Introduction to Lord of the Flies by William Golding

About the Author William Golding was born in 1911 in Cornwall, England. He enrolled at Oxford University as a physics major, but after two years he decided to study English literature instead. Two years after his graduation, Golding joined the Royal Navy (1940).

Author (cont’d) While serving in the Royal Navy, Golding was faced with the tragedies of WWII. He was stationed off the coast of Normandy, France during the D-Day invasion. After the war, Golding worked as a teacher in Salisbury, England.

Author (cont’d) While living in Oxford, Golding wrote and published his first novel, Lord of the Flies. He took it to several publishers, who all turned the book down. It finally got published in 1954. Today, Lord of the Flies is considered one of the greatest books in English literature. Golding died in 1993 in Wiltshire, England.

Golding’s View of Human Nature WWII had a great effect on Golding’s view of human nature. Lord of the Flies is a novel based on Golding’s view of man’s innocence. It focuses on what happens to that innocence when man is placed in a situation where he is forced to survive on his own.

Symbolism and Allegory Keep an eye on the following objects that serve as symbols in LOTF: the conch shell the “beastie” the signal fire LOTF pig’s head Piggy’s glasses Also, remember LOTF is an allegory for society; each character plays a symbolic role.