Lord Of The Flies Irony Analysis

In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Irony is used throughout the novel to portray and foreshadow situations. Irony is the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for a humorous or emphatic effect. There are three types of irony, situational, verbal, and dramatic irony. Golding uses all three types of irony throughout his novel. He also uses irony to build suspense and to make the reader analyze what is happening throughout the book. Golding portrays ironic behavior through the characters and through some objects in the novel. Golding’s use of irony made the novel very compelling. If he did not use irony throughout his novel, his novel would have not been as powerful. There are many examples to show Golding’s use of irony in the novel but, three main examples that stuck out were, the fire, the parachutist, and the british naval officer.

Jack and Ralph are two of the main characters in the novel by Golding. At the beginning of the novel when the boys elected Ralph to be the leader over Jack, …show more content…
Situational irony is when something turns out opposite of what you would expect. Golding uses situational irony by giving the reader indication that the beast is a snake like figure when really the beast is actually the evil and savagery within all of the boys. The beast takes a human form in the parachutist. The parachutist was a solider that was going to save the boys but he was shot while he was on his way to rescue them. Golding portrays the parachutist as an angle, a angle on his way to the boys call for rescue. The ironic quote that piggy says before they find out that the beast was the parachutist foreshadows the parachutist. Piggy says, “ I know there isn't no beast-not with claws and all that, I mean-but I know there isn't no fear either”(84). Golding uses this quote to lead the reader into a image of what the beast might