1. Lord of the Flies
William Golding

2. William Golding (1911-1993) Born in Cornwall, UK
Studied anthropology, archaeology, literature in college
Became a school teacher ( )
Entered the navy during WWII; participated in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day
Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983

3. Historical Perspective
WWI – the “Great War” or the “War to end all wars”
Can we ever have peace?
WWII – the advent of the atom bomb – power to destroy the world?
Britain feared an invasion and evacuated children to other countries
1940- A German U-Boat torpedoed a British ship carrying children, killing the boys, thus suspending the oversees evacuation program

4. On Writing Lord of the Flies
“It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis.”
--William Golding

5. Lord of the Flies Published in 1954
Rejected 21 times before being published!
On the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of
Written partially in response to The Coral Island, a story of how people supposedly ascend in their goodness on an island.
Human nature
Duality of man
Nature Vs. Nurture
Good Vs. Evil

6. Lord of the Flies Title Setting Plot Main characters
Translation of “Beelzebub” or Satan
Setting
A tiny coral island in the South Pacific during a war when the atomic bomb may have (and most likely has) been used. This world becomes their ‘microcosm’, which is definitely one of your symbols!
Plot
A group of young boys is stranded on an island and they must negotiate the social issues of cooperation and self-government
The outside world is consumed with war
Main characters
Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon

7. Lord of the Flies Guiding Questions
Does every human being have a dark side? Are humans inherently good or evil?
What does it mean to be civilized?
Rules of government – democracy vs. dictatorship? What type of government works best? Why?
What are the outcomes when evil is an influence?

8. From the author…

9. Symbols The island The conch Piggy’s glasses The fire The “beastie”
The “littluns”
The pig
The names of the boys

10. Basic Philosophies to Consider While Reading
Humans are inherently evil; society establishes government to curb evil instincts
“We all saw a hell of a lot in the war that can’t be accounted for except on the basis of original evil”
Humans are inherently good; humans are born good and are corrupted by society
Humans are inherently neutral; our experiences determine the balance between good and evil
Which do you agree/disagree with now? Choose the one with the closet alignment to your own ideas.

11. Golding’s Literary Technique
Heavy use of symbolism
Irony
Figurative Language
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Abundant imagery and sensory detail
Allusions (references to stories, names, history outside the text)

12. Allusions
Use of the names Ralph and Jack as the main characters from The Coral Island.
Simon from the Bible “Simon called Peter”, Peter was the other boy’s name in The Coral Island
Mention of Coral Island and Treasure Island
Numerous biblical allusions throughout

13. Lord of the Flies in Pop Culture
In Hook, Robin Williams compares Lost Boys to savages in LOTF
The Simpsons episode “Das Bus” is a parody
Inspiration for the anime series Infinite Ryvius
Mel Gibson’s 2006 movie Apocalypto has a similar ending.
T.V. shows Survivor and Lost are said to have been inspired from LOTF
2006 movie Unaccompanied Minors makes reference to LOTF

14. Popular Culture Cont.
Stephen King uses the name “Castle Rock” (from the novel) as the name of a town in his books. He also makes reference to LOTF in the novels The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Cujo and Hearts in Atlantis
Orson Scott Card makes reference in his novel, Ender’s Shadow.
Degrassi: The Next Generation, Danny Phantom, The Daily Show all mention the novel

15. Source of Inspiration to Musicians
Musicians U2, Iron Maiden, Gatsby’s American Dream, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, A.F.I., and Danielle Dax have all recorded songs about the novel.
Titles such as:
“Where the Flies Are”
“Touch Piggy’s Eyes”
“Lord of the Flies”
“Piggy
“Fable”
“Boy”
“Shadows and Tall Trees”

16. Sources Cited http://www.william-golding.co.uk/