lord of the flies structure of the novel summary plot

1. Structure of the lord of the
flies
by
Abu bakar
CE&ST university of swat

2. structure in Lord of
the Flies
• The structure of a text refers to the way in
which events are organised inside the novel as a
whole.
• In the case of Lord of the Flies, the structure is
chronological, where events are revealed to the
reader in the order in which they have
happened.
• The book is divided into 12 chapters, the titles
of which summarise key events in the plot.

3. Foreshadowing
• A key technique Golding uses in structuring Lord of the Flies is
foreshadowing. the author describes a seemingly ordinary event which
will happen again much later in the book, Some examples of
foreshadowing in Lord of the Flies are:
• Roger throws stones towards Henry (though not actually at him). At this
stage, the behaviour that Roger has been taught at home stops him
from going any further. Towards the end of the novel, the small stones
have become a huge rock which Roger rolls down the hill onto the
unsuspecting Piggy, who is killed as a result. The difference between the
two events shows how far Roger’s understanding of civilised behaviour
has broken down.
• When Ralph and Simon discuss being rescued, Simon says that he thinks
Ralph will be rescued. Ralph is rescued, of course, though perhaps not
quite in the circumstances which they might have imagined.
Interestingly, Simon does not include himself in this rescue – a hint to
the reader that he will not actually survive.

4. Important Characters
• Ralph – the elected leader
• Piggy – intelligent but an outsider
• Jack – ex head boy, hunter and Chief
• Roger – Jack’s cruel lieutenant
• Maurice – a loyal savage but without
Roger’s brutality
• Simon – shy, sensitive and courageous
• Sam and Eric (Samaneric)
– twins; seen as one person

5. Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell
• Setting is established – the island
• Ralph and Piggy find the conch and call 1st
meeting
• Jack and choirboys arrive
• Piggy’s nickname – links to the main theme of ‘the
beast’ (we never learn his true name)
• Ralph elected as chief
• Ralph, Jack and Simon explore island
• The piglet

6. Chapter 2 – Fire on the Mountain
• Idea of ‘the beast’ is introduced by the ‘littleuns’
• Differences between Ralph and Jack – fire, order
and hunting
• Fire and its purpose – main theme throughout book
• Piggy’s glasses used to start 1st
fire
• Hunters to watch over it
• Piggy’s pleas to ‘act proper’
• First death – fire out of control

7. Chapter 3 – Huts on the Beach
• Jack goes pig hunting – unsuccessfully
• Ralph builds shelters, helped by Simon
• Jack’s hunting obsession develops
• Further differences between Ralph and Jack
• Simon goes off into the forest on his own – we
learn more about him as a character
• Boys begin to do what they want – foreshadowing
the ‘savages’ they will later become

8. Chapter 4 – Painted Faces and Long
Hair
• Roger on the beach with the ‘littleuns’ – signs of
brutality to come
• Jack paints his face and goes hunting
• Ralph spots a ship
• Fire is out
• Pig killed – re-enactment of hunt
• Jack smashes one of Piggy’s lenses
• Ralph calls a meeting after fire goes out
• Growing divide between Ralph and Jack
• Jack clearly hates Piggy

9. Chapter 5 – Beast from Water
• Ralph prepares for another meeting and considers
his role as chief
• He lays the ground rules for behaviour
• They discuss the beast
• Piggy and Simon are ignored
• Piggy realises that their fear is of people - logical
• Ralph and Jack disagree further and the meeting
ends
• Simon and Piggy urge Ralph to remain as chief
• They wish for a sign from the grown up world

10. Chapter 6 – Beast from Air
• A dead parachutist lands on the island – a message
from the adult world (which is at war)
• Sam and Eric tend the fire – they see ‘the beast’
• Jack announces that they should hunt the beast
and ridicules the conch – importance of action
• Bigger boys, without Piggy, go to unexplored part
of island
• We see Ralph’s brave leadership
qualities
• Simon understands the true nature of
the beast

11. Chapter 7 – Shadows and Tall Trees
• Ralph realises how the boys are in decline – dirty
and unkempt
• Simon knows that Ralph will return home safely
• Ralph reflects on home – flashback technique
• Boys re-enact wild boar hunt. Robert is hurt. Boys
further descend into savagery
• Ralph, Jack and Roger see ‘the beast’
• The island is a hostile place – language point
(figurative language)

12. Chapter 8 – Gift for the Darkness
• Ralph, Jack and Roger report what they have seen
• Jack tries to overthrow Ralph but is rejected and
leaves – others soon follow him
• New fire on the platform
• Jack becomes ‘the Chief’ – hunting, feasting and
becoming ever more primitive
• Severed sow’s head on stick – Lord of the Flies
• Simon goes off alone and hears the words of the
beast – he knows what it is

13. Chapter 9 – A View to a Death
• Simon sees the dead parachutist and heads off to
tell the others
• Ralph and Piggy feast with Jack and clash over
leadership styles (the use of the conch)
• Thunderstorm and Piggy senses trouble
• Tribal dance
• Simon stumbles into dancing circle
• Simon is killed as the beast
• Bodies of Simon and parachutist wash out to sea

14. Chapter 10 – The Shell and the Glasses
• Piggy and Ralph talk about the dance
• Sam and Eric join them – all lie to themselves
about what happened
• Jack sets up camp at the other end of the island
• Ralph and Piggy fail to light the fire
• Raid by Jack and the hunters
• Theft of Piggy’s glasses
• Jack’s brutal dictatorship
established

15. Chapter 11 – Castle Rock
• No more fire on the beach
• The conch group confront the hunters – Ralph
intends to be civilised
• Piggy takes the conch to Castle Rock
• Roger rolls the rock on to Piggy
• Conch is destroyed and Piggy is killed
• Sam and Eric are captured by the hunters
• Ralph is alone – hunters hurl spears at him

16. Chapter 12 – Cry of the Hunters
• Ralph hides and considers his options
• He sees the pigs head and takes away the spear
that supports it – different to Simon’s reaction
• Ralph visits Sam and Eric – now prisoners of Jack
• Ralph is totally alone
• Ralph is hunted
• Fire on the island
• Ship arrives
• Ralph is rescued
• Naval officer (from world of war) gets it wrong