Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

 Examine characters, setting, and events to understand the deeper meaning.

 SETTING:

 What was the island like BEFORE the boys crash landed?
Lush plants, clean water, abundance of animals, peace with no humans
 What does the island BEFORE the crash represent?
Paradise/Garden of Eden
 What was the island like AFTER the boys crash landed?
Foliage destroyed in crash and through fires, populated, clean beaches and water now dirty, dead carcasses,
violence, chaos, Castle Rock is now a place of savagery and death.
 What does the ruined island now represent?
Populated dystopia (chaos created by man), Castle Rock is hell on earth (associated with evil and the devil), the
island is the entire world.

 CHARACTERS:

 How did we characterize JACK?

Jealous man, cruel, arrogant, and believes he should have the final say, believes in punishment.
 What does JACK symbolize through his traits and actions?
Unrestrained savagery and desire for power, specifically dictatorship

 How did we characterize RALPH?

Fair, mindful of others, wants to save everyone, idealistic, believes in rules.
 What does RALPH symbolize through his traits and actions?
Civilization, democracy, leadership

 How did we characterize PIGGY?

Intelligent, cowardly, rule follower, scientific, thinks others will do the right thing because it’s the right thing to
do
 What does PIGGY symbolize through his traits and actions?
Logic, reasoning, and science

 How did we characterize SIMON?

Quiet, reserved, a loner/outcast, innocent, he never does anything bad
 What does SIMON symbolize through his traits and actions?
Purity and goodness

 How did we characterize ROGER?

Strong, terrifying, takes pleasure in torturing and killing.
 What does ROGER symbolize through his traits and actions?
Brute strength/Enforcement (body guard), sadism, and loss of innocence

 PLOT (OBJECTIVES AND EVENTS):

Conch Shell

 What was its use?

To call meetings and let everyone have a turn to speak
 What does it represent?
Laws/rules, order, democracy, which disappear when it shatters

Fire

 What was its use?

Signal for rescue, cook food, bring warmth and light to the beach, and smoke out Ralph
 What does it represent?
Hope, necessity, false sense of security, and destruction
Piggy’s Glasses

 What was its use?

Allows Piggy to see, a tool/resource
 What does it represent?
Intelligence/Logic, technological advancement, and power

The Beast

 What was its role?

Fear
 What does it represent?
Evil and darkness, especially within humanity

Pig hunts

 What were they?

How they got meat for food, but also a way to act without inhibitions
 What do they represent?
Man’s capacity for violence and destruction

War paint

 What was its role?

A mask
 What does it represent?
Transformation of identity; liberating savagery (it doesn’t hide true nature, but reveals it)

Deaths of Simon and Piggy

 Who participated and what happened?

Simon
a. EVERYONE got carried away during the pig hunt ritual
b. Described like animals clawing and biting their prey
c. Beat, bit, and clawed him to death
Piggy
a. Roger pushed a boulder from Castle Rock, crushing Piggy and throwing him off a cliff
b. Piggy is described as a twitching pig

 What do they represent?

a. Loss of innocence and capacity for evil or savagery within us all
b. Loss of humanity with acting like animals and being compared to one