Classics · DarkAfter a plane crash leaves only British schoolboys alive on an island, they try to organize themselves
Lord of the Flies
Schoolboys stranded on an island try to build their own rules
After a plane crash during a wartime evacuation, only British schoolboys survive on an uninhabited island. Ralph, the elected leader, and Jack Merridew, his rival, are the main figures, with Piggy, Simon, Roger and the twins Sam and Eric. The boys try to organize themselves, but rivalry and fear lead to conflict. Faber and Faber published it on 17 September 1954, as Golding's debut novel.
More about this book
Who
Ralph, Jack Merridew, Piggy, Simon, Roger, and the twins Sam and Eric.
World
An uninhabited island, location never stated, during a wartime evacuation.
What makes it different
The working title was Strangers from Within. Golding wrote it partly as a reaction to The Coral Island, and the first print run of 3,000 copies sold slowly.
Feel
Tense and bleak.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Lord of the FliesWikipedia