Theme

Rules and order

lord of the flies- Even though the boys find themselves completely without parental supervision and any form of social structure on the island they are quick to establish rules and roles of power. Ralph and Jack struggle between each other to obtain sole power and find themselves in conflict for a large portion of the novel. Boys that hold roles of power assign other boys to certain jobs on the island. The boys even discriminate against each other the way that society does. They leave the weaker boys out and away from power. Piggy for example is considered weak due to his asthma, even though his level of maturity and intelligence is superior to most of the boys.

Ishmael- Throughout the novel Ishmael explains to the narrator what he believes is the true nature of human rule and law. Similarly, the narrator shares his own thoughts, he explains that species should maintain their need for competition. He also believes that humans should not try to remove all food sources to reduce competition, and that we as a species should not deny another species access to food. These basic rules applied in human nature can be linked to the need for structure that the boys felt as soon as they arrived on the island.

"piggy moved among the crowd, asking names and frowning to remember them. The children gave him the same simple obedience that they had given to the man with the megaphones." (1.179)

" you may compete but you may not wage war." (129)

Characters

Piggy

lord of the flies- Piggy- Throughout the novel Piggy is constantly the voice of reason. he continuously offers a logical explanation or argument to every conversation and proves his intelligence and rationalism through his ability to keep hold of his values until his death. When piggy mourns for the deaths of Simon and the littlun, he is really mourning for the loss of values and ethics, and projects this when he wonders what the grownups were going to think. Piggy seems to have a strong hold on what it means to be a human and what it means to be civilized, similar to the main character in Ishmael.

Ishmael

Ishmael- As a captive gorilla that's been constantly observing and learning from humans, Ishmael is a very intelligent character. He seems to have a deep philosophical understanding of humanity and civilization. He is constantly challenging the biased views that his students (humans) have on civilization and the human need to conquer all. Ishmael's intelligence allows him to question his own captivity by understanding that humans are captive to a destructive way of life, where the goal is always to dominate. The Author makes Ishamel a gorilla to allow the reader to understand that there are other points of view, aside from our own human perspective. This perspective can be connected to Piggy. He clearly has the most knowledge to share, but his Ideas are never considered, unless brought forth by Ralph, because piggy is considered lesser due to his physical ailments.

" which is better- to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?" - Piggy

“Everyone in your culture knows this. Man was born to turn the world into paradise, but tragically he was born flawed. And so his paradise has always been spoiled by stupidity, greed, destructiveness, and shortsightedness.” - Ishmael

Motifs

Biblical similarities

Lord of the flies- In the novel Simon's character can be compared to Jesus. Simon is able to discover the moral truth of the novel and as a consequence of having discovered this truth, the boys kill Simon sacrificially. Simon can also be linked to Jesus through his conversation with the Lord Of the Flies, similar to the confrontation between Jesus and the Devil in the bible.

Ishmael- At the start of the novel Ishmael is a feature in a traveling circus where his name is Goliath. During his time with the circus he ponders why life is this way, and recognizes the distastefulness of humanity. When Walter Soklow comes to buy Ishmael from the circus he renames him Ishmael, and suddenly he gains a sense of self and belonging.