"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

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Lord of the Flies “is both a story with a message” and “a great tale of adventure”. The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an allegorical novel representing what the world was like during World War II. The novel is about a group of boys who survive a plane crash during the Blitzkrieg. The boys are stranded on an island and must find a way to survive until they are rescued. Most of the characters do not even know each other before the crash happens. As the novel progresses, the characters begin to show their different personalities. Ralph, Simon, and Jack have individual traits and personal qualities that are represented in Lord of the Flies.

For instance, Ralph is a character who symbolizes civilization and order through his time as a leader. During this time, Ralph shows he is direct in the way he speaks. One example of this is when Ralph says,” You voted me chief. Now you do what I say” (81). Ralph says this in one of his assemblies to embellish onto them that he is the leader and they must listen to him. Ralph says this towards not just one of the kids, but all of the kids. A reason for this is because if he was not direct to the entire group, then they would not listen to him and there would be no order. Another example of Ralph’s civilized traits is his ability to be calm even in the tensest of moments. An example is this is when Ralph talks to Phil and Simon about the beast. Ralph does not shout in anger or jeer as Phil and Simon talk about the beast. Instead Ralph is calm and listens to them instead of telling them to stay quiet. These actions show that Ralph is an orderly and calm leader.

Simon is a very helpful and insightful character in Lord of the Flies. One representation of this is when he sees the sm...

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...s. Whether the characters show Jack’s manipulation through the beast or Simon’s helpful characteristics, they all have a purpose. Ralph is a civilized and direct character who is trying to lead the group. Simon is helpful and insightful. Simon’s traits are shown through many actions such as helping the little kids or seeing the Lord of the Flies before passing out. Jack’s savage behavior is displayed in the killing of the sow, Piggy and Simon. Jack’s manipulative trait gives him dominance and his group becomes more hostile. All of the actions that Jack has done display his savage and hostile behavior give him this characteristic. All of the character’s actions help symbolize their characteristics in the novel. Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel because of these individual characteristics and personal qualities that are represented by Ralph, Simon, and Jack.

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