Lord of the Flies: Q3

• Who are the main characters in the novel?

Ralph- the protagonist of the novel, chosen as the leader of the group, even though he didn't really have the authority to decide anything. He maintains the conflict with Jack throughout the entire novel, always keep on attempting to make rules and orders that Jack’s tribe isn’t disturbed about. He represents the human beings’ civilizing instinct, opposed to the evil and savage instinct that Jack has.

Piggy- the main follower of Ralph, who tries very hard to cling to civilization, and to keep the peace in the uninhabited island. While he is the smartest, most philosophic, and most scientific boy among the group, he lacks social skills and has trouble fitting in with other people. He also represents the democracy, as the follower of Ralph.

Jack-the antagonist of the novel, who keeps on persisting that people should go hunting first. He becomes the leader of the hunters but longs for total power and becomes increasingly wild, barbaric, and cruel as the novel progresses. He represents the instinct of savagery within human beings, as I mentioned at the before, as opposed to the civilizing instinct Ralph represents.

Simon- Simon plays the important role here, even though it seems like he’s just a normal boy at the very beginning of the novel. He embodies a kind of innate human goodness that is somehow related with nature, and is willing to work for the good of their community. Because of this spirit inside Simon, he becomes the first and only person to realize the problem with the beast and the Lord of the Flies, which is that the beast on the island is not a real, physical monster existing, but rather a savagery and evil instincts that each human being has.

Lord of the Flies (the “beast”)- This name, ‘Lord of the Flies’, is actually a name given to the pig’s head that Jack’s group of hunters offers to the “beast”, while the beast is not really existing. The Lord of the Flies represents the evil and savagery instincts of power and cruelty that takes over and control Jack’s tribe.

• Do you like them?
• Why or why not?
• What is special about them?
• What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

I really like Ralph’s group, which represents the democracy world. My favorite character of this novel is Piggy, who supports Ralph’s idea of democracy world. If we see the novel as this world, we need someone like Piggy, who knows how to impose and state what is right or wrong, aggressively. Piggy, who lacks social skills, tries the conch to get the attention of people, and to build up some organization and orders. The main reason why I favor them is because they are one of those few people who try to say what is right, among the people who are in the wrong conception.
Even though Piggy later dies, the novel is saying that people like Ralph ultimately win what they want. Nowadays, it is hard to find these kinds of people who insist and claim what is really right, among the group of people who just try to look good from the outside. This is another little theme that William Golding is trying to say through the novel, that people who head up eventually wins the game.