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   luannw Teacher
   High School - 11th Grade

   Satan is the figure referred to as "Lord of the Flies".  The title is a literal translation of the name, "Beelzebub", which is a name for Satan. Golding is using the "Lord of the Flies" name to represent evil, specifically the evil he felt lived inside of each person.  When Simon goes into one of his trances, he encounters the real pig's head that Jack had stuck on the sharpened stick.  There are flies buzzing around the rotting flesh, thus the connection.  In his trance, Simon hears a figurative voice talk to him and tell him what he already knows - that the boys on the island are the source of evil.  The voice tells Simon that there is no literal beast beyond the boys themselves. It taunts Simon and essentially declares itself the winner.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/lord-of-the-flies/historical-context

   http://www.enotes.com/lord-of-the-flies/summary

   http://www.enotes.com/lord-of-the-flies/themes

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   Posted by luannw on Thursday July 2, 2009 at 6:02 AM