Lord of the Flies as Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis: Voyage and Return Plot

Plot Type :

Anticipation Stage

Crash and burn

When their plane crashes, the boys who were on board find themselves on a strange island where they have never been before. Needless to say, this is a new situation for them. They happily anticipate the thought of being in charge of themselves, but they unhappily anticipate being stuck here forever.

Initial fascination or Dream Stage

“This belongs to us.”

The boys explore the island and are fascinated by it. The dream part comes in as they establish a system of rules and order and mistakenly think it will hold up.

Frustration Stage

Ralph and Jack fight, and there may be a beastie

Matters grow more difficult as the seeds of conflict sprout leaves of angry violence. The frustration we get here is through the eyes of Ralph, who is irked by the growing difficulty of governing a group of wild boys. He goes head-to-head with Jack, and on top of it all has to deal with everyone’s irrational fears. It’s lonely, and frustrating, at the top.

Nightmare Stage

Simon’s death, Piggy’s death, and a run through the woods

And we’ve moved steadily away to murder and chaos. The island is ablaze and Ralph is on the verge of being killed himself.

Thrilling Escape and Return

The naval officer rescues the boys

At the last minute, when Ralph has fallen and is covering his head and crying for mercy, he rolls onto the beach and looks up to see a Naval officer standing over him. This would be a thrilling escape if it weren’t for the fact that the boys are going back to a world as bad as the one they’re leaving.