Character & Symbolism LOTF Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ralph

Ralph is first shown as the "fair-haired" boy. Golding writes about him trudging thorugh the jungle-vines away from the crash when he meets Piggy.

Answer: No

Interestingly enough, William Golding never tells us Piggy's real name.

Answer: Jack

Jack is first seen with his choir when they come walking down the beach in the form of what is described as a huge black shadow. When Ralph sees him up close, Golding mentions that Jack has red hair and is quite ugly.

Answer: Simon

One can easily tell that Simon is very much like Christ for a number of reasons: First, Simon is very innocent in his ways and never gives into the evil. Second, Simon is persecuted for being different and is killed because the others are scared of him. Third, when Simon is killed he is left on the beach in the shape of a cross. Fourth, Simon's body is surrounded by the sea foam which reflects off of the full moon, giving him a bright aura. Fifth, Simon's body is taken out by the ocean, showing that neither him nor Christ had a body to prove their death. Sixth, they are both prophetic.

Answer: Percival

Percival is only six at the beginning of the book and he is very frightened at the idea of a beast on the island. When he is asked about his past, the only thing he can reply with is "Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telephone, telephone, tele..." until he is lost in sleep.

Answer: the boy with the birthmark

The boy with the birthmark spoke about a "Beastie" during the first meeting. He has no name that we are ever told and he was later lost in the huge fire by the mountainside.

Answer: Piggy's

This question shows how well you paid attention to the background info of the boys' lives. Piggy explains to Ralph the his aunt had a candy shop and let him eat all the candy he likes. That is his excuse for being overweight.

Answer: Roger

Roger is easily the sadist of the island. He takes joy in hurting the other kids. He throws sand into their eyes, has the idea to sharpen sticks on both ends, plays the pig in most of their rituals, and crushes Piggy with a boulder after throwing rocks down on him.

Answer: Samneric

Sam and Eric (aka Samneric) are given charge of the fire because they are the only ones Ralph can now trust to get the job done. Piggy has already lost one of his specs, and Simon is physically weak so he would not be able to get the firewood or green leaves.

Answer: the littluns

They are called the lil'uns by Ralph because they lack the maturity and the focus to do any good on the island.

Answer: the conch

The conch represents law and order which Piggy desperately tries to protect. The conch also represents all the authority which the boys are used to obeying. When Jack destroys the conch, anarchy quickly ensues because any hope of a strong, central leadership has been abandoned. The island society collapses into chaos.

Answer: the beast

The beast, or the Lord of the Flies, is seen as a real object on the island which frightens the boys. Actually the beast is something internal; the Lord of the flies is in the soul and mind of the boys, leading them to the natural chaos of a society with no reasoning adults. Only Simon understands what the real beast is, but is killed when he tries to tell the boys about the Lord of the Flies.

Answer: the fire/smoke

The smoke of the signal fire symbolizes the boys' last hope of being rescued. To Piggy and Ralph, the fire represents the moral influence of their old life in England. When the fire goes out, Ralph loses his bearings, unsure of his next move. The fire is also diametrically opposed to hunting, the activity of anarchy on the island.

Answer: the specs

The specs or glasses symbolize the voice of reason and logic among the boys. Piggy defends his glasses even more than the conch. Piggy, who represents the superego of the boys' (and society's) collective personality, uses his glasses to find solutions to the boys' problems.

The most important solution the glasses find is the lighting of the fire, the boys' best chance of being rescued. One will also notice how many times Piggy is shown polishing his glasses. Also note the steady breakdown of the island once the glasses are damaged by removing a spectacle and are, in the end, stolen by the savages.

Answer: the parachute man

The dead body flying in the parachute symbolizes the end of adult supervision of the boys on the island. While the parachute man is flapping back and forth on the island, conjuring up a powerful image of his prolonged death, the Beast, or Lord of the Flies, is prospering under its new control over Jack and most of the other boys on the island. So while the law and order of the adult world is waning, childish chaos is growing exponentially. Simon has a special connection with the parachute man. He climbs the mountain, subconsciously, to determine whether the parachute man is still alive.

When he finds out that the man is dead and that the Beast is alive, Simon has a nervous breakdown. The moral confrontation which occurs when Simon has the interview with the Lord of the Flies symbolizes man's inability to conquer the evil anarchy of the devil.