Abstract：Lord of the Flies is the master work of English writer William Golding who has won the Nobel Prize. It is an important philosophy as fiction to discuss “the evil of human nature” in naive children. It also shows the theme of redemption. “Beast” is an important image in the work. It symbolizes the evil in children’s heart. Lord of the Flies tells about children becoming savage to kill their opponents because of the inherent evil in their heart. 

The pioneers have analyzed the symbolism of “beast”. They probed for the evil of humanity in Lord of the Flies by the symbolism of “beast”. This essay analyses the meanings and functions of “beast” in Lord of the Flies. It includes the origin and symbolism of “beast”, the position and translation to “beast”, children’s different attitudes to “beast” and how does Jack control others by “beast”. This essay has great significance to the study of the “beast” image.        

Keywords:  William Golding  Lord of the Flies  beast  image  meanings and functions

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Introduction to the Author and His Novel Lord of the Flies-1

1.2 Literature Review-1

1.3 Significance and Organization of This Paper-2

Chapter Two Interpretation of the Beast-4

2.1 The Origin of the Beast in Lord of the Flies-4

2.2 Symbolic Meaning of the Beast-4

2.3 The Function of Beast in the Theme of Lord of the Flies-5

Chapter Three Function of Beast in Depicting Characters-7

3.1 Ralph—the Representative of Reason-7

3.2 Jack—the Representative of Evil-7

3.3 The Function of Beast in Jack’s Rule-8

3.4 The True Beast-9

Chapter Four Conclusion-11

References-12