Lord of the Flies By William Golding

William Golding  Born in 1911 in Cromwell, England  Went to college at Oxford and started by studying science.  After two years he changed his major to English  Then Golding became an English teacher

William Golding  During World War II he served in the Royal Navy  Saw action against battleships, submarines, and aircraft  Took his ship to France on D-Day  “But I went through war and that changed me.”

What Happened…?  Authors use literary devices (terms) in order to better communicate their themes.  What is the theme of Lord of the Flies? According to Golding’s own words, “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.”

Brief Literary Terms Review  Protagonist: Central character of the story who goes through a significant change  Symbolism: person place or object that represents something beyond itself  Microcosm: a small group of people that are symbolic of how the author is trying to portray society  Allegory: a story in which every object is a symbol – used to teach  Human condition: physical, emotional, and spiritual components of human existence shared by all

More to Look for…  Motifs: Biblical parallels  Themes presented in the novel: Civilization v Savagery Loss of Innocence Innate human evil