Use of form in Lord of the Flies
The form of a text is the type of text you are reading or watching. The form of Lord of the Flies is a novel. More specifically, it is an adventure novel and an allegoryA story or poem which has a hidden (usually political) meaning..
An adventure novel
"While we're waiting we can have a good time on this island." He gesticulated widely. "It's like in a book." At once there was a clamour. "Treasure Island-" "Swallows and Amazons-" "Coral Island-" Ralph waved the conch. "This is our island. It's a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we'll have fun."
One particular genreA category or type of something. Fiction and non-fiction are two examples of different genres. of fiction is the adventure story, often set on a deserted island and featuring people being brave and resourceful, living a carefree existence and overcoming any obstacles. These books such as Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island were extremely popular with young readers.
When writing Lord of the Flies, Golding was thinking of one such book in particular. The Coral Island by RM Ballantyne was written a century before Golding's book and features three shipwrecked boys called Ralph, Jack and Peterkin. Together, and with no help from adults, they construct shelters, find food, defeat pirates and generally have a great time while remaining friendly and supportive to each other. As a teacher of young boys, Golding found all this hard to believe and set out to turn this sort of fiction on its head.
An allegory
An allegory is a narrativeThe sequence of events in a plot; a story. which has a symbolicThe use of images or things (usually physical, like a flag) that stand for or represent something else, usually something abstract like a nation. and deeper level of meaning. Characters, setting, objects and colours, as well as having a place in the story, also stand for or represent other bigger ideas. So in Lord of the Flies:
- Ralph represents civilisation, order and democracyA type of government where people govern themselves or elect representatives to govern for them.
- Jack stands for savagery, disorder and dictatorshipA country ruled by someone who has complete authority.
- Piggy symbolises rational scientific thought
- Simon represents human morality and goodness
- the island setting is a microcosmOne small version of a larger world, eg a school could be described as a microcosm of society. of the wider world
An allegory can be seen as a very long extended metaphorA metaphor (where one thing is represented by another - eg hope as a seed) that is developed or recurs throughout a text.. The symbolic meaning of an allegory is often political (eg George Orwell's Animal Farm) or religious (eg CS Lewis' Narnia books); Lord of the Flies is both.