LOTF Study Guide

Lord of the Flies Study Guide

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1. Whose responsibility is it to maintain the first signal fire?

2. How does the first boy disappear?

3. Who is the first boy to disappear?

4. Who sees the dead parachutist first?

5. Which character speaks to the Lord of the Flies?

6. What lures the navy ship to the island?

7. Whom does Jack strike shortly after his first kill?

8. When Piggy is killed, what else is destroyed?

9. What is Ralph’s first act upon being elected leader?

10. What object does Ralph clutch when he talks about Simon’s murder?

11. Who is the only boy to kill someone on the island by himself?

12. What does Jack suggest the boys use as the “pig” in their dance-like reenactment of the hunt?

13. Which boy treats the littluns with the most kindness?

14. Which boy would rather hunt than build huts?

15. Where is Jack’s tribe headquarters?

16. What tool or tools do the boys use to make fire?

17. What is the boys’ home country?

18. Who kills Piggy?

19. Who tells Jack where Ralph is hiding in Chapter 12?

20. Which boy does not dance at Jack’s first feast?

21. Describe the way Jack and his band of choirboys looked as they came toward the group of boys. List at least three attributes.

 

Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel in that it contains characters and objects that directly represent the novel’s themes and ideas. Golding’s central point in the novel is that a conflict between the impulse toward civilization and the impulse toward savagery rages within each human individual. Each of the main characters in the novel represents a certain idea or aspect of this spectrum between civilization and savagery. Ralph, for instance, embodies the civilizing impulse, as he strives from the start to create order among the boys and to build a stable society on the island. Piggy, meanwhile, represents the scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization. At the other end of the spectrum, Jack embodies the impulse toward savagery and the unchecked desire for power and domination. Even more extreme is Roger, who represents the drive for violence and bloodlust in its purest form. Furthermore, just as various characters embody thematic concepts in the novel, a number of objects do as well. The conch shell, which is used to summon the boys to gatherings and as a emblem of the right to speak at those gatherings, represents order, civilization, and political legitimacy. Piggy’s glasses, which are used to make fire, represent the power of science and intellectual endeavor. The sow’s head in the jungle, meanwhile, embodies the human impulse toward savagery, violence, and barbarism that exists within each person. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding uses these characters and objects to represent and emphasize elements of the themes and ideas he explores in the novel.

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22. Compare and contrast Ralph and Simon. Both seem to be “good” characters. Is there a difference in their goodness?

 

 

 

23. What role do the littluns play in the novel? What might they represent?

24.. How does Jack’s attack on Piggy and the breaking of one of the lenses in his spectacles symbolize the degeneration of the group?

 

 

25. How does Jack’s painted face change his personality? What does it symbolize?

 

 

 

26. Do you think SamnEric were right or wrong in giving Ralph’s hiding place away? What would you have done?

 

 

 

27.There are many symbols in this book. Name at least three symbols and describe their meaning and how they are used in the book. Please use specific references from the book.

 

 

 

28.Ralph and Piggy were there the night Simon was killed. Were they guilty or not guilty of Simon’s death?

 

 

 

 

29.Who was your favorite character in the book? Why was he your favorite? How was this character changed because of his experiences on the island?