Are we really like that?

The entire book is intended to be an allegory of the world and human society. Do you think that Golding succeeds in writing a book that describes the way things really are? Do you believe that the way things turn out on the island and the way the boys behave are good symbols for the real world and the way human beings really are?

Anarchy

Golding clearly felt that anarchy--a social system with no central government or ruling class in which every person acts for him or herself as an independent part of a peaceful society--is impossible. What do you think? Why do humans need a strong government, rules, laws, and social structures to keep us in line? Could society exist free of government?

Human Nature

Is it human nature to be basically good or to be born bad? Is our nature (our genetics) more or less important than the way we are nurtured by parents, schools, society, and friends in determining how we turn out?

Kid Island

What would have happened if Golding had crashed a group of boys and girls on the island instead of just boys? How would that society be different from the one Golding depicts?

Girls Only

How would the story be different if it was only girls on the island? Would girls react differently than the boys did? How would their society be different?

No Girls Allowed?

Why does Golding decide to include only boys on the island? Why does he leave girls out of such an important allegory? What does it say about Golding as a writer and thinker that he leaves females completely out of a book about human nature? Does his argument apply only to boys and men, or do women also have the same negative characteristics as part of their nature?

Kitchen Sink

This is the place where you can address anything that is not covered by the prompts above. What were some of the really good level two and level three questions that you came up with? In general, what do you think about Lord of the Flies?