View source for Lord of the Flies

{{short description|1954 novel by William Golding}}{{More citations needed|date=October 2025}}{{Original research|date=October 2025|reason=}}{{About|the novel by William Golding}}

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{{Infobox book
| name = Lord of the Flies
| image = LordOfTheFliesBookCover.jpg
| caption = The original UK ''Lord of the Flies'' book cover
| author = [[William Golding]]
| cover_artist = [[Anthony Gross]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Bound books&nbsp;– a set on Flickr |date = 22 November 2007|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/13313279@N04/sets/72157625670023216/detail/?page=2 |access-date=10 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025171409/https://www.flickr.com/photos/13313279@N04/sets/72157625670023216/detail/?page=2 |archive-date=25 October 2014}}</ref>
| country = United Kingdom
| genre = [[Allegorical]] novel
| publisher = [[Faber and Faber]]
| release_date = 17 September 1954
| isbn = <!-- If the book was published before the use of ISBN, do not include this parameter -->
| ISBN_note = 
| oclc = 47677622
| pages = 224<ref>Amazon, [https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Flies-William-Golding/dp/0399501487/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 "Lord of the Flies: Amazon.ca"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520193309/https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Flies-William-Golding/dp/0399501487/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 |date=20 May 2021}}, ''Amazon''</ref>
}}

'''''Lord of the Flies''''' is the 1954 debut novel of British author [[William Golding]]. The plot concerns a group of prepubescent British boys who are stranded on an [[uninhabited island]] and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves that led to a descent into savagery. The novel's themes include morality, leadership, and the tension between civility and chaos.

''Lord of the Flies'' was generally well received and is a popularly assigned book in schools.

== Background ==
Published in 1954, ''Lord of the Flies'' was Golding's first novel. Golding got the idea for the plot from ''[[The Coral Island]]'', a children's adventure novel with a focus on Christianity and the supposed civilising influence of [[British colonialism]]. Golding thought that the book was unrealistic and asked his wife whether it would be a good idea if he "wrote a book about children on an island, children who behave in the way children really would behave?"<ref>Presley, Nicola. "Lord of the Flies and The Coral Island." ''William Golding Official Site'', 30th Jun 2017, https://william-golding.co.uk/lord-flies-coral-island {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002353/https://william-golding.co.uk/lord-flies-coral-island |date=23 January 2021}}. Accessed 9th Feb 2021.</ref>

Golding, who was a philosophy teacher before becoming a [[Royal Navy]] lieutenant, experienced war firsthand and commanded a landing craft in the [[Normandy landings|Normandy landings during D-Day]] in 1944. After the war ended and Golding returned to England, the world was dominated by [[Cold War]] and the threat of [[nuclear annihilation]], which led Golding to examine the nature of humanity and that went on to inspire ''Lord of the Flies''.<ref name="youtube.com">{{cite web |last=Dash |first=Jill |title=Why should you read "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnnZ6y1HPqI |website=[[YouTube]]|date=12 December 2019 }}</ref>

The draft of the book was entitled ''Strangers from Within'', which was considered "too abstract and too explicit".<ref name="Guardian LOTF">{{cite news |title=The 100 best novels: No 74 – Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954) |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/16/lord-of-the-flies-100-greatest-novels-william-golding-mccrum |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612123002/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/16/lord-of-the-flies-100-greatest-novels-william-golding-mccrum |archive-date=12 June 2020 |access-date=25 June 2020 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> The novel was rejected by many publishers before being accepted by [[Faber & Faber]]. An initial rejection labelled the book as "absurd... Rubbish & dull".<ref name="Strangers from Within">Monteith, Charles. "Strangers from Within." ''William Golding: The Man and His Books'', edited by [[John Carey (critic)|John Carey]], Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1987.</ref> Eventually Golding chose ''Lord of the Flies'' as the title.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Symons |first=Julian |date=26 September 1986 |title=Golding's way |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/1986/sep/26/biography |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006122219/https://www.theguardian.com/books/1986/sep/26/biography |archive-date=6 October 2019 |access-date=28 April 2019 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Faber |first=Toby |date=28 April 2019 |title=Lord of the Flies? 'Rubbish'. Animal Farm? Too risky – Faber's secrets revealed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/28/faber-and-faber-the-untold-story-letters-eliot-joyce-beckett-plath-larkin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428113315/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/28/faber-and-faber-the-untold-story-letters-eliot-joyce-beckett-plath-larkin |archive-date=28 April 2019 |access-date=28 April 2019 |work=The Observer |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> The title is a literal translation of [[Beelzebub]], a biblical demon considered the god of pride and warfare.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who is Beelzebub in the Bible? Name Meaning and Importance |url=https://www.christianity.com/wiki/angels-and-demons/who-was-beelzebub-in-the-bible.html |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=Christianity.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of "Beelzebub" {{!}} Collins English Dictionary |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/beelzebub |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311085234/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/beelzebub |archive-date=11 March 2016 |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=www.collinsdictionary.com |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Strong's Greek: 954. Βεελζεβούλ (Beelzeboul) -- Beelzebul, Beelzebub |url=https://biblehub.com/greek/954.htm |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=biblehub.com}}</ref>

Editor [[Charles Monteith]] worked with Golding on several major edits, including removing the entire first section that described an evacuation from [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].<ref name="Strangers from Within" /><ref name="Guardian LOTF" /> The character of Simon also was heavily edited to remove an interaction with a mysterious figure who is implied to be a god.<ref>Kendall, Tim. Email, ''University of Exeter'', received 5th Feb 2021.</ref> Ultimately, Golding accepted the edits, and wrote that "I've lost any kind of objectivity I ever had over this novel and can hardly bear to look at it".<ref>{{cite web |last=Williams |first=Phoebe |title=New BBC programme sheds light on the story behind the publication of Lord of the Flies |website=Faber & Faber Official Site |date=6 June 2019 |url=https://www.faber.co.uk/blog/new-bbc-programme-sheds-light-on-the-story-behind-the-publication-of-lord-of-the-flies/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501124922/https://www.faber.co.uk/blog/new-bbc-programme-sheds-light-on-the-story-behind-the-publication-of-lord-of-the-flies/ |archive-date=1 May 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=14 February 2021}}</ref> The edited manuscripts are available to view at the [[University of Exeter]] library.<ref name="uexeter">{{cite web | url=http://lib-archives.ex.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=EUL+MS+429 | title=EUL MS 429 – William Golding, Literary Archive | publisher=University of Exeter | work=Archives Catalogue | access-date=6 October 2021 | quote=The collection represents the literary papers of William Golding and consists of notebooks, manuscript and typescript drafts of Golding's novels up to 1989. | archive-date=5 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405180940/http://lib-archives.ex.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=EUL+MS+429 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Plot ==
In the midst of a wartime evacuation, a British aeroplane crashes on an isolated island. The only survivors are boys in their middle childhood or [[preadolescence]]. A fair-haired boy named Ralph and a fat boy nicknamed Piggy find a [[Conch (instrument)|conch]] shell, which Ralph uses as a horn to gather the survivors. Ralph immediately commands authority over the other surviving boys using the conch, and is elected their "chief". He establishes three goals for the boys: to have fun, to survive, and to constantly maintain a [[smoke signal]] that could alert passing ships. Ralph, a red-haired boy named Jack, and a quiet boy named Simon use Piggy's glasses to create a signal fire.

The semblance of order among them deteriorates as the boys grow lazy and ignore Ralph's efforts to improve life on the island. They become [[paranoia|paranoid]] about an imaginary monster called "the beast". Ralph fails to convince the boys that no beast exists, while Jack gains popularity by declaring that he will personally hunt and kill the monster. At one point, Jack takes the boys to hunt a wild pig, including the boys who were meant to watch the signal fire. The smoke signal goes out, failing to attract a ship that was passing by the island. Ralph angrily confronts Jack and considers relinquishing his role as leader, but is persuaded not to do so by Piggy. 

One night, an air battle occurs near the island and the body of a [[fighter pilot]] drifts down in a parachute. Twin boys Sam and Eric mistake the corpse for the beast. When Ralph and Jack investigate with another boy, Roger, they flee in terror, believing the imaginary beast is real. Jack tries to turn the others against Ralph, and goes off alone to form his own tribe, with most of the other boys gradually joining him. Jack and his followers set up an offering to the beast in the forest: a pig's head, mounted on a sharpened stick and swarming with flies. Simon, who often ventures into the forest alone, has an [[Hallucination|imaginary dialogue]] with the head that he dubs the "[[Beelzebub|Lord of the Flies]]". The head tells Simon that there is no beast on the island, implies that the beast is actually within the ''boys'' themselves and predicts that the others will turn on Simon. That night, Ralph and Piggy visit Jack's tribe, who have begun painting their faces and engaging in primitive ritual dances. When Simon realises that the beast is only a dead pilot, he rushes to tell Jack's tribe, but the frenzied boys (including Ralph and Piggy) mistake Simon for the beast and kill him.

Jack and his tribe steal Piggy's glasses, the only means of starting a fire. Ralph goes to Jack's camp with Piggy, Sam, and Eric to confront Jack and retrieve the glasses. Cementing his rebellious spirit against Ralph's authority, Roger drops a boulder that kills Piggy and shatters the conch in the process. Ralph manages to escape, but Sam and Eric are forced to join Jack's tribe. That night, Ralph secretly confronts Sam and Eric, who warn him that Jack plans to hunt for him. 

The next morning, Jack's tribe sets fire to the forest. Ralph narrowly escapes the boys and the fire, and while fleeing, falls down in front of a uniformed adult – a British [[Officer (armed forces)|naval officer]] who has landed on the island to investigate the fire. Ralph, Jack, and the remaining boys erupt into sobs over the "end of innocence". The officer then expresses his disappointment at seeing the boys exhibiting such feral, warlike behavior, then turns, "moved and a little embarrassed", to stare at his [[cruiser]] waiting offshore.

== Characters ==
=== Primary ===
*Ralph: The athletic and charismatic [[protagonist]] who becomes the elected leader of the surviving boys. He is often representative of order, civilisation, and productive leadership. At the beginning of the novel, Ralph sets out to build huts and thinks of ways to improve their chances of being rescued. Ralph's influence over the boys is at first secure, but it declines as the boys defect to Jack and turn to savagery.   
*Jack Merridew: The strong-willed [[antagonist]] who represents savagery, violence, and power. At the beginning of the novel, he is infuriated at losing the leadership election to Ralph. He then leads his tribe, consisting of a group of ex-choir boys, into the deep forest where they hunt pigs and turn into barbarians with painted faces. By the end of the novel, he uses the boys' fear of the imaginary beast to assert control over them.
*Simon: An innately spiritual boy who is often the voice of reason in the midst of the rivalry between Ralph and Jack.
*Piggy: Ralph's intellectual and talkative friend who helps Ralph to become leader and is the source of many innovative ideas. He represents the rational side of humanity. Piggy's asthma, weight, and poor eyesight make him a target of scorn and violence. His real name is not given.
*Roger: An initially quiet boy who eventually becomes violent when Jack rises to power.

=== Secondary ===
* Sam and Eric: Twins, who are among Ralph's few supporters at the end of the novel. Roger forces them to join Jack's tribe.
* The officer: An unnamed British naval officer who commands a landing party arriving on the island at the end of the novel. The sudden appearance of an adult authority figure leads the children to instantly revert to their true age and status. However, apparently unaware of any irony, he stares at his own warship while expressing disappointment at the descent into violence by the stranded boys.

== Themes ==
The novel's major themes are morality, civility, leadership, and the potential for rapid degeneration into chaos in society that all explore the duality of human nature.<ref name="youtube.com" /> 

''Lord of the Flies'' portrays a scenario in which upper-class British children quickly descend into chaos and violence without adult authority, despite attempts by some of them to establish order and co-ordination. This subverts the [[colonization|colonial narration]] found in many British books of this period; for example, ''[[The Coral Island]]''.<ref name="youtube.com"/> ''Lord of the Flies'' contains various references to ''The Coral Island''; for example, the rescuing naval officer describing the misadventures of the boys as a "jolly good show. Like the Coral Island."<ref>{{citation |last=Reiff |first=Raychel Haugrud |title=William Golding: Lord of the Flies |page=93 |year=2010 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-0-7614-4700-9}}</ref> Golding's three central characters, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack, can also be interpreted as caricatures of the protagonists in ''The Coral Island''.<ref>{{citation |last=Singh |first=Minnie |title=The Government of Boys: Golding's ''Lord of the Flies'' and Ballantyne's ''Coral Island'' |journal=[[Children's Literature (journal)|Children's Literature]] |volume=25 |pages=205–213 |year=1997 |doi=10.1353/chl.0.0478 |s2cid=144319352| issn = 0092-8208 }}</ref>

At an [[allegory|allegorical]] level, a central theme is how the desire for civilisation conflicts with the [[will to power|desire for power]]. ''Lord of the Flies'' also portrays the tension between [[groupthink]] and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality. These themes have been explored in an essay by American literary critic [[Harold Bloom]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bloom |first1=Harold |title=Major themes in Lord of the Flies |url=https://1.cdn.edl.io/DCZIfXm4z8XvzcRiCqTQbpSIBE3zLa6rhs0IuJCTkigqTLD9.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211194237/https://1.cdn.edl.io/DCZIfXm4z8XvzcRiCqTQbpSIBE3zLa6rhs0IuJCTkigqTLD9.pdf |archive-date=11 December 2019 |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref>

Some examples of symbolism in ''Lord of the Flies'' are the signal fire, Piggy's glasses, and the conch shell, which may be read as representing hope, reason, democracy, and unity, among other interpretations.

The novel also examines aspects of war, as the story is set during a [[World War|war]] that has begun before the boys arrive on the island.<ref>https://study.com/learn/lesson/lord-of-the-flies-william-golding-settings-time-period-analysis What does the setting symbolize in Lord of the Flies?{{Dead link|date=May 2023}}</ref> Although the location of the island is never stated, it is sometimes thought to be somewhere in the [[Pacific Ocean]], but [[John Sutherland (author)|John Sutherland]] argues that a [[coral island]] in the [[Indian Ocean]] is intended, based on remarks by Jack that the plane had stopped off in "Gib" ([[Gibraltar]]) and "Addis" ([[Addis Ababa]]), presumably en route to a refuge in [[Western Australia]]. In fact, an early manuscript, entitled ''Strangers From Within'', explicitly placed the island near [[New Guinea]] and [[Borneo]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Sutherland |first= John|author-link=John Sutherland (author) |date=1998 |title=Where was Rebecca shot? : curiosities, puzzles, and conundrums in modern fiction |url= https://archive.org/details/wherewasrebeccas0000suth/page/71/mode/1up|location=London|publisher= Weidenfeld & Nicolson|pages= 70–71|isbn=9780297841463}}
</ref>

=== Genre and style ===
As a tale of adventure and survival, ''Lord of the Flies'' fits the genre of [[Allegorical fiction]]. It also questions human morality, making it a work of [[philosophical fiction]]. The novel is styled as allegorical fiction, embodying the concepts of inherent human savagery, [[mob mentality]], and [[totalitarianism|totalitarian leadership]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/genre/|title=Lord of the Flies: Genre|website=SparkNotes}}</ref> However, Golding deviates from typical allegory in that both the protagonists and the antagonists are fully developed, realistic characters.

== Reception ==
=== Critical response ===
Its first print run of 3,000 copies was slow to sell, but ''Lord of the Flies'' went on to become very popular, with more than ten million copies sold as of 2015.<ref name="Guardian LOTF" /> [[E. M. Forster]] chose ''Lord of the Flies'' as his "outstanding novel of the year". It was described in one review as "not only a first-rate adventure but a parable of our times".<ref name="Guardian LOTF" /> In February 1960, [[Floyd C. Gale]] of ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction]]'' rated ''Lord of the Flies'' five stars out of five, stating, "Golding paints a truly terrifying picture of the decay of a minuscule society... Well on its way to becoming a modern classic".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Gale |first=Floyd C. |date=February 1960 |title=Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf |url=https://archive.org/stream/GalaxyV18n03196002AkFhd/Galaxy%20v18n03%20%281960-02%29%20ak%20fhd#page/n163/mode/2up |magazine=Galaxy Science Fiction |pages=164–168}}</ref> 

[[Marc D. Hauser]] called ''Lord of the Flies'' "riveting" and said that it "should be standard reading in biology, economics, psychology, and philosophy".<ref>[[Marc D. Hauser]] (2006). ''Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong''. page 252.</ref>

{{Quote box|width=29%|align=right|quote=''Lord of the Flies'' presents a view of humanity unimaginable before the horrors of Nazi Europe, and then plunges into speculations about mankind in the [[state of nature]]. Bleak and specific, but universal, fusing rage and grief, ''Lord of the Flies'' is both a novel of the 1950s, and for all time.|source=—[[Robert McCrum]], ''The Guardian''.<ref name="Guardian LOTF" />}}

''Lord of the Flies'' was included on the [[American Library Association]] list of the 100 most frequently [[Book censorship in the United States|challenged]] books of 1990–1999, for its controversial stance on [[human nature]] and individual welfare versus the [[common good]].<ref name="ala" /> 

The book has been criticised as cynical for portraying humanity as inherently selfish and violent. It has been linked with the essay "The Tragedy of the Commons" by [[Garrett Hardin]] and with books by [[Ayn Rand]] and countered by "Management of the Commons" by [[Elinor Ostrom]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Ray |date=2021-05-24 |title=How The Lord of the Flies is a Myth and a False Representation of Humanity |url=https://raywilliams.ca/lord-flies-myth-false-representation-humanity/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Ray Williams |language=en}}</ref> 

''Lord of the Flies'' has been contrasted with the historical [[Tongan castaways]] incident from 1965, when a group of schoolboys on a fishing boat from [[Tonga]] were marooned on an uninhabited island and considered dead by their relatives. The group not only managed to survive for more than 15 months, but they "had set up a small commune with food garden, hollowed-out tree trunks to store rainwater, a gymnasium with curious weights, a badminton court, chicken pens, and a permanent fire, all from handiwork, an old knife blade, and much determination" according to reports. When the Tongan boys were found by a ship captain, [[Peter Warner]], they were in good health and spirits and had developed an orderly adaptation to their stranding. When writing about the Tongan event, the Dutch historian, [[Rutger Bregman]], said that comparing the incident to Golding's fictional portrayal made him consider the ''Lord of the Flies'' as unrealistic.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bregman|first=Rutger|date=2020-05-09|title=The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months|access-date=2020-05-09|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=9 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509171546/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a 2025 ''[[PopMatters]]'' reappraisal, cultural critic Charles Switzer stated, "That’s why ''Lord of the Flies'' still resonates. In an age when young people face constant pressure to conform, perform, and pick sides — whether online or in real-world social hierarchies — the breakdown on Golding’s Island feels painfully familiar. The fear of being cast out, the seduction of belonging at any cost, the ease with which violence becomes a form of power — these aren’t relics of colonial history. They’re part of the emotional architecture that today’s young people still must navigate."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Switzer |first=Charles |date=5 May 2025 |title=Lord of the Flies 2025 or: How the Empire Struck Inward |url=https://www.popmatters.com/lord-of-the-flies-2025 |access-date=16 May 2025 |website=PopMatters}}</ref>

=== Awards ===
''Lord of the Flies'' was awarded a place on both lists of [[Modern Library 100 Best Novels]], reaching number 41 on the editor's list and 25 on the reader's list.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kyrie O'Connor|url=http://blog.chron.com/memo/2011/02/top-100-novels-let-the-fighting-begin/|title=Top 100 Novels: Let the Fighting Begin|publisher=Houston Chronicle|date=Feb 1, 2011|access-date=12 December 2019|archive-date=30 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730002806/http://blog.chron.com/memo/2011/02/top-100-novels-let-the-fighting-begin/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2003, ''Lord of the Flies'' was listed at number 70 on the [[BBC]] survey, [[The Big Read]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100_2.shtml |title=The Big Read – Top 100 Books |date=April 2003 |access-date=18 October 2012 |work=[[BBC]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028135830/http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100_2.shtml |archive-date=28 October 2012}}</ref> and in 2005, it was chosen by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine as one of the 100 best [[English-language]] novels since 1923.<ref name="time" /> ''Time'' also included the novel in its list of the 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=100 Best Young-Adult Books |url=https://time.com/collection/100-best-ya-books/ |access-date=11 December 2019 |magazine=Time |archive-date=22 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122090732/https://time.com/100-best-young-adult-books/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Popular in schools, especially in the English-speaking world, a 2016 UK poll saw ''Lord of the Flies'' ranked third in the nation's favourite books from school, behind [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Animal Farm]]'' and [[Charles Dickens]]' ''[[Great Expectations]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=George Orwell's Animal Farm tops list of the nation's favourite books from school |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/george-orwells-animal-farm-tops-list-of-the-nations-favourite-books-from-school-a6994351.html |access-date=11 December 2019 |work=The Independent |archive-date=11 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211201248/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/george-orwells-animal-farm-tops-list-of-the-nations-favourite-books-from-school-a6994351.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2019, [[BBC News]] included ''Lord of the Flies'' on its list of the [[BBC list of 100 "most inspiring" novels|100 most inspiring novels]].<ref name="Bbc2019-11-05" />

== In other media ==
=== Film and television===
Three film adaptations were based on the book:
* ''[[Lord of the Flies (1963 film)|Lord of the Flies]]'' (1963), directed by [[Peter Brook]]
* ''[[Alkitrang Dugo]]'' (1975), a Filipino film, directed by Lupita A. Concio
* ''[[Lord of the Flies (1990 film)|Lord of the Flies]]'' (1990), directed by [[Harry Hook]]

A fourth adaptation, to feature an all-female cast, was announced by [[Warner Bros.]] in August 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/08/lord-of-the-flies-scott-mcgehee-david-siegel-female-cast-warner-bros-william-golding-novel-1202158421/ |title=Scott McGehee & David Siegel Plan Female-Centric 'Lord of the Flies' At Warner Bros |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr |date=30 August 2017 |website=Deadline |access-date=11 April 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306140044/http://deadline.com/2017/08/lord-of-the-flies-scott-mcgehee-david-siegel-female-cast-warner-bros-william-golding-novel-1202158421/ |archive-date=6 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/01/entertainment/lord-flies-girl-remake/index.html |title='Lord of the Flies' all-girl remake sparks backlash |last=France |first=Lisa Respers |date=1 September 2017 |website=CNN |access-date=11 April 2018 |department=Entertainment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107190942/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/01/entertainment/lord-flies-girl-remake/index.html |archive-date=7 November 2017}}</ref> Subsequently abandoned, it inspired the 2021 television series ''[[Yellowjackets (TV series)|Yellowjackets]]''.<ref name=originalpitch>{{cite web
|url=https://www.soapcentral.com/shows/from-1970s-setting-documentary-style-narrative-how-yellowjackets-original-pitch-starkly-different-show
|title=From 1970s setting to documentary-style narrative: How Yellowjackets' original pitch was starkly different from the show
|access-date=2025-05-17
|last=Biswas
|first=Archi
|date=2025-05-11
|work=[[List of soap opera media outlets|Soap Central]]
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/10/arts/television/yellowjackets-showtime.html|url-access=limited|title=''Yellowjackets'' Leans In to Savagery|date=November 10, 2021|first=Alexis|last=Soloski|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 12, 2021|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111233142/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/10/arts/television/yellowjackets-showtime.html|url-status=live}} </ref> ''[[Ladyworld]]'', an all-female adaptation, was released in 2018.

In April 2023, the [[BBC]] announced that the British production company [[Eleven (company)|Eleven Film]] would produce the first ever [[Lord of the Flies (TV series)|television adaptation]] of the novel, written by screenwriter [[Jack Thorne]].<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/lord-of-the-flies-bbc-adaptation-jack-thorne|title= BBC announces first TV adaptation of William Golding's Lord of the Flies|date=2023-04-20|access-date=2023-04-20}}</ref>

=== Stage ===
The book was first adapted for the stage and performed in 1984 at [[Clifton College Preparatory School]]. It was adapted by Elliot Watkins, a teacher at the school, with the personal consent of [[William Golding|Golding]] (the only stage production so endorsed, as he was dead by the time it was adapted again), who attended the opening night.<ref>{{cite web |editor=Friess, Amelie|date=March 2024 |magazine=Playbox Theatre Member’s Newsletter |pages=2 |title=Lord of the Flies in Rehearsal |url=https://www.playboxtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/March-Newsletter.pdf}}</ref>

[[Nigel Williams (author)|Nigel Williams]] wrote his own adaptation of the text for the stage some ten years later. It was debuted by the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in July 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search {{!}} RSC Performances {{!}} LOF199508 - The Lord of the Flies |url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/lof199508/page/15 |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116205002/https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/lof199508/page/15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Pilot Theatre Company toured it extensively in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

In October 2014 it was announced that the 2011 production of ''Lord of the Flies'' would return for the 2015 season at the [[Regent's Park Open Air Theatre]] ahead of a major UK tour.<ref name="shenton 2014">{{cite news |last1=Shenton |first1=Mark |title=London's Open Air Theatre to Stage Peter Pan, The Seagull and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Plus Reprise of Lord of the Flies |url=https://playbill.com/article/londons-open-air-theatre-to-stage-peter-pan-the-seagull-and-seven-brides-for-seven-brothers-plus-reprise-of-lord-of-the-flies-com-334154 |work=[[Playbill]] |date=October 28, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="banniser 2014">{{cite news |last1=Bannister |first1=Rosie |last2=Bosanquet |first2=Theo |title=Open Air Theatre stages Peter Pan and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/open-air-theatre-stages-peter-pan-and-seven-brides-for-seven-brothers_36278/ |work=[[WhatsOnStage.com]] |date=28 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Dominic |last=Cavendish |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8539711/Lord-of-the-Flies-Open-Air-Theatre-Regents-Park-review.html|title=Lord of the Flies, Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, review|work=The Telegraph|date=26 May 2011 |access-date=26 May 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110530020439/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8539711/Lord-of-the-Flies-Open-Air-Theatre-Regents-Park-review.html|archive-date=30 May 2011}}</ref> The production was to be directed by [[Timothy Sheader]].<ref name="shenton 2014"/><ref name="banniser 2014"/>

Kansas-based Orange Mouse Theatricals and [[Mathew Klickstein]] produced a topical, gender-bending adaptation called ''Ladies of the Fly'' that was co-written by a group of girls aged 8 to 16 based on the original text and their own lives. The production was performed by the girls as an immersive live-action show in August 2016.<ref>{{cite web |first=Joanna |last=Hlavacek |date=August 25, 2016 |title=Orange Mouse Theatricals to stage re-imagined 'Lord of the Flies' with an all-female twist. |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2016/aug/25/orange-mouse-theatricals-stage-re-imagined-lord-fl/ |website=LJWorld.com}}</ref>

=== Radio ===
In June 2013, [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]] broadcast a dramatisation by Judith Adams in four 30-minute episodes directed by [[Sasha Yevtushenko]]. The cast included [[Ruth Wilson (actress)|Ruth Wilson]] as narrator, [[Finn Bennett]] as Ralph, Richard Linnel as Jack, Caspar Hilton-Hilley as Piggy, and Jack Caine as Simon.<ref>{{cite web |title=William Golding – Lord of the Flies |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02x5ksf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620145211/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02x5ksf |archive-date=20 June 2013 |publisher=[[BBC Radio 4]]}}</ref>

=== Graphic novel ===
A graphic novel based on the book, adapted, and illustrated by [[Aimée de Jongh]], was published on 12 September 2024 in 35 countries. The Dutch version of the book was sold out in a day.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cooke |first=Rachel |date=2024-08-25 |title=Lord of the Flies at 70: how a classic was reimagined as a graphic novel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/aug/25/lord-of-the-flies-graphic-novel-william-golding-aimee-de-jongh |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

== Influences ==
===Literature===
Author [[Stephen King]] named his fictional town of [[Castle Rock (Stephen King)|Castle Rock]] after Jack's mountain camp in ''Lord of the Flies''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Beahm|first=George|title=The Stephen King story|year=1992|publisher=Andrews and McMeel|location=Kansas City|isbn=0-8362-8004-0|edition=Revised|page=[https://archive.org/details/stephenkingstory00beah_0/page/120 120]|quote=Castle Rock, which King in turn had got from Golding's Lord of the Flies.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/stephenkingstory00beah_0/page/120}}</ref> The book itself appears prominently in King's novels ''[[Cujo]]'' (1981), ''[[Misery (novel)|Misery]]'' (1987), and ''[[Hearts in Atlantis]]'' (1999).<ref name="king" /> His novel ''[[It (novel)|It]]'' was influenced by Golding's novel: "I thought to myself I'd really like to write a story about what's gained and what's lost when you go from childhood to adulthood, and also, the things we experience in childhood that are like seeds that blossom later on."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Presley |first=Nicola |date=June 16, 2018 |title=Stephen King's It and Lord of the Flies |url=https://william-golding.co.uk/stephen-kings-it-and-lord-of-the-flies |website=william-golding.co.uk/}}</ref> In 2011, King wrote an introduction for a new edition of ''Lord of the Flies'' to mark the centenary of Golding's birth.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=April 11, 2011 |title=Stephen King joins William Golding centenary celebration |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/apr/11/stephen-king-william-golding-centenary}}</ref> King's town of Castle Rock inspired the name of [[Rob Reiner]]'s production company, [[Castle Rock Entertainment]].<ref name="King 2011">{{cite web|last=King|first=Stephen|title=Introduction by Stephen King|url=http://lordofthefliescover.com/about-book/stephen-king-foreword/|year=2011|publisher=Faber and Faber|access-date=12 October 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724150512/http://lordofthefliescover.com/about-book/stephen-king-foreword/|archive-date=24 July 2012}}</ref>

[[Alan Garner]] credits the book with making him want to become a writer.<ref>{{Cite book |title=[[The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature]] |year=1984 |page=325}}</ref>

=== Music ===
[[Iron Maiden]] wrote [[Lord of the Flies (song)|a song]] inspired by the book, included in their 1995 album [[The X Factor (album)|''The X Factor'']].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ilcala.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html|title=CALA (-) LAND|website=ilcala.blogspot.com|access-date=6 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013180320/http://ilcala.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html|archive-date=13 October 2016}}</ref>

[[The Camerawalls]] include a song entitled "Lord of the Flies" on their 2008 album ''Pocket Guide to the Otherworld''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pep.ph/guide/music/2202/indie-band-the-camerawalls-releases-debut-album |title=Indie band The Camerawalls releases debut album |access-date=10 May 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610194203/https://www.pep.ph/guide/music/2202/indie-band-the-camerawalls-releases-debut-album |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Batavia (1628 ship)|''Batavia'' (1628 ship)]]
* "[[Das Bus]]", an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' with a similar plot
* ''[[Heart of Darkness]]'' (1899), short novel by [[Joseph Conrad]]
* ''[[Humankind: A Hopeful History]]''
* ''[[A High Wind in Jamaica (novel)|A High Wind in Jamaica]]''
* [[Island mentality]]
* [[Robbers Cave Experiment]]
* ''[[Two Years' Vacation]]'' (1888), adventure novel by [[Jules Verne]]

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="Bbc2019-11-05">{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50302788 | title = 100 'most inspiring' novels revealed by BBC Arts | work = [[BBC News]] | date = 2019-11-05 | access-date = 2019-11-10 | quote = The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature. | archive-date = 3 November 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201103164736/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50302788 | url-status = live}}</ref>
<ref name="ala">{{cite web |url = http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/1990_1999/ |title = 100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999 |year = 2009 |work = [[American Library Association]] |access-date = 16 August 2009 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100515141143/http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/1990_1999/ |archive-date = 15 May 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="time">{{cite magazine |url = https://entertainment.time.com/2005/10/16/all-time-100-novels/slide/lord-of-the-flies-1955-by-william-golding/ |title = ALL-TIME 100&nbsp;Novels. Lord of the Flies (1955), by William Golding |last = Grossman |first = Lev |author-link = Lev Grossman |author2 = Lacayo, Richard |date = 6 October 2005 |magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |issn = 0040-781X |access-date = 10 December 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121210001733/http://entertainment.time.com/2005/10/16/all-time-100-novels/slide/lord-of-the-flies-1955-by-william-golding/ |archive-date = 10 December 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="king">{{cite web|url=http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/sking.htm |title=Stephen King |website=Books and Writers (kirjasto.sci.fi) |first=Petri |last=Liukkonen |publisher=[[Kuusankoski]] Public Library |location=Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323003706/http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/sking.htm |archive-date=23 March 2007 }}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
{{wikibooks}}
{{wikiquote|William Golding#Lord of the Flies (1954)|Lord of the Flies}}
* [http://www.enotes.com/documents/lord-flies-chapter-1-sound-shell-53829?action=view_embedded Chapter 1: "The Sound of the Shell"] of the novel ''Lord of the Flies'' by William Golding on [[eNotes]]
* [http://www.shmoop.com/lord-of-the-flies/ ''Lord of the Flies''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608212041/http://www.shmoop.com/lord-of-the-flies/ |date=8 June 2019 }} student guide and teacher resources; themes, quotes, characters, study questions
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111123194801/http://lordofthefliescover.com/about-book/reading-and-teaching-guides/ Reading and teaching guide] from [[Faber and Faber]], the book's UK publisher
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111123194756/http://lordofthefliescover.com/about-book/judy-golding-interview/ An interview with Judy Golding], the author's daughter, in which she discusses the inspiration for the book, and the reasons for its enduring legacy
* {{Official website|http://www.william-golding.co.uk/|William Golding official website}} run and administered by the William Golding Estate
* [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months] About a real life incident in 1965; reality had a much more positive outcome than Golding's book.

{{William Golding}}
{{Lord of the Flies}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Of The Flies}}
[[Category:1954 British novels]]
[[Category:1954 debut novels]]
[[Category:Allegory]]
[[Category:British adventure novels]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:British philosophical novels]]
[[Category:British young adult novels]]
[[Category:Dystopian novels]]
[[Category:English philosophical novels]]
[[Category:Existentialist novels]]
[[Category:Faber & Faber books]]
[[Category:Fiction about castaways]]
[[Category:Novels about insects]]
[[Category:Novels about survival skills]]
[[Category:Novels by William Golding]]
[[Category:Novels set on fictional islands]]
[[Category:Novels set in Oceania]]
[[Category:Novels set on uninhabited islands]]
[[Category:Pigs in literature]]
[[Category:Postmodern novels]]
[[Category:Robinsonades]]
[[Category:Works about societal collapse]]