Flashcards for Lord of the Flies

Jack Merridew

Jack Merridew arrives on the island as the disciplined head boy and choirmaster, already asserting his authority through the strict black-caped choir he leads.

character

Piggy

Piggy serves as the novel's intellectual conscience and its most tragic figure.

character

Ralph

Ralph is the protagonist of the novel and the elected leader of the stranded boys, representing the fragile hope of civilization amidst chaos.

character

Roger

Roger is the novel's most sadistic character — a quiet, menacing boy who shifts from a background presence to the embodiment of the story's darkest violence.

character

Sam and Eric (Samneric)

Sam and Eric—known together as Samneric—are identical twins who almost act as one character in William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

character

Simon

Simon is a quiet, introspective boy whose role in Lord of the Flies serves as the novel's moral and spiritual conscience.

character

The Lord of the Flies (The Beast)

The Lord of the Flies isn't just a typical character; it's a symbol of the inherent evil in humanity within William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

character

The Naval Officer

The Naval Officer shows up only in the last pages of the novel, but his arrival is crucial to the entire allegory.

character

“The rules! You're breaking the rules!”

This desperate cry comes from Ralph during one of the increasingly chaotic assemblies on the island.

Ralph · Chapter 5 – Beast from Water

“The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.”

This line is found in Chapter 11 ("Castle Rock") of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, spoken at the moment when Piggy is hit by the boulder that Roger pushes off the cliff.

Narrator · Chapter 11 – Castle Rock

“We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?”

This painful question is voiced by Ralph in the last chapter of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, as the boys are rescued and the full horror of their experiences on the island becomes impossible to ignore.

Ralph · Chapter 12 – Cry of the Hunters

“The thing is—fear can't hurt you any more than a dream.”

This line is delivered by Ralph during an early assembly in William Golding's Lord of the Flies, as the boys try to address the rising panic about the "beast."

Ralph · Chapter 2 — Fire on the Mountain

“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us.”

This haunting line is delivered by Simon during the boys' assembly in Chapter 5 ("Beast from Water"), as the group debates the existence of a real beast on the island.

Simon · Chapter 5: Beast from Water

“He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.”

This epigraph to William Golding's Lord of the Flies (1954) comes from a 1759 letter by Samuel Johnson to Dr. Joseph Warton, and it sets the stage for the novel's main themes before the first chapter even begins.

Samuel Johnson (epigraph, not a character) · Epigraph

“I'm frightened. Of us.”

This chilling line is delivered by Ralph to Piggy toward the end of the novel, following the near-collapse of the boys' civilization and the brutal murder of Simon during the chaotic tribal dance.

Ralph · Chapter 10 – The Shell and the Glasses

“Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood.”

This chant is first heard from Jack and his hunters in William Golding's Lord of the Flies, emerging as the boys celebrate their initial successful pig hunt.

Jack and the hunters (chant) · Chapter 4 (first appearance); Chapter 9 (climactic recurrence)

“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!”

This chilling line comes from the Lord of the Flies — the pig's head on a stick — speaking to Simon in Chapter 8 ("Gift for the Darkness") of William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

The Lord of the Flies (the pig's head) · Chapter 8 – Gift for the Darkness

“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart.”

This line appears in the final chapter of William Golding's Lord of the Flies (Chapter 12, "Cry of the Hunters"), when the arrival of a naval officer brings an end to the boys' savage reign on the island.

Narrator (reflecting Ralph's consciousness) · Chapter 12: Cry of the Hunters

“I ought to be chief because I'm chapter chorister and head boy.”

This line is delivered by Jack Merridew early in the novel during the boys' first assembly on the beach after the plane crash.

Jack Merridew · Chapter 1 – The Sound of the Shell

“Which is better—to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?”

This line is spoken by Piggy during the intense confrontation at Castle Rock in Chapter 11 ("Castle Rock").

Piggy · Chapter 11: Castle Rock

Face Paint

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, face paint represents the loss of civilization and the release of humanity's natural savagery.

Simon's Glade

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Simon's glade is a hidden, flower-filled clearing deep in the island's forest.

The Beast

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the Beast represents the natural tendency for savagery and evil that lies within human beings.

The Conch Shell

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the conch shell represents civilization, democratic order, and the rule of law.

The Pig's Head (Lord of the Flies)

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the severed pig's head mounted on a stick — known as "the Lord of the Flies" — symbolizes the inherent evil and savagery within human nature.

The Signal Fire

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the signal fire symbolizes the boys' link to civilization, their hope for rescue, and the rational, cooperative side of humanity.

Allegory

The novel serves as a powerful allegory for how fragile civilization is and the primal savagery that lies within human nature.

Symbolism

Golding imbues specific objects with rich symbolic significance throughout the novel.

Extended Metaphor

The Beast serves as a powerful extended metaphor throughout the entire narrative.

Imagery

Golding's imagery shifts between the lush beauty of the tropics and stark horror to illustrate the island's moral decline.

Personification

Golding often gives the island and its natural forces human-like qualities to reflect the boys' mental states.

Irony

The conclusion of the novel is steeped in dramatic irony.

Motif

The hunting chant — 'Kill the pig.

Pathetic Fallacy

Golding uses the island's weather and atmosphere to reflect and enhance the boys' moral state.

Juxtaposition

Golding structures the novel around persistent contrasts that compel the reader to simultaneously consider civilization and savagery.

Narrative Poem

Golding uses a close third-person perspective that mainly follows Ralph's thoughts, allowing readers to feel his growing fear while still keeping a certain distance typical of an all-knowing narrator.

Simile

Golding's similes effectively connect the natural world with human behavior in a way that feels disturbing.

Dramatic Monologue

The speech from the Lord of the Flies to Simon in Chapter 8 serves as a dramatic monologue, featuring the pig's head as a single voice while Simon listens in horrified silence.

prominent

Sticking out noticeably from the surrounding surface; here describing a rounded, protruding belly that is clearly visible rather than flat.

adjective · Chapter 1

adolescence

The stage of life between childhood and adulthood, roughly the teenage years, when the body and behaviour change in ways that can make a person clumsy or self-conscious.

noun · Chapter 1

conch

A large spiral sea-shell that, when blown like a horn, produces a loud sound; in this novel it is used to call assemblies and whoever holds it has the right to speak.

noun · Chapter 1

enormity

The overwhelming, almost unbearable weight or seriousness of an act; here the sheer horror of plunging a knife into living flesh.

noun · Chapter 1

savages

People regarded as uncivilised and ruled by violence and instinct rather than law or reason; used here as the opposite of what the boys claim to be.

noun · Chapter 2

vainly

Without success; searching or trying but finding nothing useful.

adverb · Chapter 2

beastie

A small or frightening creature; a childish or dialect word for beast, used here by a young boy to describe the terrifying animal-like thing he believes he saw.

noun · Chapter 2

baffled

Completely confused and unable to understand a situation or another person's point of view.

adjective · Chapter 3

candle-buds

Flower buds shaped like the flame of a candle; Golding uses the term for the pale, upright blossoms of the island's trees that glow in the dark.

noun · Chapter 3

taboo

A powerful social rule, often unspoken, that forbids a certain action; breaking it is felt to be deeply wrong or dangerous even if no written law exists.

noun · Chapter 4

awesome

Inspiring a mixture of wonder and dread; so striking or strange that it stops you in your tracks — used here in its older, stronger sense, not merely 'impressive'.

adjective · Chapter 4

exhilaration

A feeling of intense excitement and energy, a rush of wild pleasure that makes a person feel fully alive.

noun · Chapter 4

reverence

A deep feeling of respect and wonder, almost like the awe one might feel in a place of worship.

noun · Chapter 6

inward sight

The mind's eye; the ability to see images or visions inside one's own imagination rather than with the physical eyes.

phrase · Chapter 6

vulnerable

Easily hurt or harmed; exposed and defenceless, unable to protect itself.

adjective · Chapter 7

over-mastering

So powerful that it completely takes control of a person's will, making it impossible to resist.

adjective · Chapter 7

gorged

Having eaten so much that one is completely full to the point of being heavy and sluggish.

adjective · Chapter 8

runnels

Thin trickles or tiny streams of liquid running down a surface; here, small rivulets of sweat running down Simon's skin.

noun · Chapter 8

alighted

Landed and settled on a surface after flying; used of insects or birds coming to rest on something.

verb · Chapter 8

sculptured marble

Shaped like a carved marble statue — smooth, pale, and perfectly formed; used to describe Simon's body as the sea washes over it, giving it an almost sacred beauty.

phrase · Chapter 9

glancing blow

A hit that strikes at an angle and slides off rather than landing squarely; it still does damage but does not hit dead-on.

phrase · Chapter 11

delirious

In a wild, uncontrolled mental state, beyond normal reason; here describing a reckless, almost ecstatic loss of restraint rather than a fever.

adjective · Chapter 11

abandonment

A complete letting-go of all self-control, rules, and moral limits; throwing oneself into an action without any restraint or guilt.

noun · Chapter 11

straw-coloured

Pale yellowish-blond, the colour of dried straw; used to describe Ralph's fair hair.

adjective · Chapter 12

put up a better show

British idiom meaning to perform or behave in a more impressive, orderly, or creditable way; to do better than one actually did.

phrase · Chapter 12