Final answer:
The 'Lord of the Flies' in William Golding's novel symbolizes evil and chaos, represented by the head of a pig mounted on a stick, signifying the inherent capacity for evil within humanity and society's disintegration.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term 'Lord of the Flies' in William Golding's novel of the same name refers to a physical manifestation of evil and a symbolic figure within the story.
It is represented by the head of a slaughtered pig mounted on a stick, placed there by the boys on the island as a sort of offering to the mythical 'beast' that haunts them.
This grotesque symbol becomes a powerful totem of fear, chaos, and savagery that grows among the stranded boys. The 'Lord of the Flies' is a translation of the word 'Beelzebub,' which is a name often associated with the devil.
This signifies the novel's exploration of the intrinsic capacity for evil within humanity and the breakdown of societal norms in the absence of structured civilization.