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Ralph:
Ralph is described as a 12-year-old, handsome boy, very likeable. Already from the beginning he shows makings of a leader. Therefore he gets voted for the leader, although he didn¡¦t seek for a leadership. He accepts the task that he was chosen and wants to live up with it. He is smart, thinks optimistic, and knows what¡¦s important for the others. Ralph sticks to his ideas and because of his fairness he is willing to share his leadership with Jack.
He behaves sensibly and courageously and not a coward. As a chief he tries to cheer the oth-ers up.
Another making of his leadership is that he has a lot of common sense, rationality and respon-sibility. He knows that without rules they won¡¦t survive. Ralph soon realizes that fears are difficult to handle. The boy has some natural authority, charisma and has a strong moral sense for what is wrong. Simon¡¦s murder causes a bad conscience in him and he also admits it.
As a good leader he cares for the welfare of the others and worries about them.
Jack:
Jack has also the makings of a leader but just the opposite of Ralph. Instead of being under-standing he dominates his subjects and rules like a dictator or even a tyrant ("_ anarchy = chaos, no rules, the strongest one dominates). He is egotistic and wants to control others, and he doesn¡¦t care for the welfare of the other boys.
Jack enjoys the admiration, for this reason he more or less likes the situation on the island and so he doesn¡¦t really want to be rescued because in the world of the grown-ups he would be a normal 12-year-old boy again.
He releases ruthlessness by his instincts, the power he gets corrupts him. Jack envies Ralph¡¦s chief position from the very beginning; however, at the end he is neither a boy, nor a leader, but a tyrant, a savage chief respectively. William Golding shows Jack¡¦s evil inside at the be-ginning when he and his choir appears like a dark creature or a snake.
Simon:
Simon is really shy and sensitive, just due to the reason that he has a personality, which can-not express his ideas. The others don¡¦t take him seriously and treat him like a crazy outsider. Although he is friendly and helpful nobody really accepts him because he is so batty and imaginative, that you can say he lives in his own world.
In contrast to Piggy who is the rational type, who acts and thinks with his brain, Simon has insight by his intuition, which can make him courageous.
Simon is able to resist the devil¡¦s temptations, although he lacks of self-confidence, so he be-comes a martyr who dies for the truth.
Roger:
At the beginning he is an introverted boy and not much different from the others. However, soon it gets obvious that evil is inside of him. First he teases one of the little ones by throwing stones at him, but he¡¦s still aware of the rules and the limits of civilization. Finally he turns to the cruellest ¡§savage¡¨ and is even able to kill Piggy by purpose. He commits that murder without Jack¡¦s order, but with his silent agreement.
He enjoys hurting others and doesn¡¦t feel guilty about it. Due to his lack of moral scruples, he becomes a merciless torturer and Jack¡¦s ¡§hangman¡¨.
Piggy:
Piggy differs from the others, which is apparent from the beginning on. He is a boy from working class, already causing a social difference between him and the boys. Additionally he is handicapped by his illness. Nevertheless he is the most intelligent of the boys and because of his common sense and his perceptive and practical thinking he often knows what to do.
Although he seems more grown-up (mature) and quite wise the others doesn¡¦t respect him. Piggy cannot talk to the boys and sometimes Jack teases him that much that he is unable to control himself. He has a scientific view of life and trusts in rules and order, in Ralph.
Piggy bears the danger from Jack in his mind, but he underestimates it. First he doesn¡¦t be-lieve in fears and beasts but later on fear also grips him.
He knows exactly that Simon¡¦s death was a murder but he tries to suppress it. As already mentioned, Piggy lacks of intuition in contrast to Simon.
Symbols:
Fire: Fire is an ambivalent symbol because on the one hand it stands for danger but on the other hand it signifies protection, secure and food.
Irony: Jacks jungle fire attracted the officer¡¦s attention
Conch: The conch is a symbol for belonging together and democratic order and society. It stands for fairness and stability and actually the conch makes it possible to create a commu-nity in the beginning.
Furthermore it signifies authority and civilization, and William Golding shows that rules, sta-bility and fairness can be easily broken.
Painted faces:
When the boys are painted they are deliberated from civilization, they become more and more savages. They don¡¦t have to obey rules and orders anymore and can do what they want.
Dance and Chant:
The singing is important because it¡¦s a sign for belonging together and they can forget their fears. However, when they are all united in this crowd nobody of them think for themselves anymore, which makes it easier for the leader to control them.
Parachutist/The beast:
He is symbolic for the world of the grown-ups and that there is no difference from the boys¡¦ situation. ¡§The adults world¡¨ is even crueller.
The beast is actually the opposite of the conch and shows the dark side in man.
Specs:
The specs are a symbol for intelligence because without intelligence (specs) they wouldn¡¦t be able to light a fire. For Jack Piggy¡¦s glasses strengthen his power because from the moment he has stolen them he confirms his leadership.
Message:
The devil is inside of all human beings. Man makes progress in all sciences but no progress in mind. They have never learned to live together peacefully. Evil can destroy every community, no matter how unified they are.
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