Study Guide: Lord of the Flies (A BookCaps Study Guide)

By BookCaps

The perfect companion to William Golding’s "Lord of the Flies," this study guide contains a chapter by chapter analysis of the book, a summary of the plot, and a guide to major characters and themes.

BookCap Study Guides do not contain text from the actual book, and are not meant to be purchased as alternatives to reading the book.

We all need refreshers every now and then. Whether you are a student trying to cram for that big final, or someone just trying to understand a book more, BookCaps can help. We are a small, but growing company, and are adding titles every month.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookCaps
• Release date: Feb 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465938275

BookCaps

We all need refreshers every now and then. Whether you are a student trying to cram for that big final, or someone just trying to understand a book more, BookCaps can help. We are a small, but growing company, and are adding titles every month.Visit www.bookcaps.com to see more of our books, or contact us with any questions.

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William Golding’s

Lord of the Flies

Golgotha Press

By BookCaps Study Guides

© 2011 by Golgotha Press, Inc.

Published at SmashWords

www.bookcaps.com

Historic Context

William Golding (1911-1993) published his first novel, Lord of the Flies, in 1954. Born in Cornwall, England, Golding served in the Royal Navy during World War Two. Golding’s experiences during the war profoundly influenced his views on humanity and the evil that lies within all human beings. He holds a pessimistic view of humans, believing we are always surprisingly close to descending into our violent, primitive state of pure brutality.

The novel explores the balance between civility and savagery, particularly when individuals are separated from the law and order of civilized society.

Lord of the Flies was published in the early years of the Cold War. Some argue that the two leaders of the novel represent the liberal West and the totalitarianism of Communism. Interestingly, the book is unclear as to when the story takes place.

The timing appears to be some time in the distant future. The possibility of an atomic bomb denotation is discussed. Perhaps the story capitalizes on the interest and paranoia of the time. The novel was not an initial success, but sales picked up as the arms’ race intensified. The story is sometimes studied under the backdrop of the Cold War.

Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first and greatest success. He was able to retire from teaching and devote all his time to writing. He was unable to recreate the success of Lord of the Flies. However, he remains a respected writer that was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.

Plot

Lord of the Flies tells the story of young boys marooned on an island after their plane is shot down during a war. The story opens with Ralph meeting Piggy, a chubby smart boy. They find a conch on the beach and Ralph blows it, summoning other young boys from the jungle.

The boys range in age from 6 to 12, referred to as littluns and biguns respectively. A group of choir boys appear,