Two separate illustrations of an animal head and a fire on a mountain

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

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What is the "beastie" in the novel Lord of the Flies?

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The beastie in the novel Lord of the Flies is essentially a figment of the littluns' imagination that represents the nameless fears on the island. The littlun with the mulberry-colored birthmark is the first to mention the beastie and refers to it as a 'snake-thing.' The 'snake-thing' alludes to the wicked serpent in the Garden of Eden found in the Old Testament and corresponds to the impending evil that will eventually consume the boys. The older boys initially dismiss the existence of the beastie and claim that the littlun was simply having a night terror. As the novel progresses, the littluns' fear increases and they have trouble sleeping. They claim that the beastie comes out of the sea and also mention that they dream about it living in the trees. Ralph and Piggy are concerned about the littluns' well-being while Jack criticizes and makes fun of them for believing in the beastie. Although the beastie is not a tangible being, it represents all of the fears, both physical and psychological, that are found on an island without adult supervision and the comforts of home. Stranded on a deserted island, the littluns are afraid and traumatized. The beastie conceptually encompasses their fears and symbolically represents the wickedness inherent in each of them.

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What does the beast symbolize in Lord of the Flies?

In the novel Lord of the Flies, the boys' fear on the island manifests itself in the form of a "beastie" or "snake thing."  As their time progresses, the boys openly refer to the beast in assembly as the reason for the littluns' continued nightmares as well as why one must not venture into the jungle at night alone.  In this way, the beast symbolizes fear itself; the boys speculate as to its origin and where the beast could possibly hide on the island. 

Their fear of the beast culminates in the landing and subsequent spotting of the parachutist; Samneric mistake the dead parachutist for a horrible creature on the mountainside. Ultimately, the boys' imagined beast is much more horrible than the actual reality of the dead man with the parachute; they let their unchecked fears get the better of them.

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In the book Lord of the Flies, what is the beast?

In chapter 9 of Lord of the Flies, Simon discovers the "beast" that initially sent their group of boys into a frenzy on the island: a dead parachutist. His body is caught in the parachute, which is flowing with the wind, and his head is covered in flies. Simon begins to vomit from the sight of it. Once he stops, he frees the parachute from the rocks by untangling the lines and heads down the mountain eager to tell the other boys about his discovery.

However, Simon stumbles onto the beach amidst the group's frenzied dancing and chanting (done on Jack's command after Ralph asked how he was going to survive the storm without shelter). In their delusion, the group thinks Simon is the beast and kill him. His body is washed away by the storm, and the wind blows the dead parachutist off the top...

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of the mountain directly onto the beach with the other boys.

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In the book Lord of the Flies, what is the beast?

At the end of the book, the beast is revealed to be the savagery inside of the boys. You could generalize this and apply it the savagery that lies below the surface of all humans.  In the absence of civilization, the beast reigns on the island.  Only Simon was able to truly see it but was powerless to protect himself from it.  

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In Lord of the Flies, what is the beast that crawls out of the forest in the middle of their feast?

In a physical sense, the beast is Simon. Simon had gone to the special place where he'd had a fit and ended up having his vision of the Lord of the Flies. After the vision, he proceeded up the mountain where he saw that the beast on top of the mountain was in fact a dead pilot.

He decides that he ought to tell the rest of the boys what happened so he makes his way down to the beach and crawls out of the jungle to tell them. But the boys mistake him for the beast and attack and kill him in a frenzy.

In this way, he also represents their fear, the real beast that is inside of each of them as the Lord of the Flies told Simon. Their descent into the madness that allows them to kill one of their fellows accompanies this emergence of the "beast" from the forest.

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In Lord of The Flies, what "Beast from the Water" appears?

In Lord of The Flies, the boys' paranoia is increasing, the fire has gone out and, with it, the potential for recovery from a passing ship. Ralph is particularly angry and understands "the wearisomeness of this life." Ralph is aware of Piggy's superior ability for thought, despite his "ludicrous body, (he) had brains."

The assembly has been called in the evening and so perception is quite different than usual, with shadows and reflections. Ralph is intent on making everyone see the serious side; no more fun. They talk of "the beast" in an attempt to show how ridiculous the concept is but Phil, a "littleun" talks of his nightmare and "something big and horrid moving in the trees" which has the boys spellbound in fear. Ralph dispels their fear and Simon admits that he goes off in the dark so the figure the boy saw was him. But then Percival speaks.

Percival cries and sets the tone for the other small boys to do the same and he reveals that "the beast comes out of the sea." This changes the focus of Ralph's meeting as the boys are "arguing gesticulating shadows." "Fear, beasts, no general agreement that the fire was all important" has Ralph worried.

Simon tries to speak, revealing that the "Beast" is what is inside the boys - "maybe it's only us." This is too philosophical for the boys to understand who make fun of Simon and his "ghost." They then attempt to state that they do not believe in ghosts but the fear is now well entrenched as Percival is "living through circumstances" and "a thin wail out of the darkness chilled them."

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In the novel Lord of the Flies, describe the "beast" that appears to come out of the sea.

Although being on the island without adult supervision is initially an awfully big adventure for the boys, delight soon turns to fear. Here they are, stuck on a remote desert island without any immediate prospect of being rescued. Under the circumstances, it's no wonder that fear takes over. But like a lot of fear, it's completely misplaced. There is no beast on the island, but because the boys are young, immature, and superstitious, they genuinely believe that there is one.

Despite Jack's initial skepticism, he encourages the other boys to believe in the existence of the beast as he knows that this will consolidate his power over them. If the boys are in the constant grip of fear, then they'll look to Jack to be their savior, knowing just how wild and reckless he is. As the old saying goes, it takes a thief to catch a thief; and most of the boys on the island, in looking to Jack for protection, believe that they need a beast to catch a beast.

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In the novel Lord of the Flies, describe the "beast" that appears to come out of the sea.

In Chapter 5, Ralph holds an assembly to discuss why the boys are not following through with the tasks agreed upon during the meetings. He then begins to address the existence of the "beast." Ralph, Jack, and Piggy firmly believe that the "beast" does not exist. Then, a littlun named Percival mentions that the "beast" lives and comes out of the sea. Percival does not go into detail about the "beast" because he passes out after commenting that it lives in the sea. The boys then begin to argue about its identity before Jack and his hunters decide to leave the meeting. While Piggy attempts to rationalize its existence by thinking scientifically, only Simon understands its true identity. The "beast" in the water is only a figment of the boys' imagination. It represents the inner fears that they feel on the uninhabited island at night. The true nature of the "beast" is the inherent wickedness in each individual. It is a not a tangible being, but rather a symbol of their inherent evil. 

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