Major Characters

Question 1

Which are the major characters in the novel?

Answer 1

• Ralph
• Jack Merridew
• Piggy
• Roger
• Littleuns
• Samneric
• Simon
• Lord of the Flies

Question 2

Ralph

Answer 2

• lead protagonist
• 12 years old
• fair hair and a larger physique than most boys on the island
• attempts to coordinate the boys to build a functioning civilisation on the island until they can be rescued
• he represents the civilising impact of human beings, as opposed to Jack’s savage instincts
• is closely allied with Piggy

Question 3

Jack Merridew

Answer 3

• main antagonist of the novel
• comes into direct opposition with Ralph on more than one occasion
• is also one of the older boys on the island stranded on the island
• Jack becomes leader of the hunters but craves total power - becomes wild, barbaric and cruel as novel progresses
• becomes an expert at manipulating the other boys, and represents human savagery

Question 4

Piggy

Answer 4

• Piggy is arguably the most intellectual and mature boy on the island, but a combination of his whiny voice, overweight physique and annoying manner means that his voice is often drowned out
• Piggy becomes Ralph’s lieutenant, remaining sure than civilisation is the way forward on the island
• represents the scientific, rational side of civilisation

Question 5

Roger

Answer 5

• cruel and sadistic boy
• displays a tendency to enjoy violence from early on in the novel
• one of the older boys
• enjoys bullying the littleuns
• quickly becomes jack’s lieutenant when castle rock tribe is formed
• often seen as the opposite of Simon as he presents a sense of natural evil
• true inner nature is shockingly revealed when he rolls a boulder over Piggy in the final chapters of the novel - governed by the ID.

Question 6

Littleuns

Answer 6

• name given by the older boys to identify the younger boys on the island
• need most care on the island but hardly any of their names are mentioned demonstrates thy aren’t considered important - they are certainly not appropriately cared for by the older boys
• littleuns are often excitable and easily distracted and are terrified by the idea of the beast

Question 7

Samneric

Answer 7

• a pair of twins closely allied with Ralph
• sam and eric are always together and the other boys often treat them as a single entity, calling them ‘samneric’
• the easily excitable sam and eric are part of a group known as the ‘bigguns’
• at the end pf the novel, they fall victim to jack’s manipulation and coersion

Question 8

Simon

Answer 8

• shy and sensitive boy who has often been described as the only truly ‘good’ character on the island
• he helps the younger boys and is willing to work for the good of the community
• unlike Ralph and Piggy, Simon’s moral actions do not seem to have been imposed upon him by society
• in this way, he represents a natural goodness which is lost when he dies

Question 9

Lord of the Flies

Answer 9

• the name given to the sow’s head that jack’s gang impales on a stake and erects in the forest as an offering to the ‘beast’
• the lord of the flies comes to symbolise the primordial instincts of power and cruelty that take control of jack’s tribe