Literary Analysis Lord of the Flies

General:

1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel about a group of boys stranded on an island at the dawn of a war sometime in the near future (future of when the book was written). The novel tells the story of the kids struggle to survive and how easily one can break down in certain situations and loss their civilized sense. The kids attempt to establish an order to survive. They elect Ralph to be there leader and have a conch be the crown, or symbol of power. Piggy, another boy, supports Ralph and his endeavors to help keep order. But soon kids decide they don't want to do things required to survive, and many just don/t. Some join Jack, another boy obsessed with the hunting aspect of survival. Fueling their violence driven crazed is the fear of beasts on the island, various strange figures causing the kids to tremble in fear at false beats.Simon, another boy, has an encounter with a supposed beast, who in Simon's hallucination calls himself lord of the flies, a devil like figure that tells Simon terrible things. As Jack and the hunters going even deeper into savagery and Ralph attempts to keep order, the beast drive the kids to act rash, and they kill several kids, including Simon and Piggy. It is not until an adult solider comes do the kids realize how far they had gone into craziness. 

2. One possible theme of Lord of the Flies is how in certain conditions how easily a civilized mind can be lost. All it took is the threat if death, no restrictions  and the fear of an unknown beast to cause several kids to become savages.

3. The author's tone is not consistent throughout the novel. It changes as the kids slip closer and closer to savagery, and becomes less civilized.  

4. 

1. Setting-Being isolated on an island is key to how the boys lose control.

2. Plot- events in the story, such as a fallen solider falling on the island and looking like a beast, really help show how the kids can think certain things, such as the existence of a beast.

3. Character actions- As the boys start to perform savage actions, it shows the reader how uncivilized they have become.

4. Mood- The author creates a feeling in the reader often, such as disgust or disappointment when the kids accidentally kill Simon. Golding is very good at getting a reaction from the reader.

5. Climax- To show how civilized thought can be completely lost, the author has a climax where several kids have truly lost, showing how savage they have become.

6. Imagery- Golding has a scene where he has Simon encounter the lord of the Flies. n order to make the lord of the Flies seem like a true devil, he writes with a lot of imagery to make him truly evil.

7. Character Representation- The characters represented other types of people in a civil world  Ralph the leader, Piggy the intellectual, Simon the good natured, and Jack the savage, power hungry.

8. Symbols- There are many symbols in the novel, including the signal fire as salvation, lord of the flies as the devil, and the conch as power.

9. Onomatopoeia- Golding uses a sung chant sand by the hunters about viciously killing their prey to show their savagery.

10. Diction- Golding has the characters use different diction's to show their aspects and qualities, the civil from the savage.

Characterization:

1. Golding uses direct characterization initially  such as when Ralph is describe as an appealing person to show he was chosen as the leader or when Piggy was describes as socially awkward to show why the kids often ostracized him. He uses indirect characterization to show characters inner self, such as how Roger abuses many kids because he has an obsession with violence or how Jack tries to dethrone Ralph because of his power hunger. Both are key.

2. Yes. When Golding is talking through a character how has embraced savagery, his syntax and diction are different then for Ralph or Piggy, civilized characters. His words become violent, and the meanings are very appalling. 

3. Ralph, my chosen protagonist, is flat. He sticks by his morals, even though he faces many situations were he could easily abandon them. He tries to help lead the survival of the kids throughout the novel. 
4. I felt like I met many different types of people. Ralph, a charismatic person. Piggy, a smart awkward friend. Jack, a power hungry savage, by the end of the novel. Golding gives each character a different role, and most enact out that role in the entire story, giving them a real feeling.