Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies follows a group of British schoolboys stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. With no adults to guide them, they attempt to build their own society—but what begins as cooperation quickly descends into violence and chaos. Ralph, elected leader, represents order and democracy. He tries to establish rules, build shelters, and keep a signal fire burning for rescue. Jack, however, hungers for power. Drawn to hunting and freed from authority, he forms a rival tribe built on fear, violence, and ritual. Caught between them is Piggy, the intelligent but vulnerable boy whose glasses symbolize knowledge and civilization. As Jack's tribe becomes more savage, Piggy is targeted and eventually killed, marking the collapse of reason. The boys' fear of a mythical "beast" grows, but Simon realizes the truth: the beast is not an external monster, but the darkness within themselves. When Simon tries to share this revelation, the boys—caught in a frenzy—mistake him for the beast and kill him, symbolizing the destruction of innocence and truth. By the end, the island has descended into savagery. Jack's tribe hunts Ralph as prey and sets the jungle on fire. Ralph is saved only when a naval officer arrives, drawn by the smoke, and the boys suddenly revert to frightened children in the face of authority. Golding's novel explores the fragility of civilization, the lure of power, the violence inherent in human nature, and the thin line separating order from chaos. The island becomes a microcosm of society, revealing that the true "beast" is the primal instinct within every human being.