Info sheet: Lord of the Flies

F U L L T I T L E Lord of the Flies

A U T H O R William Golding
T Y P E O F W O R K Novel
G E N R E Allegory; adventure story; castaway fiction; loss-of-innocence fiction
D ATE O F F I R S T P U B L I C ATI O N 1954
N A R R ATO R The story is told by an anonymous third-person narrator who conveys the events of

the novel without commenting on the action or intruding into the story.
P O I N T O F V I E W The narrator speaks in the third person, primarily focusing on Ralphs point of

view but following Jack and Simon in certain episodes. The narrator is omniscient and gives us
access to the characters inner thoughts.
T O N E Dark; violent; pessimistic; tragic; unsparing
S E T T I N G ( T I M E ) Near future
S E T T I N G ( P L A C E ) A deserted tropical island
P R O T AG O N I S T Ralph
M A J O R C O N F L I C T Free from the rules that adult society formerly imposed on them, the boys

marooned on the island struggle with the conflicting human instincts that exist within each of them
the instinct to work toward civilization and order and the instinct to descend into savagery, violence,
and chaos.
S Y M B O L S The conch shell; Piggys glasses; the signal fire; the beast; the Lord of the Flies; Ralph,

Piggy, Jack, Simon, and Roger