WILLIAM GOLDING AND LORD OF THE FLIES BACKGROUND NOTES

I. William Golding Basics A. Full Name: William Gerald Golding B. Born: September 19, 1911 C. Born in Cornwall, England

D. Father Alec worked as a science teacher; He had strong political and scientific notions E. Mother Mildred worked on the suffragist movement F. Died: June 19, 1993 of heart failure I. William Golding Basics Continued

II. Golding’s Education A. Went to the grammar school his father taught at B. Began study at Oxford (Brasenose College) in 1930 C. Original field of study was in the natural sciences D. In 1932, he changed his field of study to English Literature. E. Later in 1937, Golding returns to Oxford for a Diploma in Education

III. Influences on Golding’s Work A. Teaching 1. taught English and philosophy at a number of grammar schools 2. where he met his wife Ann 3. studied how young children interacted with one another

B. World War II 1. Joined the Royal Navy 2. Helped sink Germany’s Bismarck 3. Was part of D-Day in France 4. Changed his view of man – came to believe that everyone had an evil side

C. Literary Influences 1. Classical literature 2. Mythology 3. Christian symbolism

IV. Lord of the Flies Background A. Started from an idea he had while reading The Coral Island to his kids 1. Golding believed that this idyllic setting/plot was anything but realistic B. Began working on it in 1952 C. Originally called “Strangers from Within”

D. In 1953, he begins sending it to publishers, where it was turned down by more than 20 of them 1. sensitive subject matter 2. no one wanted something so pessimistic to be published E. Finally accepted after changes to the text, and it was published in 1954 as The Lord of the Flies

V. Other Life Events A – resigned from teaching and focused on writing full time B – Brook’s film Lord of the Flies was shown at Cannes C – Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature D – knighted

THEMES IN LORD OF THE FLIES A. Man is inherently evil: Each person has within himself both good and evil. The evil will override the good unless it is contained by the laws of society. When man has no laws to go by, he will revert to savage behavior. B. The need for civilization: Humans need civilization to keep them in line. When laws, rules, police, and schools are not in place, humans revert to a more primitive part of their nature. You can only cover up inner savagery so long before it breaks out, given the right situation. C. Innocence and the loss of it: Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person’s understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all.

D. The loss of identity: When civilization slips away man reverts to his more primitive nature, his identity disintegrates. The boys use masks to cover their identity, and this allows them to do things they wouldn’t normally do. E. Power: Democratic power is demonstrated when choices and decisions are shared among many. Authoritarian power allows one person to rule by threatening and terrifying others. People will abuse power when it's not earned. When given a chance, people often single out another to degrade to improve their own security. F. Fear of the unknown: The fear of the unknown can be a powerful force, which can turn you to either insight or hysteria. Fear of the unknown on the island revolves around the boys’ terror of the beast. THEMES IN LORD OF THE FLIES