Lord of the Flies By William Golding

William Golding Born 1911-1993 British novelist Master’s degree from Oxford University Became a social worker 1939 became a teacher 1940 joined the Royal Navy and became a lieutenant 1945 resumed teaching and writing 1954 published Lord of the Flies 1983 won the Nobel Peace Prize for literature

Themes in the Novel Need for civilization Loss of innocence Power Fear of the unknown Nature’s indifference The nature of mankind

Setting Tropical island Time of war Twentieth century

Main Characters Ralph Jack Piggy Simon Roger

Microcosm: a little world Allegory A story intended to be read on a symbolic level. The characters, setting, and events are meant to have meanings other than their surface level meaning. Microcosm: a little world

Discussion Prompt Golding’s warning: “The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable.” What does Golding mean in his statement of the moral of the novel?

Primitive vs Civilized State Golding’s purpose in writing Lord of the Flies was “to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.” Golding believes society is corrupted because of the nature of mankind. French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau’s theory is that science, art, and social institutions have corrupted humankind and that the natural, or primitive state is morally superior to the civilized state.