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A character in Lord of the Flies

The naval officer

The officer arrives after seeing smoke from the island-wide fire.

The book

Cover of Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding, 1954

Schoolboys build a society from scratch and discover how quickly rules can give way to fear and violence.

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Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

The officer arrives after seeing smoke from the island-wide fire. He stops the hunt and assumes the boys have been playing. His presence saves Ralph, but his warship complicates his authority as a symbol of civilization. He returns to his cruiser while the children cry; his later fate is not relevant to the novel.

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