Character Analysis

Ralph - The protagonist, Ralph, has the physical complexion of a typical British child with light
skin. He is the oldest of the group of survivors on the island at the age of twelve. His physical
appearance is described as a boy with fair hair (Golding 1). As his time on the island passes,
this hair becomes matted and long, possibly a metaphor for how even the most civilized succumb
to primeval instincts. Golding also describes Ralph as tall for his age. Ralph has a natural sense
of authority, evident at the beginning of the novel. But there was a stillness about Ralph as he
sat that marked him out . . . and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The
being that had blown that . . . was set apart (Golding 22). Ralph was the one who had called the
children together with the conch. Although it is obvious that Piggy and Jack were natural
thinkers and leaders, respectively, the children still elected Ralph to be the leader of them all. He
had a calm demeanor and rationally thought out problems such as the Beastie. While others
wanted to hunt it down or was fearful, Ralph logically reassured the group that it was not
possible for the Beast to exist in the Pacific.

Jack - Jack is described as having red hair with a freckled, ugly face. . . . he was tall, thin, and
boney; and his hair was red . . . His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without stillness.
Out of this face stared two light blue eyes . . . (Golding 20). Unlike Ralph, Jack has a much
more violent and impulsive personality. He always tries to solve problem with violence such as
hunting down the Beast. When first introduced in the plot, Jack was leading a choir. The boy
who controlled them was dressed in the same way though his cap badge was golden (Golding
19). Similar to Ralph, Jack was also a natural leader. However, his method of leadership vastly
differed from those of Ralph. While Ralph was a democratic and humble leader, willing to listen
to every childs thoughts, Jack was violent, arrogant, and cruel. I ought to be chief, said Jack
with simple arrogance, because Im chapter chorister and head boy (Golding 22). As the
novel progresses, Jack is obviously the most susceptible to the primeval instincts of hunting and
killing.

Piggy - Golding describes Piggy as shorter than the fair boy [Ralph] and very fat (Golding 7).
Piggy is very out of shape and also has asthma, a chronic disease. He is very concerned of the
rules in the form of his aunt. My auntie told me not to run, he explained, on account of my
asthma (Golding 9). Piggy sticks to the rules and facts, not joining in on the other childrens
activities and games. Piggy watched him in disgust. Like a crowd of kids - . . . Then, with the
martyred expression of a parent who has to keep up with the senseless ebullience of the children .
. . began to pick his way over the tumbled scar (Golding 38). Although he was envious of Ralph
at first, he gradually became loyal to him. To the children, Piggy was an object of ridicule,
laughing at his physique. However, Piggy proves himself essential to survival, coming up with
good ideas for Ralph and using his spectacles to create fire.



Simon - When first introduced in the novel, Simon was part of the choir of boys that Jack leads.
Unlike the others, however, Simon appeared to be weak. Then one of the boys flopped on his
face in the sand and the line broke up . . . Hes always throwing a faint . . . He did in Gib.; and
Addis; and at matins over the precentor (Golding 20). Another unique characteristic was his
lack of social skills. While other children played, hunted, or proposed in meetings, Simon is
described as to occasionally wandering off alone. Simon turned away from them and went
where the just perceptible path led him . . . He came at last to a place where more sunshine fell . .
. He looked over his shoulder
. . . and glanced swiftly round to confirm that he was utterly alone. For a moment, his
movements were almost furtive (Golding 56). Simon also takes care of the younger children
while the older boys are hunting, building shelters, etc. This shows that Simon is very kind and
caring of those who are in need. Another unique aspect of Simon is his maturity. When the
children discussed the existence of the Beast, Simon had an entirely different answer than those
of his fellow survivors. Maybe, he said hesitantly, maybe there is a beast . . . I dont know,
said Simon. His heartbeats were choking him. But . . . What I mean is . . . maybe its only us
(Golding 89). While the others planned to hunt down the Beast or use rational thought, Simon
proved himself mature beyond his years by claiming the Beast was themselves being afraid.

Roger - Roger was one of the close followers of Jack. Jack and Roger both had evil motives, but
while Jack used them to gain leadership, Roger seems to have used them purely for fun and
enjoyment. Rogers personality was that of a sociopath. Even his appearance made him appear as
evil and sadistic. He [Roger] was not noticeably darker than when he had dropped in, but the
shock of black hair, down his nape and low on his forehead, seemed to suit his gloomy face and
made what had seemed at first an unsociable remoteness into something forbidding (Golding
60). At first, his violent nature was constrained by the lingering influence of civilization. Roger
gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space around Henry . . .
Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the
protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Rogers arm was conditioned by a
civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins (Golding 62). Law, moral codes, and the
threat of punishment upon infractions restrained Roger from directly hitting Henry with stones.
However, as time passed on the island, the effects of civilization was no longer there, and
Rogers true nature was unleashed. His role in the death of Piggy evidently showed how without
the restraints of order and civilization, mans true nature takes hold. High overhead, Roger, with
a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever . . . The rock struck Piggy a
glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded . . . and ceased to exist (Golding 181).
Clearly, Roger had not intended to miss Piggy. As Piggy was the symbol of science and reason,
his death eventually became the death of civilization itself in the face of primal instinct and
sadistic thought.






Samneric (Sam and Eric) - Samneric were a pair of twins who stayed loyal to Ralph while
other children followed Jack to join his new hunting tribe. Sam and Eric were often seen with
each other, never doing things by themselves as individuals. In theory one should have been
asleep and one on watch. But they [Samneric] could never manage to do things sensibly if that
meant acting independently, and since staying awake all night was impossible, they had both
gone to sleep (Golding 96). One can visualize Sam and Eric as identical British twins, most
likely with brown or blonde hair, a tan perplexion from the time spent on the island, and of
reasonable height for their age. The two boys, bullet-headed and with hair like tow, flung
themselves down and lay grinning and panting at Ralph like dogs. They were . . . cheery
duplication . . . they were chunky and vital. They raised wet lips at Ralph, for they seemed
provided with not quite enough skin, so that their profiles were blurred and their mouths pulled
open(Golding 19). However, their loyalty to Ralph is clearly shown in various instances. Two
boys rolled out a pile of brushwood and dead leaves . . . They were the twins, on duty at the fire
(Golding 96). While the other children played or hunted, Sam and Eric tended to the signal fire, a
request that Ralph has frequently asked of the others to do so to no avail.

Henry - Henry was one of the littleuns. The decrease in size, from Ralph down, was gradual . . .
those aged about six, led a quite distinct, and at the same time intense, life of their own. They ate
most of the day . . . They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort . . .
They cried for their mothers much less often . . . they were very brown, and filthily dirty
(Golding 59). Henry was also the oldest and biggest of the littleuns. Henry was the biggest of
them. He was also a distant relative of that other boy whose mulberry-marked face had not been
seen . . . (Golding 60). Similar to the other children, Henry is the oldest of the littluns, as
mentioned before, so his build would most likely have been that of a cross between a littlun and
those of the biguns such as Piggy or Sam and Eric.

Johnny - Johnny was well built, with fair hair and a natural belligerence. Just now he was being
obedient because he was interested (Golding 60). Johnny was one of the youngest littluns with
the typical appearance of a Brit. His personality was described as being aggressive, almost war-
like. It seems that Johnny already had some traits that the island had generated in the other
children later on. Although not as extreme as Jack or Roger, Johnny still had somewhat of a
mean streak. Rather than listen attentively at meetings or ensure survival by securing food or
shelter, Henry, like the other littluns, just spent his time playing in the sand and being fearful at
things the older children would not be. As his time on the island passed, he and the other children
began to loosen from their conditioning by society.






Maurice - Maurice was a loyal follower of Jack as part of his hunting tribe. At first, just like
every other child on the island, the psychological effects of societal regulations and punishment
remained intact. Only Percival began to whimper with an eyeful of sand and Maurice hurried
away. In his other life Maurice had received chastisement for filling a younger eye with sand.
Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of
wrongdoing. At the back of his mind formed the uncertain outlines of an excuse (Golding 60).
In spite of the fact that there were no adults who survived the crash and the island was isolated
from civilization, social conditioning still lingered. Maurice still feared the prospect of
punishment. However, this gradually deteriorated as time passed on the island. There was
Maurice, next in size among the choir boys to Jack, but broad and grinning all the time
(Golding 21). Similar in appearance to the other biguns, Maurice seemed to be a happy, robust
figure among the other children.

Percival Wemys Madison - Percival was one of the littluns. At first, Percival was shown to be
one of the emotionally weakest of the children. The littlun Percival had early crawled into a
shelter and stayed there for two days . . . Ever since then he had been peaked, red-eyed, and
miserable; a littlun who played little and cried often (Golding 59). Out of all the other littluns,
Percival is portrayed as a very weak and emotionally unstable child. One can assume that
Percivals condition will grow worse as time passes on the island. His association with the safe
harbors of civilization became useless on the island.
The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telephone, telephone, tele - (Golding 86).
Percival repeats himself, as if needing reminding that he was somehow still connected to
civilization although he was on the island. He was also the one who introduced the idea of the
Beast coming from the water. Jack listened to Percivals answer . . . He says the beast comes
out of the sea (Golding 88). There are no physical descriptions for Percival, but he most likely
had the image of a generic British child with brown hair, very brown skin from the time spent on
the island, and a young, childish face.


Robert - Robert was one of the biguns who joined Jacks tribe in the secession from Ralph. Not
specially pointed out in other parts of the novel, Robert played as the pig in a hunting ritual.
They got his [Robert] arms and legs . . . and jabbed at Robert with it . . . Kill the pig! Cut his
throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in! (Golding 114). No quote that directly describes Roberts
physical appearance is available, but he is one of the biguns so features such as a very brown
complexion, brown or blonde hair of a Brit, and much bigger than the littluns can be associated.
Also, rather than having leadership qualities such as those of Jack or Ralph, Robert seemed to be
more comfortable taking orders rather than issuing them himself.



Phil - Phil was also one of the littluns. For a littlun he was self-confident, holding out his hands,
cradling the conch as Ralph did, looking round at them to collect their attention before he spoke
(Golding 84). Phil claimed that he saw the Beast moving around at night. Then I was
frightened and I woke up . . . then I saw something moving among the trees, something big and
horrid (Golding 85). Like every other child on the island, Phil had a fear of the Beast, even
having hallucinations. Again, there are no physical descriptions about Phil, but one can visualize
him as a British child with a confident face, possibly a sure-of-himself grin.

Littluns - The Littluns were the younger boys of the group with the same brown or blonde hair,
very brown skin, and of short height and little build. They were not able to take care of
themselves, were more easily scared, and were more susceptible to the new and disparate
conditions of the island compared to the old life in civilization. Here the littluns who had run
after him caught up with him. They talked, cried out unintelligibly, lugged him toward the trees .
. . Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the
foliage . . . The littluns watched him inscrutably over double handfuls of ripe fruit (Golding 56).
Without the older children, the littluns would be helpless. The littluns were also the first ones to
feel fear on the island, even hallucinating about it. The small boy looked around in panic . . .
He wants to know what youre going to do about the snake-thing . . . Now he says it was a
beastie . . . A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it (Golding 35). While the biguns laughed at
the notion of a Beastie prowling around the island, the littluns were more susceptible to believing
that it was real.

The Lord of the Flies - The Lord of the Flies was first introduced as the pigs head on a stick.
Simon, one of the biguns, was the only one who interacted with the Lord of the Flies through a
hallucination. You are a silly little boy, said the Lord of the Flies, just an ignorant, silly little
boy. Simon moved his swollen tongue but said nothing. Dont you agree? said the Lord of the
Flies, Arent you just a silly little boy? Simon answered him in the same silent voice (Golding
143). The Lord of the Flies seemed to look down on the children as if it knew something they did
not. This came to be true later on in the conversation between Simon and the Lord of the Flies.
Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill . . . You knew, didnt you? Im
part of you? Close, close, close! (Golding 143). The novel even directly states that The Lord
of the Flies spoke in the voice of a schoolmaster (Golding 143), implying that the Lord of the
Flies had some knowledge that the children didnt.







The Naval Officer - When the naval officer appeared at the end of the novel, he was described
with the appearance of a generic military personnel. He saw white drill, epaulettes, a revolver, a
row of gilt buttons down the front of a uniform (Golding 200). Oblivious to the true events that
had happened on the island, the naval officer thought the children were just having fun or games.
Even when he saw the huge fire that had engulfed the island, the officer still had the illusion that
the children were not capable of creating such destruction. Fun and games, said the officer . .
. The officer grinned cheerfully at Ralph. We saw your smoke. What have you been doing?
Having a war or something? (Golding 200 - 201). He only realizes that death has occurred on
the island when Ralph tells him. A later quote tells the reader that the officer has a sort of
stereotype of civilized boys. Since it is a time of war, the officer was familiar with the worst out
of men, but those men were adults. Children, on the other hand, seemed to be an entirely
different field, and also, as he pointed out, they were British, a nationality considered as the most
polite and civilized. I should have thought, said the officer as he visualized the search before
him, I should have thought that a pack of British boys - youre all British, arent you? - would
have been able to put up a better show than that . . . (Golding 201 - 202). Even after being
told about the deaths of two boys, the officer was still stuck in the illusion that nothing serious
has happened on the island. The officer nodded helpfully. I know. Jolly good show. Like the
Coral Island (Golding 202). Coral Island was another novel with a similar plot about children
stuck on an island. However, unlike the dystopian plot of Lord of the Flies, the children in Coral
Island have a jolly good show. While the officer is stuck in that illusion, the children knew that
wasnt the case in reality.

Wilfred - Wilfred was one of the biguns. He was a follower of Jack in his tribe, but later on he is
ordered by Jack to be tied up for an unknown reason. Hes going to beat Wilfred. What for?
. . . I dont know. He [Jack] didnt say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. Hes been . . .
tied for hours, waiting - (Golding 159). Although there is no direct quote describing Wilfreds
physical appearance, he would most likely have looked like a generic British child with brown or
blonde hair and very brown skin from the time on the island.

















The Beast - At first, the Beast was simply a hallucination or a figment of imagination thought up
by the littluns. He wants to know what youre going to do about the snake-thing (Golding
35). Later on, the Beast takes the form of an aquatic creature, a new suggestion made by another
littlun and added on by a bigun. This was when the biguns began to also believe that there was a
Beastie. My daddy says theres things, what dyou call em that make ink - squids - that are
hundreds of yards long and eat whales whole . . . but we dont know, do we? Not certainly, I
mean - (Golding 88). At the first mention of a Beastie, the biguns and even some littluns
scoffed at the idea of it and quickly rid themselves of the thought. However, as time passed on
the island, the Biguns started to believe while the littluns were entirely terrorized by the prospect
of an unknown Beastie roaming the island. Later in the novel, the Beast took the form of a dead
pilot who parachuted down to the island after being killed in a dogfight. There was a sudden
bright explosion and corkscrew trail across the sky . . . There was a speck above the island, a
figure dropping swiftly beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs . . . The
figure fell and crumpled among the blue flowers of the mountainside . . . it lay huddled among
the shattered rocks of the mountaintop (Golding 95 - 96). Another form the Beast takes is as the
pigs head on a stick, a supposed tribute from Jacks tribe to the Beast. When Simon wandered
off and encountered this, he learned what the true form of the Beast was. Fancy thinking the
Beast was something you could hunt and kill . . . You knew, didnt you? Im part of you? Close,
close, close! Im the reason why its no go? Why things are what they are? (Golding 143).
Here, Simon was having a hallucination about the pigs head which declared itself as the Lord of
the Flies. This suggests that the Lord of the Flies is the true form of the Beast.