Previous
The Island
The "Lord of the Flies," or the beast, inhabits the severed pig head that Jack's hunters stake into the ground and leave as an offering. Simon recognizes that the Lord of the Flies is the savage monster buried in everyone. When the Lord of Flies tells Simon "we are going to have fun on this island," it means they're going to indulge every want and desire, without regard to the rules of civilization. The name "Lord of the Flies" is a reference to the name of the Biblical devil Beelzebub, so on one level, "the beast" is a kind of savage supernatural figure, but mostly it symbolizes the evil and violence that potentially exists in the heart of every human.
The Lord of the Flies (the Beast) Quotes in Lord of the Flies
The Lord of the Flies quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Lord of the Flies (the Beast). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
"He says he saw the beastie, the snake-thing, and will it come back tonight?"
"But there isn't a beastie!"
"He says in the morning it turned into them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches. He says will it come back again tonight?"
"But there isn't a beastie!"
There was no laughter at all now and more grave watching. Ralph pushed both hands through his hair and looked at the little boy in mixed amusement and exasperation.
"But there isn't a beastie!"
"He says in the morning it turned into them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches. He says will it come back again tonight?"
"But there isn't a beastie!"
There was no laughter at all now and more grave watching. Ralph pushed both hands through his hair and looked at the little boy in mixed amusement and exasperation.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5
Quotes
What I mean is... Maybe it's only us...
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8
Quotes
There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast... Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!... You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are the way they are?
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Lord of the Flies LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Lord of the Flies (the Beast) Symbol Timeline in Lord of the Flies
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Lord of the Flies (the Beast) appears in Lord of the Flies. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...boy whispers to Piggy, and Piggy tells everyone what the boy said. He saw a "beastie," a "snake-thing," the previous night in the woods. Ralph and the older boys dismiss this...
(full context)
...again, but are disturbed. Piggy asks where the boy with the birthmark who saw the "beastie" is. No one knows.
(full context)
Chapter 5
...calls the littleun's crybabies. He says he's been all over the island, and there's no beast. Piggy agrees with Jack.
(full context)
A littleun named Phil stands up and says he saw the beast in the forest the previous night. To everyone's shock, Simon says the boy probably just...
(full context)
When Percival recovers his voice, he tells the other boys that the beast comes from the sea. This idea terrifies the boys.
(full context)
Simon takes the conch. He says maybe the boys themselves are the beast. Piggy thinks this idea is crazy. Many of the boys think Simon's saying the beast...
(full context)
...questions Ralph's leadership. He says he doesn't care about the rules, that he'll hunt the beast and kill it. He starts a chant on the beach. Everyone but Ralph, Piggy, and...
(full context)
Chapter 6
...are wings. They run to the beach in terror to tell the others that the beast chased them down the mountain.
(full context)
...piece of stone forty feet above the water below. They think it might be the beast's hideout. Ralph, as the leader, volunteers to search it. Jack follows behind him.
(full context)
The boys find no beast, but Jack is excited because the rock protects a cave and would make a terrific...
(full context)
Chapter 8
Back on the beach, Piggy can't believe the beast is real. He asks what they should do. Ralph isn't sure. He says the beast...
(full context)
Jack says his hunters could kill the beast. Ralph says they're just boys with sticks. Infuriated, Jack blows the conch to call a...
(full context)
...also says that when his tribe hunts they'll leave some of the kill for the beast. That way, it won't bother them. Jack leads the boys into the forest.
(full context)
...stake the pig head on the stick and leave it as an offering to the beast.
(full context)
...leave and go back to the others. He stares at the pig's head, at the Lord of the Flies , and seems to recognize it.
(full context)
...Lord of the Flies says, "We are going to have fun on this island!" The beast warns Simon that if he tries to interfere Jack, Roger, Maurice, Robert, Bill, Piggy, and...
(full context)
Chapter 9
...the island. He climbs the mountain even though he's staggering with exhaustion. He sees the "beast" and realizes that it's just a dead parachutist. He untangles the cords holding the parachutist...
(full context)
...the dead parachutist. In their frenzied dance, though, the other boys think that he's the beast. They surround him, and beat and claw him to death. The rain pours down. Wind...
(full context)
Chapter 10
...every bigun except them and Samneric has joined Jack's tribe. Ralph tells Piggy that the "beast" that came out of the forest was Simon, and that they murdered him. Piggy screams...
(full context)
...says that the thing that crawled out of the forest the previous night was the beast. But he says that they didn't kill it, because it's impossible for them to ever...
(full context)
