《蒼蠅王》表面上描寫一群英國男童，年紀從六歲至十二歲，在核子戰爭的威脅下，飛機在疏散時遭到擊毀，被棄置荒島的故事。全書充滿複雜的象徵手法，在虛構的時空場景，上演一齣人性墮落的實驗劇。

本書的主題是想從社會的缺點追溯探討人性缺點。道德是社會型態，必須靠個人的倫理性來判定，而不是按照任何明顯的合於邏輯或可受尊重的政治制度來決定。它不只描繪生活在荒島上孩子們的罪惡和墮落，而是通過深刻的人性分析，考查我們現代人的處境，充滿暗示、象徵、動人的震撼力。

無庸置疑，《蒼蠅王》的另一主題是關於死亡，關於人對死亡的意識和恐懼。這正如作者高汀所說，他試圖探討人類心靈裡的黑暗。對於青少年來說，面臨死亡，面臨心靈裡的黑暗，無疑是一種新的，令人緊張、令人驚恐，也令人入迷的經驗，因為他們正處在形成人格的成長過程。

高汀的《蒼蠅王》所描寫的是：在一個毫無大人管束的孩子團體中，罪惡是怎麼逐漸顯現，以至最後是如何抵消、擊敗所有理性的努力。悚人聽聞的遊獵過程：那些自認已有自主能力的孩童，在遊戲中越演越烈的失控，未嘗不是成人世界的縮影。

A plane crashes on an uninhabited island and the only survivors, a group of schoolboys, assemble on the beach and wait to be rescued. By day they inhabit a land of bright fantastic birds and dark blue seas, but at night their dreams are haunted by the image of a terrifying beast.

In this, his first novel, William Golding gave the traditional adventure story an ironic, devastating twist. The boys' delicate sense of order fades, and their childish fears are transformed into something deeper and more primitive. Their games take on a horrible significance, and before long the well-behaved party of schoolboys has turned into a tribe of faceless, murderous savages.

First published in 1954, Lord of the Flies is now recognized as a classic, one of the most celebrated of all modern novels.