LORD OF THE FLIES

By the end of this unit, students will be able to: point out and discuss how this story operates on three levels (as an action/adventure story, as a psychological novel about people under stress, as a symbolic novel about the nature of humankind and the role of civilization); cite examples of biblical motifs; identify to what extent Simon is a Christ-figure; construct an interpretation symbols in the book, including the conch shell, the fire, the island, the pig’s head and the glasses; state Golding’s view of the essential nature of humanity and comment on civilization’s function in regard to humankind; classify each of the major characters into an archetype (Ralph as the orderly forces of civilization, Jack as the primal instinctual mind or militaristic mind, Simon as a representative of goodness and kindness, Piggy as scapegoat); follow the nature of the Beast from external to internal as the novel progresses; discuss the structural development of the novel in terms of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution; relate them to this story; identify significant incidents and comments that signal the author’s theme; support major themes with evidence from the text (civilization vs. savagery, loss of innocence, innate evil in all humans); and compare and contrast Ralph, Jack, and Roger. 83 pages. ©2007.