1. SETTING

2. What is setting?

3. Golding’s Use of
Setting
Lord of the Flies

4. Context

5. Time Period

6. Place

7. Place
Attention to detail.
Evident because of the long, descriptive
passages in LOTF, Golding worked hard
to include massive amounts of detail
about the setting. The places he
describes will have huge importance as

8. Golding’s Settings

9. The Lagoon
• first settlement
• “bright” and
“shimmering”
• place safety and
entertainment on the
island
• creates a mood of
excitement

10. The Forest
• Dark, scary
• Site of the hunts
• Creates a sense of
danger
• The darkness adds to
the mysterious nature
of the unknown

11. The Open Ocean
• Huge, expansive body
of water
• Separates the boys from
civilization
• Creates a feeling of
isolation

12. Simon’s Glade
• Tranquil place of safety
• “honey-colored
sunlight” and “green
candle-light buds”
• Spot is holy and pure
• Invaded by the lord of
the flies, the beast

13. The Mountain
• Initially a place for fire
• Site of beauty and hope
• Invaded by the dead
parachutist
• Allows Golding to
juxtapose (place near
one another) the
beauty of innocence
with the ugliness of war.

14. Jack’s Beach
• On the rough side of
the island near open
water
• “brute obtuseness,”
“hard, clipped blue”
and “the ceaseless,
bulging passage of the
deep sea waves”
• Site of Simon’s death
• Dark, dangerous mood

15. Castle Rock
• Detached pile of rocks
at far end of the island
• Unstable ground
• Place of Piggy’s death
• Ralph hides nearby
when he’s being hunted
• Events that happen
here create uncertainty

16. In Conclusion

17. Golding uses setting to…
– Reinforce themes of isolation and darkness
– Mirror characters’ personalities
– Set the mood
– Create suspense (i.e. cliffs)
– Exaggerate conflicts