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If you ever thought there was a bogeyman in your closet, or a monster under your bed, then you can probably relate to the boys in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. They’re not on their desert island for more than a few days before there are whispers about The Beast—and disappearing children. So what is this mysterious beast? A symbol for one thing. Find out more by clicking on this Recap.

Video Transcription:

Since Lord of the Flies is an allegory—head back to Recap 2 if you want to refresh your memory on that—there are more symbols in this novel than you’ll know what to do with. Here’s one you should be sure to understand.

When you’re alone on an island, things can get a little … creepy. Perhaps that’s why, when Ralph calls one of his famous meetings to rally the troops, the “littluns,” as the smallest boys are called, publicly point the finger at a Beast lurking in the forest. A boy has gone missing, after all, and there are shadows—dark shadows in the night.

Well, of course, there is no Beast, any more than there’s a bogeyman hiding under your bed. But the idea that some horrible Thing lies in wait drives these boys to a kind of insanity. Soon, they’re trying to appease the Beast with sacrifices—like it’s some kind of god.

Symbol time!

Ralph tries to bring order through a meeting (as if), and it is here that the idea of the Beast takes hold.

Civilization pitted against savagery, and savagery is the victor.

That’s the beast: The savage within each of us. The evil we’re capable of.

The littluns were right. The Beast does lurk. Just not out there. In here.