Lord Of The Flies Stereotypes Essay

From an attractive and charismatic son of a Naval commander, to a bony and red-headed chapter chorister and head boy, to a short, overweight intellectual with glasses and asthma, and finally to a gloomy and reserved sadist, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is riddled with stereotypes. Although each character maintains his own unique personality, the group of English schoolboys, who are left deserted on an island after a plane crash, can be sorted into one of two categories: the civilized and barbaric. Their starkly contrasting appearances and personalities attribute to this, with stereotypical traits making it even easier to differentiate between them. Golding’s use of clichés aids readers in understanding the characters, predicting upcoming

Within the multifarious schoolboys of the highly acclaimed Lord of the Flies, stereotypes of Ralph and Piggy as the civilized, and Jack and Roger as the savages, are utilized in order to assist the reader’s comprehension, and demonstrate just how strong of a role appearances and personalities may play in judging one’s character. Early on in the novel, both Ralph and Jack emerge as natural leaders, one driven by rational thinking and law, the other battling for control by exploiting the schoolboys’ most primal instincts. While Ralph, the protagonist, is stereotyped to be good-looking, well-mannered, and relatively mature compared to the throng of elementary-aged students, Jack is told to be “thin, tall, and bony . . . ugly without silliness” (Golding 17), and inclined to hunting and killing. It is also mentioned that Ralph’s fair skin and hair hold resemblance to the angel Gabriel, while Jack’s “angular frame, black cloak and cap, and red hair is Lucifer-like” (Ziegler ix). Their substantial contrast in appearance and personality is key to deciphering the conflict that soon arises between the two. Golding’s expeditious use of the aforementioned stereotypes allows for early understanding of the characters, and how they will act later on in the book. From these