Can Lord of the Flies (William Golding) be Classified as a Fable?

A fable, by strict definition, is a short tale conveying a clear moral lesson in which the characters are animals acting like human beings. A fable is intended to provide moral instruction and its characters and scenes are drawn to suit this purpose. William Golding has referred to his novel, Lord of the Flies, as a fable. This essay will demonstrate that in the moral lessons it offers us and in the symbolic nature of …

…his setting, characters and literary devices-important features of a fable. Lord of the Flies offers an important lesson to all of mankind, perhaps the one of the many reasons why this all time classic shall never die. "And in the middle of them, with filthy, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy..."