Is there really a beast in Lord of the Flies?

Answer 1

In the flickering light of the signal fire on the mountain top Samneric see something moving, something large. It is the dead body of an airman wearing a parachute which has become tangled among the rocks causing gusts of wind to give him the appearance of movement. The darkness, the memory of the meeting in which a mysterious snake-thing and beast had been discussed combine with the flap of parachute material, suggesting leathery wings, work to create an impression of threat in the minds of the twins. They are after all only young boys, alone on a mountain top in the dark. The subsequent flight through the jungle manages to earn them a few scratches which in their panic they attribute to the claws of the beast, convincing themselves that it had followed them.

Answer 2

There is not a physical beast in LOTF. In Simon's scene with the pig's head, we learn that the beast is present in all of the boys, it is their fears. That is what made the island fail - human nature.

Answer 3

They are all the beast. The beast is within themself. This is a symbol of fear and savagery.