Character Analysis - Lord Of The Flies printable pdf download

Character Analysis: Lord of the Flies

In the novel Lord of the Flies William Golding creates the two themes Civilization vs. Savagery and the idea of

Loss of Innocence. These themes are presented through the four characters of Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon.

Pick a theme and then pick the character you think best embodies this theme. In a 4 paragraph essay, you will

prove how the character you picked helps Golding develop his theme.

1. Introduction: Your introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of your essay. It is best to start with

something general. Then you want to inform your reader about what you will be writing. You want to finish the

introduction paragraph with the argument for the paper—the thesis.

General Statement: First sentence or two should be something general.

Necessary information: Necessary information includes:

1. Author's full name (NEVER call him/her by his/her first name only!)

2. Title of the novel

3. Brief plot summary

Thesis: The last sentence of your introduction should be your thesis. Your thesis should consist of a topic and

limiting ideas. It should never be a question. The thesis is the answer to a question that seems important to

you. The thesis is a road map for your readers to follow your argument. It should do the organizing for you.

 TOPIC: theme you will be proving and character used to prove it

 LIMITING IDEAS: character traits (2 adjectives) that help prove the theme of the novel.

Examples:

(a) What character and traits show the theme of civilization vs. savagery?

Thesis – Through the character of Roger, with his cruel nature and disdain for weakness, Golding builds the

theme of civilization vs. savagery. (TOPIC: Roger/ Civilization vs. Savagery; LTD. IDEAS: cruel nature and

disdain for weakness)

 Example of full introduction (Do not copy my introduction!):

Broken down to his most basic nature is man good or evil? In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies

this idea is explored when young boys are stranded on a deserted island and their true personalities

emerge. Through the character of Roger, with his cruel actions and threatening appearance, Golding

builds the theme of civilization vs. savagery.

2. Body Paragraphs (each body paragraph will include the following):

 Topic sentence

 Integrated quote #1 with citation (author + page # from LOTF)

 1-2 sentences of commentary

 Integrated quote #2 with citation (just the page # on 2

reference)

 1-2 sentences of commentary

 Concluding/Transition sentence

Character Analysis - Lord Of The Flies