Lord of the Flies

William Golding

William Golding Background

• Born in Cornwall, England• Studied at Oxford• Began his studies in science• After 2 years, switched to English Literature and

education• Member of the British World Navy during WWII• Involved in Normandy invasion

• Career-taught at a boy’s prep school (pre and post war)

• 1983-won the Nobel Prize

About the Novel

• Published in 1954, after being rejected by 21 publishers

• Golding’s influences:– Holocaust– Nazi brutality– Atrocities caused by the atomic bombs– Rise of Communism– His war experiences– Rise of technology

“Man produces evil, as a bee produces honey.”-William Golding

• Content of novel discusses:– The problem of evil– Reason vs. emotion– Good vs. evil– Man’s desire for power– Savagery vs. civilization

Golding’s Beliefs• “It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write

after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis.” -Golding

• Used the book as a format for studying human nature• Believed that if a man was facing a difficult situation,

then he would show his other nature: HIS DARK AND GUILTY SIDE

• Felt there was a capacity for evil that resides within all men

• Golding: The novel was “an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature”– What’s wrong in society is the consequences of human

choice and actions– William Golding on Lord of the Flies.wav.lbc2dh2.partial

Novel Background• Lord of the Flies: The literal translation means

Beelzebub, which is a another name for the devil/satan

• Follows a group of boys stranded on an island • Setting: undefined future during an atomic war – Indian or Pacific Ocean– Barrier Reef: runs along one side of the ocean– Lagoon: between the reef and the island– Orchard: provides fruit– Castle Rock: tip of the island– The Overview | Lord of the Flies | 60second Recap

Characters

• Ralph, 12– Main protagonist– Elected leader after finding the conch– Common sense, strong, courageous, intelligent– Insists on responsibility

• Piggy– Fat, blind without his glasses, asthmatic– Becomes Ralph’s advisor

Characters (continued)• Simon, 9 or 10

– Skinny– Intelligent, attune with nature– Lonely, logical, very mature for his age

• Jack, 12– Antagonist– Tall, thin; leader of the Choirboys – Easily angered, cruel– Desires power

• Roger– Jack’s follower– Bully– Insists on responsibility

Lord of the Flies as an Allegory

• Allegory-a story expressing truths or generalizations about human nature through the use of symbolic characters or events

• Think of it as an extended metaphor• Example: Avatar-Pandora woods represent

Amazon rainforest (stresses ecological importance) and attempting to get the Na’vi to cooperate represents the U.S. presence in foreign countries

Main Themes

• Human evil• Order vs. Chaos• Savagery vs. Civilization• Loss of innocence • Power

Main Symbols

• Conch• Lord of the Flies• Piggy’s glasses• Beast