SparkNotes is here for you

We’ve got everything you need to ace (or teach!) online classes and beat boredom while you’re social distancing. Find out more

Artboard Created with Sketch. Close Search Dialog
! Error Created with Sketch.

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

Lord of the Flies, Nobel Prize-winner William Golding’s 1954 dystopian novel, allegorizes the story of schoolboys marooned on an island to investigate mankind’s inherent savagery. The novel greatly influenced writers of horror and post-apocalyptic fiction. Read a character analysis of Ralph, plot summary, and important quotes

Summary

Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis.

Characters

See a complete list of the characters in Lord of the Flies and in-depth analyses of Ralph, Jack, Simon, Piggy, Roger, and Sam and Eric.

Main Ideas

Here's where you'll find analysis about the book as a whole, from the major themes and ideas to analysis of style, tone, point of view, and more.

Quotes

Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the book by reading these key quotes.

Further Study

Test your knowledge of Lord of the Flies with our quizzes and study questions, or go further with essays on context, background, and movie adaptations, plus links to the best resources around the web.

Writing Help

Get ready to write your paper on Lord of the Flies with our suggested essay topics, sample essays, and more.

Purchase on BN.com

Study Guide

Print edition

Our study guide has summaries, insightful analyses, and everything else you need to understand Lord of the Flies.

Buy Now on BN.com