Which characters die in Lord of the Flies?

Three clear deaths mark the boys’ descent into savagery: Simon, Piggy, and a young “littleun” who disappears early in the story.

Simon’s death is arguably the most disturbing. After discovering that the feared “beast” is only a dead parachutist, he runs to tell the others the truth. But when he stumbles into their frenzied ritual on the beach, the boys—who have worked themselves up into a chanting, violent mob—mistake him for the beast and beat and claw him to death. His attempt to bring clarity is crushed by their fear and collective violence.

Piggy dies later, in a moment that destroys any remaining sense of order. As he tries to reason with Jack’s group and appeal to what’s “right,” Roger pushes a massive boulder from above. It strikes Piggy, killing him and shattering the conch shell at the same time. The death of Piggy and the conch together signals the complete collapse of law and rationality on the island.

Earlier in the novel, a small boy with a birthmark—one of the “littleuns”—vanishes during the chaotic first fire the boys accidentally start. He is never seen again and is presumed dead.

These deaths trace a clear pattern, as all three are vulnerable and tied to moral innocence: first an overlooked child, then the moral visionary of the group, and then the voice of reason. By the time Piggy is killed, nothing remains to check the boys’ violence, and the group has fully given way to fear, power, and brutality.