Themes of Survival in Lord Of The Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies is a modern classic by William Golding set during WWII. The book is about a group of 12-year-old boys who have been evacuated onto an island as their aeroplane is shot down near Spain. Nobody knows where they are, and their only hope of getting off the island is to send signals and survive for themselves. The fruit that grows on the island isn't edible, and they eat vegetables and fish. There are many themes in this book, and one of them is Survival and Rescue. There are two main leaders on the island, and they have different interpretations of survival. Ralph believes that the group should build shelters and build a fire and send signals and try to be rescued, but Jack believes the group should hunt and kill pigs for meat and have fun on the island.

They hold an assembly and democratically elect Ralph as the leader, who is a democratic and fair leader who tries to keep everyone happy whilst sending signals to be rescued at the same time.

Lord of the Flies

Jack Teagarden

Ralph Wolf as he prepares to jack a sheep.

They use Piggy's glasses to set fire to a pile of twigs and this fire burns through that story, because this is the only way the boys can be rescued from the island, it is a very important symbol, but throughout the book many of the boys question Ralph's ideas, as they prefer Jack's primitive savagery.

'But I tell you that smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one.'

Ralph believes the fight for survival is to return safely home, but Jack believes they will remain on the island for the rest of their lives and wants to have fun rather than get out of the island.

Eventually, all the boys but Ralph choose to join Jack's group of...