William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, used irony to tell his story of a group of young British boys stranded on a deserted island. The readers can clearly spot the irony in the dialogue and Ralph, one of the main character, is also aware of the irony in his situation. The irony in the novel forces the readers to step aside and think about the hidden meanings the author is trying to express. The first example of irony occurred in chapter two. Jack says to the group of young, impressionable boys that "We've got to have rules...
therefore avoiding ever being on the island.

William Golding used irony in Lord of the Flies as a way to make the readers step back and think about what he wrote. If he had not wrote the story with ironic twists and hidden meanings many people would miss the meaning of the book. The readers would be able to finish the novel without thinking about the issues that you are meant to ponder after reading Lord of the Flies, such as evil, spirituality, society, man versus the unknown, man versus himself and many other important themes in the book.