GCSE-ready- Home
- Lessons
- GCSE & IGCSE English Literature
- Lord of the Flies: the characters
Lord of the Flies: the characters
🎬 The doodle video for this lesson is coming soon. Subscribe on YouTube to see it first.
Golding's characters can be read as symbols of different sides of human nature and society.
Ralph and Piggy
Ralph: fair, sensible and democratic. He stands for order and the hope of rescue, but struggles to keep control.
Piggy: intelligent and logical but physically weak and mocked. He stands for reason and science.
Piggy: intelligent and logical but physically weak and mocked. He stands for reason and science.
Jack and Roger
Jack: arrogant and power-hungry. He begins as a choir leader and becomes a savage chief who rules through fear.
Roger: cruel from the start, throwing stones near a littlun but missing on purpose. Without rules, his cruelty grows into murder.
Roger: cruel from the start, throwing stones near a littlun but missing on purpose. Without rules, his cruelty grows into murder.
Simon and others
Simon: gentle, spiritual and helpful. He realises the beast is part of the boys themselves.
Sam and Eric ('Samneric'): twins who stay loyal to Ralph until forced to join Jack.
The littluns: the youngest boys, who show fear and vulnerability.
Sam and Eric ('Samneric'): twins who stay loyal to Ralph until forced to join Jack.
The littluns: the youngest boys, who show fear and vulnerability.
How does Roger change?
- At first he throws stones but deliberately misses, still held back by the rules of home.
- As order collapses, his cruelty is freed.
- He kills Piggy and becomes Jack's torturer.
Answer: He goes from restrained cruelty to murder once civilisation's rules disappear.
Ralph: order and democracy. Piggy: reason. Jack: power and savagery. Roger: cruelty. Simon: goodness and insight. Samneric: loyalty under pressure. Littluns: fear.
Check you have got it
Answer 6 quick questions with instant marking. If you get one wrong, GCSE-ready shows you why and gives you another go. It is free, and you do not need an account.