INTRODUCTION TO LORD OF THE FLIES

Essential Questions What is “Survival of the Fittest”? What are the reasons we have laws? What things are important in creating a civilization? What are the qualities of a good leader?

WILLIAM GOLDING Born 1911 Village of St. Columb Minor in Cornwall, England After graduation Golding became a settlement house worker and wrote plays

WILLIAM GOLDING 1939-Moved to Salisbury Taught English at Bishop Wordsworth’s School

GOLDING DURING WWII Served in the Royal Navy Involved in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck Participated in the Normandy Invasion

GOLDING AFTER WWII Returned to writing and teaching with a dark view of humanity and its progress. His novel Lord of the Flies, set in the near future during wartime, was turned down by 21 publishers, until it finally appeared in 1954.

GOLDING’S VIEW.... Is pessimistic: human nature is inherently corruptible and wicked. The 20 th century’s ideals of progress and education are based on false premises. Human nature is not changed; it is only disguised or controlled.

This is represented in the book because…. Although the boys have been taught social skills, their desire to kill is unleashed when there are no strict rules to control their behavior. They live in the world of freedom, that is ruled by savages and the ultimate evil…the Lord of the Flies.

Information about Lord of the Flies

Themes l The most obvious of the themes is man's need for civilization. Contrary to the belief that man is innocent and society evil, the story shows that laws and rules, policemen and schools are necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in line. When these institutions and concepts slip away or are ignored, human beings revert to a more primitive part of their nature.

Themes l Evil (the beast) is within man himself. l 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. Painful though it may be, this loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive.

Themes l Fear of the unknown on the island revolves around the boys' terror of the beast. The recognition that no real beast exists, that there is only the power of fear, is one of the deepest meanings of the story.

They’re the real thing l Golding establishes a sense of reality by his descriptions of the boys and by the language of their conversations with each other. The boys have ordinary physical attributes and mannerisms of young boys. The group includes a variety of physical types: short, tall, dark, light, freckled, tow-headed, etc.

...They’re the real thing l To stress the universality of their later actions, Golding takes great pains to present the boys as normal. The ‘littluns” suck their thumbs, eat sloppily, etc., while the older ones roll around in the sand, stand on their heads, and swim.

...They’re the real thing l Even their unkindness to Piggy is credible, for children often display a “natural cruelty to anyone they consider different or inferior.”

Characters as symbols l Ralph=common sense, and responsibility l Jack=immediate gratification and irresponsible authority l Piggy=ineffective intellectualism l Simon=mystic, Religious side of man. Understands good and evil but no communication. l Samneric=incapable of acting independently. They represent loss of identity through fear of the beast.

Characters as symbols l Dead parachutist= the “sign,” evil developing on the island l Each of the characters represents a part of man.

...Characters as symbols l We all have good, evil, common sense, intelligence, a sense of nature within us.

Objects as symbols Conch shell l law and order. l The Island l A microcosm representing the world Lord of the Flies l Refers to the head of the pig which Jack has left as an offering to the “beast.” Literal translation of the “Beelzebub,” prince of demons. Symbolizes man’s capacity for evil

Objects as symbols Huts l represent the desire to preserve civilization l The Scar l Man’s destruction Fire l its use divides civilization from savagery. Ralph uses it for hope; Jack for cooking.

Objects as symbols Piggy’s glasses l They signify man’s ability to perceive, to think. Night and Darkness l an archetypal symbol of evil, “the powers of darkness.”