Lord of the Flies Facts & Worksheets

Lord of the Flies is a work of literature written by Nobel Prize British novelist William Golding in 1954. The plot revolves around a group of British boys who become stuck on an isolated island and attempt to govern themselves terribly. The themes explored are the tensions between civilizations and savagery, loss of innocence, and war and the future of mankind.

See the fact file below for more information about the Literature Study: Lord of the Flies, or you can download our 24-page Lord of the Flies worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Sir William Gerald Golding was a British author, playwright, and poet who lived from September 1911 to June 1993. He is most known for his debut work, Lord of the Flies (1954), but he also authored twelve volumes of fiction during his career.
• Golding was knighted in 1988 for his contributions to literature. He was a Royal Society of Literature fellow. Golding was named third on The Times’ The 50 Greatest British writers since 1945 list in 2008.
• During World War II (WWII), Golding joined the Royal Navy. He was on a warship that helped track down and sink the German battleship Bismarck. Golding took part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, commanding a landing boat that fired rocket salvos onto the beaches. He also saw combat at Walcheren in October and November 1944, sinking 10 of the 27 assault ships that went into the attack.
• Lord of the Flies occurs during a war and follows a group of boys stuck on an island when their jet is shot down. Golding saw action in numerous engagements while serving in the Royal Navy during WWII and learned how conflict could bring out the worst in people.
• Lord of the Flies was influenced by Golding’s experiences as a teacher working with rowdy boys and as a warrior in WWII. He observed much fighting during the war, and this work mirrors Golding’s view of society. He believed evil was not an external force but something born within humans. That is made plain by Golding’s message in Lord of the Flies.

PUBLICATION OF THE LORD OF THE FLIES

• Several publishers rejected the manuscript before being accepted by London-based Faber & Faber; an initial rejection by Miss Perkins, a professional reader at Faber, labeled the book a:

“Absurd and uninteresting fantasy about the explosion of an atomic bomb on the colonies and a group of children who land in the jungle near New Guinea. Rubbish & dull.”

• However, Charles Monteith, a British literary editor, chose to take on the manuscript and collaborated with Golding to perform numerous substantial modifications, including erasing the whole first section of the novel, which previously portrayed an evacuation from nuclear war. Monteith drastically deleted Simon’s character, deleting his interaction with a mystery lone entity who is never recognized but is supposed to be God.
• The book became a best-seller after Monteith’s changes and slow sales of the three thousand copies of the first edition, selling more than ten million copies as of 2015. It was adapted for film twice in English, by Peter Brook in 1963 and Harry Hook in 1990, and once in Filipino by Lupita A. Concio in 1975.

PLOT OF THE STORY

• A plane carrying a bunch of British schoolboys is shot down over a remote tropical island amid a violent conflict. Ralph and Piggy, two of the boys, uncover a conch shell on the beach, and Piggy discovers it may be used as a horn to summon the other boys. 
• Once gathered, the boys began picking a leader and organizing a rescue plan. They elect Ralph as their leader, and Ralph appoints another child, Jack, to oversee the boys who will hunt food for the entire group.
• Ralph, Jack, and another youngster, Simon, embark on an exploration of the island. When they return, Ralph declares that a signal fire must be lit to draw the attention of passing ships. The boys successfully light some dead wood by focusing sunlight via Piggy’s eyeglass lenses. 
• However, the boys are more concerned with playing than keeping an eye on the fire, and the flames swiftly consume the forest. A big stretch of dead wood flames out of control, and one of the group’s youngest members vanishes, likely burned to death.
• Ralph convenes an assembly in the hopes of resolving the situation. However, the meeting quickly gets rowdy as numerous younger guys discuss the beast. Even the big boys are scared now. That night, a dead parachutist crashes on the mountaintop near the signal fire after a distant plane combat. 
• The firefighters believe it is the beast. Soon after, Ralph and Jack launch an expedition to the island in pursuit of the beast. They come to a rock outcropping that would form an excellent fort, but no beast exists. Tempers rise between the two youngsters, and they climb the mountain in the dark to display their bravery. They notice the shadowy parachutist and mistake him for the beast.
• At an assembly the next morning, Jack challenges Ralph’s authority. Ralph triumphs, but Jack abandons the group, and most older boys follow him. Jack’s tribe paints their faces, goes pig hunting, and kills a pig. They then leave the beast’s head as an offering. When Simon comes across the head, he realizes it is the Lord of the Flies—the beast within all men. Simon climbs the hilltop and watches the parachutist as Jack invites everyone to a feast. When Simon comes to tell everyone the truth about the “beast,” the guys at the feast have turned into a frenzied mob performing a ritual pig slaughter. The mob believes Simon is the beast and murders him.
• The tribe of Jack relocates to the rock fort. They steal Piggy’s glasses in order to start a fire. Ralph and his last remaining pals, Piggy and the Samneric twins, set out to retrieve the glasses. Jack’s tribe captures the twins, and a youngster named Roger pushes a boulder from the fort, smashing the conch and killing Piggy. The tribe hunts Ralph the next day, lighting a fire in the woodland. He avoids them as much as he can, becoming an animal concerned with survival and escape. The brothers eventually corner Ralph on the beach, where they first established their society after crash landing on the island. 
• However, the flaming jungle has drawn the attention of a British Naval ship, and an officer is standing on the shore. The youngsters halt, astonished, and stare at the stranger. He jokes about the boys being at war and whether there have been any losses. The officer is astonished and disappointed when Ralph answers yes. Ralph begins to cry, and soon the other guys join him. Uncomfortable, the officer turns away from his battleship.

CHARACTERS

RALPH: The athletic and charming protagonist has been elected as the boys’ leader. He is frequently portrayed as a symbol of order, civilization, and constructive leadership. At the beginning of the narrative, Ralph sets out to build huts and think of strategies to increase their chances of being rescued.

JACK: The adversary is a strong-willed and egomaniacal figure who represents the instincts of savagery, aggression, and power. He is furious at the novel’s start after losing Ralph’s leadership contest. 

SIMON: In the rivalry between Ralph and Jack, and when the guys on the island descend into violence, he is often the voice of reason.

PIGGY: Ralph’s bright and talkative companion assists Ralph in becoming a leader and provides many of Ralph’s inventive ideas. He is the embodiment of humanity’s reasoning side. Piggy’s asthma and weak eyesight make him a target of derision and violence.

THEMES

CIVILIZATION VS. SAVAGERY

• The main dispute in Lord of the Flies is the conflict between two competing impulses that all humans have: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, obey moral commands, and value the good of the group versus the instinct to gratify immediate desires, act violently to gain superiority over others and enforce one’s will. This battle can be depicted in various ways: civilization versus barbarism, order versus chaos, reason versus instinct, law versus anarchy, and the more general category of good versus evil. Golding associates civilization’s inclination with good and savagery’s instinct with evil throughout the work.

LOSS OF INNOCENCE

• As the boys on the island evolve from well-behaved, orderly children waiting for rescue to ruthless, bloodthirsty hunters with no desire to return to civilization, they lose their sense of innocence.

STRUGGLE TO BUILD CIVILIZATION

• The fundamental fight in Lord of the Flies is the quest to construct civilization. Ralph and Piggy agree that the most important concerns are structure, regulations, and keeping a signal fire. In contrast, Jack believes that hunting, violence, and pleasure should take precedence over safety, protection, and long-term planning. While the guys, including Jack, initially agree to follow Ralph’s rules and make democratic decisions, constructing an ordered society’s lengthy and deliberate process proves too tough for many of the boys.

WAR AND THE FUTURE OF MANKIND

• Following a worldwide conflict, Lord of the Flies depicts society’s attempt to reconstruct after a large-scale man-made disaster. In their endeavor to recreate society, the boys are unable to reach an agreement on a new rule and eventually descend into violence.

ADAPTATION IN OTHER MEDIA

FILM

• Lord of the Flies (1963)
  • Lord of the Flies is a 1963 British drama film adapted from William Golding’s 1954 novel of the same name, which tells the story of 30 schoolboys abandoned on an island where the bulk of the population has devolved into barbarism. Peter Brook wrote and directed it, while Lewis M. Allen produced it.
  • Like Golding’s book, the film’s pessimistic premise is that fear, hatred, and violence are inherent in the human condition, even when innocent youngsters are kept in seemingly blissful solitude. 

• Alkitrang Dugo
  • Lupita A. Concio directed the 1975 Filipino survival drama film Alkitrang Dugo. Nicanor B. Cleto Jr. wrote the story and screenplay based on Sir William Golding’s 1954 novel Lord of the Flies.
  • The film depicts boys and females stranded on the island, but the novel only depicts boys.
  • In the book, the children choose a leader quickly after being stranded on the island; in the film, the election only occurs once they have been on the island for several weeks.

• Lord of the Flies (1990)
  • Harry Hook directed the film Lord of the Flies. The picture got mixed reviews upon and after its release, with the overall consensus being that it was more negative than its 1963 version. Most reviews praise the film’s acting and scenery but point out the film’s deviations from the text as a major weakness.

THEATER

• The book was first adapted for the stage and presented in 1984, over a decade before the well-known West End play at Clifton College Preparatory School. Elliott Watkins, a teacher at the school, adapted it with the personal permission of William Golding, who attended the opening night. The performance was performed in the school hall for three nights. Except for the navy officer in the last scene, who was performed by the commanding officer of the Clifton College CCF navy Section, other roles were played by boys from the school.

Lord of the Flies Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Literature Study: Lord of the Flies across 24 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Lord of the Flies. The themes explored are the tensions between civilizations and savagery, loss of innocence, and war and the future of mankind.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Literature: Lord of the Flies Facts
2. Golding’s Life
3. Summary
4. Book Review
5. Character Analysis
6. Famous Quotes
7. Symbolism
8. Analysis
9. Survival List
10. Lesson
11. Design

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the central theme of “Lord of the Flies”?

“Lord of the Flies” explores the inherent darkness within human nature and the thin veneer of civilization that separates individuals from descending into chaos and savagery. Through the experiences of a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island, the novel delves into themes of morality, power, and the loss of innocence.

How does William Golding use symbolism in “Lord of the Flies”?

Golding employs various symbols throughout the novel to represent different aspects of society and human nature. The conch shell symbolizes order and democracy, the signal fire represents the boys’ connection to civilization, and the beast embodies the primal instincts and fears within each individual. Additionally, characters like Ralph and Jack symbolize opposing forces of civilization and savagery, respectively.

What role does power play in “Lord of the Flies”?

Power dynamics are central to the narrative of “Lord of the Flies.” The struggle for power between Ralph, who represents order and democracy, and Jack, who embodies authoritarianism and savagery, drives much of the conflict on the island. The conch shell serves as a symbol of legitimate authority, while Jack’s control over the hunters illustrates the allure of raw power and its ability to corrupt.

How does “Lord of the Flies” explore the loss of innocence?

The gradual loss of innocence is a recurring theme in “Lord of the Flies.” Initially, the boys attempt to maintain a sense of order and civilization, but as they succumb to fear and the primal instincts of survival, they become increasingly savage and disconnected from the moral principles of society. The murder of Simon and Piggy, along with the destruction of the island, symbolize the irreversible loss of innocence and descent into darkness.

What is the significance of the title “Lord of the Flies”?

The title “Lord of the Flies” refers to the translation of the Hebrew word “Beelzebub,” a demon associated with the prince of demons, Satan. In the novel, the severed pig’s head on a stick, which the boys worship as a representation of the beast, is referred to as the “Lord of the Flies.” This symbolizes the inherent evil within humanity and the darkness that resides in each individual, even in the absence of external influences.

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