Personificationis a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human characteristics or feelings. It is a very common tool in literature.
In the given excerpt from the novel<em> Lord of the Flies</em>, William Golding personifies the fire. Here, the fire is described as doing things it cannot literally do. Here, it<em> lays hold</em> and <em>begins to gnaw</em>. These are both things people (or animals - e.g. a dog can gnaw a bone) do.
