Lord of the Flies Characters
R
Ralph
Protagonist
Natural leader
Believes in rules and order
Values civilization
Democratic
Ralph is the main character and elected leader of the boys, approximately twelve years old, handsome, and confident. He believes strongly in rules, order, and the possibility of rescue. He represents civilization and democracy. As the story progresses, he struggles to maintain unity among the group and sometimes gives in to savagery himself.
P
Piggy
Supporting
Highly intelligent
Logical thinker
Loyal
Kind
Piggy is a short, overweight boy who wears glasses and serves as Ralph's most loyal supporter. He is the most intellectually capable of the boys and consistently advocates for reason and order. His glasses become a crucial tool for making fire. He represents reason, knowledge, and technology, and is frequently mocked and bullied by the other boys.
JM
Jack Merridew
Antagonist
Also known as: Jack
Power-hungry
Controlling
Cruel
Savage
Jack is the leader of the choirboys who becomes the primary antagonist as the story unfolds. Initially attempting to follow rules, he quickly descends into wildness and cruelty, painting his face and forming his own rival tribe. He leads the boys away from civilization and into savagery. Jack represents the dark side of human nature, embodying violence and the unchecked desire for power.
S
Simon
Supporting
Quiet
Gentle
Compassionate
Spiritually perceptive
Simon is a quiet and gentle boy who frequently retreats alone into the forest to think and reflect. He is the first to understand that the so-called beast is not a real external creature but rather a dead parachutist, and he intuitively grasps that the true evil lies within the hearts of the boys themselves. Simon represents goodness, purity, and moral truth in the novel.
R
Roger
Antagonist
Cruel
Sadistic
Brutal
Remorseless
Roger is Jack's most devoted and ruthless follower, characterized by a deep enjoyment of inflicting pain on others. He ultimately kills Piggy by deliberately rolling a large boulder onto him. Roger represents pure, uninhibited human cruelty and brutality operating entirely without moral restraint.
SA
Sam and Eric
Supporting
Also known as: Samneric
Loyal
Cooperative
Well-intentioned
Easily coerced
Sam and Eric are twin brothers who are so inseparable they are collectively known as Samneric. They initially support Ralph and attempt to do what is right. However, they are eventually forced by Jack's tribe to abandon Ralph and join the opposing side. They represent the vulnerability of good intentions when faced with overwhelming social pressure and fear.
TL
The Lord of the Flies
Symbolic
Also known as: The pig's head
Symbolic of inner evil
Corrupting
Darkly persuasive
Omnipresent darkness
The Lord of the Flies is a pig's head mounted on a stick by Jack's hunters as an offering to the beast, which quickly becomes covered with flies. In Simon's hallucinatory vision, it speaks to him, declaring 'I'm part of you.' It serves as the novel's central symbol, representing the inherent evil and darkness that exists within every human being.
TB
The Beast
Symbolic
Symbolic of fear
Manifestation of inner evil
Imaginary
Represents primal instinct
The Beast is not a real creature but a powerful symbol throughout the novel. It embodies the boys' collective fear and, more profoundly, the evil that resides within their own hearts. Its existence as an imagined external threat reflects the boys' inability to confront the true source of danger among themselves.
TN
The Naval Officer
Minor
Authoritative
Shocked
Oblivious to irony
Representative of adult civilization
The Naval Officer appears at the very end of the novel and rescues the boys from the island. He is visibly shocked and disturbed by the savage and violent state into which the boys have descended. His arrival restores a veneer of civilized order, though his own role as a military officer hints at the presence of violence in the adult world as well.
B
Bill
Minor
Follower
Compliant
Part of Jack's group
Bill is a member of Jack's original choir group who transitions into one of Jack's hunters. He plays a minor role in the narrative as part of the broader descent into savagery among the choirboys.
H
Harold
Minor
Follower
Part of Jack's group
Harold is a member of Jack's choir who becomes one of the hunters. He is a minor character with little individual distinction in the story.
M
Maurice
Minor
Follower
Part of Jack's group
Maurice is a member of Jack's choir who becomes one of the hunters. He is a minor character who follows the group's descent into savagery.
W
Walter
Minor
Follower
Part of Jack's group
Walter is a member of Jack's choir who becomes one of the hunters. He is a minor character in the narrative.
TL
The Littluns
Minor
Fearful
Vulnerable
Impressionable
Young
The Littluns are the youngest boys stranded on the island. They are largely passive participants in the unfolding events, easily frightened and heavily influenced by the older boys. They collectively represent innocence and vulnerability in the face of growing chaos.
H
Henry
Minor
Young
Vulnerable
Innocent
Henry is one of the littluns who becomes a target of Roger's early cruelty when Roger throws stones at him. He represents the vulnerability of the youngest and weakest members of the group.
J
Johnny
Minor
Responsive
Young
Eager
Johnny is a littlun notable for being the first to respond to the initial sounding of the conch. He is a minor character among the younger boys on the island.
ML
Mulberry Littlun
Minor
Young
Vulnerable
Tragic
The Mulberry Littlun is a young boy who tragically dies when the boys' bonfire spirals out of control. His death is an early sign of the dangerous consequences of the boys' lack of discipline and order.
P
Percival
Minor
Also known as: Percival Wemys Madison
Fearful
Emotional
Anxious
Young
Percival Wemys Madison is a littlun who is prone to crying and is notable for believing that the beast originates from the sea. He is a minor character who embodies the fear and emotional fragility of the youngest boys on the island.
P
Phil
Minor
Fearful
Imaginative
Young
Phil is a littlun who reports dreaming that something is pursuing him. His nightmares contribute to the growing collective fear of the beast among the boys.
R
Robert
Minor
Vulnerable
Victimized
Part of hunting group
Robert is one of the older hunters who becomes the victim of a mock hunt in which the boys pretend he is a pig. The other boys jab and hurt him until he cries, foreshadowing the escalating real violence that will follow.