“The Lord Of The Flies PDF” is a classic novel that delves into the darker aspects of human nature through the story of a group of young boys stranded on an uninhabited island. It explores themes of power, corruption, and the struggle between civilization and savagery.
Table of Contents
About the Author
William Golding was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. He was born in 1911 and died in 1993. Golding received numerous literary awards during his lifetime, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983. “The Lord Of The Flies” is considered one of his most famous works.
Characters
Ralph: An older boy who becomes the de facto leader of the group and tries to maintain order and civilization.
Jack: A charismatic and aggressive boy who forms his own tribe and becomes increasingly violent and savage.
Piggy: A chubby, intellectual boy who tries to maintain order and rationality but is often ignored or bullied by the other boys.
Simon: A gentle and spiritual boy who has a deep connection to nature and tries to find a way to bring the boys back to their humanity.
Summary
Chapter 1: “The Sound of the Shell”
After a plane crashes on a deserted island, a group of British boys, ranging in age from 6 to 12, find themselves stranded. Ralph and Piggy meet and discover a conch shell, which they use to call the other boys together. Ralph is elected leader, and he and Jack explore the island to determine if it is uninhabited.
Chapter 2: “Fire on the Mountain”
Ralph decides that the boys need to build a signal fire to attract passing ships. Jack and his choir, who have become hunters, are tasked with keeping the fire going. However, the boys become distracted by the thrill of hunting and let the fire go out.
Chapter 3: “Huts on the Beach”
Ralph decides that the boys need shelters to protect them from the elements. The boys work together to build huts, but they struggle to maintain order and focus on the task at hand.
Chapter 4: “Painted Faces and Long Hair”
The boys begin to develop a primitive culture, with face paint and long hair becoming symbols of their newfound freedom. However, tensions begin to rise between Ralph and Jack, as Jack becomes increasingly obsessed with hunting and less concerned with maintaining the signal fire.
Chapter 5: “Beast from Water”
The boys become increasingly fearful of a supposed “beast” on the island. Ralph tries to maintain order and logic, but Jack uses the boys’ fear to strengthen his position as a leader and instils fear in his followers.
Chapter 6: “Beast from Air”
A dead pilot parachutes onto the island, and the boys mistake him for the “beast.” Simon, a gentle and spiritual boy, tries to explain the true nature of the “beast,” but his message is lost on the other boys.
Chapter 7: “Shadows and Tall Trees”
Ralph and Jack’s conflict comes to a head, as Jack and his followers steal Piggy’s glasses to start their own fire. Ralph’s followers are left with only a few boys, and tensions continue to rise.
Chapter 8: “Gift for the Darkness”
Simon has a hallucination in which he speaks to the “The Lord Of The Flies,” a pig’s head on a stake that Jack’s tribe uses as a symbol. Simon realizes that the true “beast” is within the boys themselves.
Chapter 9: “A View to a Death”
As tensions rise between Ralph and Jack’s tribes, the boys turn on each other and engage in a violent and frenzied hunt. Simon is mistaken for the “beast” and is killed in the chaos.
Chapter 10: “The Shell and the Glasses”
Ralph and Piggy confront Jack and his tribe, but Jack’s tribe steals Piggy’s glasses, leaving Ralph’s tribe unable to start a fire. Ralph’s tribe is forced to go to Jack’s tribe to get the glasses back.
Chapter 11: “Castle Rock”
Ralph’s tribe goes to Jack’s tribe to confront them, but they are attacked and forced to flee. Piggy is killed when Jack’s tribe drops a boulder on him, and Ralph is left alone and hunted by Jack’s tribe.
Chapter 12: “Cry of the Hunters“
Ralph is rescued by a passing ship, but he realizes that the boys have lost their innocence and have become savage and violent. The novel ends with Ralph weeping for “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.”
Synopsis
“The Lord Of The Flies” is a novel by William Golding that follows the story of a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island during a war. The boys, who range in age from 6 to 12, initially try to create a society with rules and order, led by Ralph, one of the older boys. However, the boys soon begin to splinter into different groups and factions.
One of the boys, Jack, forms his own tribe and becomes increasingly violent and savage, hunting wild pigs for food and using fear to maintain control over his followers. Ralph and his followers struggle to maintain order and build a signal fire to attract passing ships, but they are often ignored or dismissed by the other boys.
As the boys become more savage and violent, they start to turn on each other and engage in brutal acts of violence. Simon, a gentle and spiritual boy who has a deep connection to nature, tries to find a way to bring the boys back to their humanity, but he is ultimately killed by the other boys in a frenzied attack.
The novel ultimately explores themes of power, corruption, and the dark side of human nature. The boys struggle to maintain their humanity and resist the pull of savagery, but they ultimately succumb to their darker impulses. The novel ends with a rescue mission arriving on the island, but by that point, the boys have already done irreparable damage to themselves and each other.
Throughout the story, Golding uses symbolism to reinforce the themes of the novel. The conch shell, which Ralph uses to call the boys together, becomes a symbol of order and civilization, while Jack’s tribe uses a pig’s head, referred to as the “The Lord Of The Flies,” as a symbol of their savagery and brutality.
“The Lord Of The Flies” is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that raises important questions about the nature of power, corruption, and the struggle between civilization and savagery. It remains a classic work of literature and a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the darker side of the human experience.
Review
“The Lord Of The Flies” is a haunting and thought-provoking novel that explores the darker aspects of human nature. Golding’s writing is evocative and powerful, and the story is both gripping and disturbing. The characters are well-drawn and complex, and the novel raises important questions about the nature of power, corruption, and the struggle between civilization and savagery.
Overall, “The Lord Of The Flies” is a must-read for anyone interested in literature that explores the darker side of the human experience. The book is widely available, in PDF format, and chapter summaries can also be found for each chapter individually.