast was real and would threaten their lives later in the book. However over the course of studying Lord Of The Flies, we have gained a deeper understanding on what the "terrifying beast" has meant.

  The synopsis has actually given a clue on what the terrifying beast had referred to as seen from " their behaviour starts to take on a murderous, savage significance". At the beginning we did not fully understand what that meant, but after analyzing the novel, we realised that the beast had actually reflected their change from civilised schoolboys to animalistic boys. Throughout their change, the beast had actually been referring to their inhumanity, their greed, their cruelty, otherwise known as the darkness in human nature. As the novel progresses, we can see that the darkness in human nature of the once civilized boys will gain control over them and influence them to make the wrong decisions. These decisions will eventually lead to the deaths of some of the boys. Many similarities can be seen between an actual beast and the darkness of human nature.  For example, an actual beast portrays violence and savagery when killing while the destructive instincts of the boys causes them to get caught up in the act of committing violence.

  When we understand why the author chooses to portray human nature in such a way, we will be able to understand the main theme of Lord Of The Flies namely, the darkness in human nature. Upon understanding the theme, we are able to understand the author's intentions of writing this novel. Lastly, we feel that the author is trying to convey the fact that most of the time, humans are the root cause of evil-doing.