Lord of the Flies: Allegory

Contributor: Rebecca Hann. Lesson ID: 10917

Do you know an entire story can be symbolic? Called an allegory, these stories have hidden meanings, sometimes to camouflage the true message for safety's sake.

categories

Literary Studies

subject
Reading
learning style
Visual
personality style
Lion, Otter
Grade Level
High School (9-12)
Lesson Type
Dig Deeper

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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I dunno, Ralph. We just got to go on, that's all. That's what grownups would do.

What's missing from a story is often the most important part. Even in fiction, it can convey a hidden truth.

Welcome back again!

Just a few more lessons left in your study of Lord of the Flies!

The lesson on symbolism focused on objects and people and what they represent in the story. You might be surprised to learn that the ENTIRE STORY is a form of symbolism!

Lord of the Flies is actually defined as an allegory.

An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. The hidden meaning is usually a moral or political message.

In Lord of the Flies, the fact there are no adults in the story is a conscious decision by Golding to send the message that, even as children, we have evil within us.

For more information on allegory, watch the following three videos.

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Golding stated very vocally that his encounters during World War II led him to believe that people were inherently evil. This thinking could very easily have been the statement that Golding wanted to make with Lord of the Flies.

Continue on to the Got It? section to practice interpreting allegory!

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