Lord of the flies key quotes

• “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” (Chapter 8)

  Simon realizes that the the Beast the boys fear is, the boys themselves. They are their own monsters. In this scene, Simon is hallucinating, so he believes that this statement is made by the Lord of the Flies, it is actually Simon who has this revelation.

  Simon represents spirituality in the novel. He is the only character who has a moral compass. He acts according to his conscience, rather than behaving out of fear of consequences or a desire to protect the rules.
• “I'm frightened. Of us.” (Chapter 10)

  Simon's revelation is proved tragically correct when he is killed at the hands of the other boys, who hear his frenzy and attack, thinking that he is the Beast. Even Ralph and Piggy, the two most stalwart supporters of order and civilization, are swept up in the panic and take part in Simon’s murder. This quote, spoken by Ralph, highlights just how far the boys have descended into chaos. Ralph is a firm believer in the power of rules to maintain order, but in this statement, he seems uncertain of whether rules can save the boys from themselves.
• Savagery v. civilisation

  Innocence v. evilness
• Roger: 'furtive boy…[with an] inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy'
• Ralph: 'there aren't any grown-ups we shall have to look after ourselves.'
• Piggy: 'like a pack of kids, that littlun that had the mark on his face – where is he now?'
• Simon: 'when he was secure in the middle he was in a little cabin'
• Henry: 'he became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things'
• Boys: 'kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood'
• Boys: 'passions beat about Simon…with awful wings'
• Ralph: 'this meeting must not be fun, but business'
• Ralph: 'the rules are the only thing we've got'
• "There isn’t no beast – not with claws and all that."

  This line is taken from a section of the book where the boys are debating whether or not there is a beast and speculating on what it might be. This line is one of the first suggestions that the beast is not a physical entity but rather the manifestation of the evil that exists within men.
• Ralph: 'We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals'
• Piggy: 'boys armed with sticks'
• Piggy: 'held the conch against his chest with one hand and stabbed the air with his index finger'
• "We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything."

  What is particularly provocative about this line is that it is uttered by Jack, who later in the book encourages the boys to abandon the rules that they have in place. The line is deeply rooted in irony. Given England’s history of acting savagely towards nations that they deemed to be less advanced and even savage, particularly during their colonial days making this quote is even more powerfully ironic in the current climate.
• Simon: 'the pressure of the assembly took his voice away'
• Ralph: 'I've got the conch'
• Boys: 'supposing we go, looking like we used to, washed and hair brushed – after all we aren't savages really and being rescued isn't a game'
• Boys: 'snake thing, beastie, he says the beastie came in the dark'
• Boys: 'then people started getting frightened by the beast'
• Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood.

  This is a chant that the boys use to role-play killing the pig. This is particularly interesting as there are no female characters in the novel, so the sow is the only representation of femininity. The desire to rid the island of femininity seems to be a powerful concept. When the children start chanting this, it becomes quite jarring, almost scary.
• Simon: 'Maybe it's only us'
• Boys: 'the beast has teeth…big black eyes'
• Boys: 'this head is for the beast. It's a gift'
• Lord of the Flies: 'hung on his stick and grinned…[Simon's] gaze was held by that ancient, inescapable recognition'
• Lord of the Flies: 'you knew didn't you? I'm part of you? We're going to have fun on this island. Understand?…or else…we shall do you?'
• chapter 1

  Quote: Within the diamond haze of the beach something dark was fumbling along…Then the creature stepped from the mirage on to clear sand, and they saw that the darkness was not all shadow but mostly clothing (19). Analysis: The arrival of Jack Merridew and his militant choir is described as the arrival of a beast or creature, foreshadowing Jack’s transformation from despotic choir leader to pig hunter to murderous dictator later in the novel. 
• Boys: 'the beast was harmless and horrible'
• Boys: 'the beast was on its knees in the centre, its arms folded over its face…fell over the steep edge…the tearing of teeth and claws…they could see how small a beast it was…Simon's dead body moved out toward the open sea'
• Roger: 'he's a proper chief, isn't he?'
• chapter 1

  Quote: They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood .  Analysis: Jack fears killing the pig in chapter 1, a fear he overcomes as he sheds civilization and adopts the way of a savage
• Piggy: 'if we don't get home soon we'll go barmy'
• Piggy


  plump, shorter, very fat, thick spectacles
• chapter 2 and 3

  Quote: He says he saw the beastie, the snake thing, and will it come back tonight…he says in the morning it turned them into things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches .  Analysis: There are many references to beasts in the novel. The concept is introduced in chapter 2 by a littlun. No matter how much Ralph attempts to assuage their fears about the Beastie, the group of boys still fear it. Simon discovers later that they are the Beastie.
• Ralph: 'shrieked with laughter at Piggy's nickname'
• Chapter 2 and 3

  Quote: Startled, Ralph realized that the boys were falling still and silent, feeling the beginnings of awe at the power set free below them. The knowledge and awe made him savage .  Analysis: The fire that breaks loose on the mountain symbolizes the uncontrollable savagery that soon befalls the stranded boys. Just like the savage fire kills the boy with the birthmark, the boys’ savagery kills others.
• What intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy
• Chapter 4

  Quote: He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill all that was swallowing him up .  Analysis: Jack’s transformation from civilized bully to savage killer has begun. He’s obsessed with hunting at the expense of all else, even rescue.