One take of Lord of the Flies is that Ralph is the only real and complete person on the island. All the other kids are simply shades, or characterization of particular personalities. Jack represents the darker, evil, and vainglorious side of Ralph. Piggy represents the more intellectual and logical side of Ralph. Simon represents the purity, and capacity for love. Samneric represent both something that never truly walks alone - good and evil. One of theme tells Roger the hiding place of Ralph, and thus betrays Ralph (presumably the evil side). Roger represents Lust, and Maurice represents Joy.
On one of the very first journeys, Simon walks in the middle of Jack and Ralph, and thus Ralph and Jack can talk over his head. Love lies somewhere in between us and raw, unabated evil.
By the very end, Ralph replies to the navy men who rescue him that he is the boss. He is not just the literal boss, but the metaphorical boss of all his personalities.
Lord of the Flies Quotes about Identity
"He capered towards Bill and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness." (page 66).
"'What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What's grown-ups going to think? Going off-hunting pigs-letting fires out-and now!'" (page 98).
"'If 1 blow the conch and they don't come back; then we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued.'
'If you don't blow, we'll soon be animals anyway." (page 99).
Simon thinks "Other people could stand up and speak to an assembly, apparently, without that dreadful feeling of the pressure of personality; could say what they would as though they were speaking to only one person." (page 112).
'Or someone to pretend,' said Jack. 'You could get someone to dress up as a pig and then he could act-you know, pretend to knock me over and all that-' (page 126).
"He paused and looked round. He was safe from shame or self-consciousness behind the mask of his paint and could look at each of them in turn." (page 154).
"He ceased to work at his tooth and sat still, assimilating the possibilities of irresponsible authority." (page 176).
"Anyone can play at hunting, anyone can get us meat-" (page 180).
"'Then we must go as we are,'" (page 191).
"'Well, we won't be painted,' said Ralph, 'because we aren't savages.'" (page 191).
"The twins were examining Ralph curiously, as though they were seeing him for the first time." (page 192).
"'Which is better-to be a pack of painted niggers like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?' " (page 201).
Ralph "had judged that it was Bill. But really, thought Ralph, this was not Bill. This was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt." (page 203).
"Samneric were savages like the rest; Piggy was dead, and the conch smashed to powder." (page 207).