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Volume 3, Issue 1, 2015, pp. 7-10 www.dcthink.org
DOI: 10.18319/j.elt.23 www.dcthink.us

William Golding and Lord of the Flies

MA Danni[a],*

[a]
School of Foreign Language, Changchun University of Science and could be controlled by civilization but not changed, and he
Technology, Changchun, China.
believed that man’s anarchy nature eventually caused the
*Corresponding author.
downfall of orderly societies. Golding’s works attracted a
Received 20 April 2015; accepted 10 June 2015 wide following among young intellectuals during the 1950’s.
Published online July 31 2015

Abstract 1. BIOGRAPHY
This paper focuses on the a brief review on life, writing William Golding was born before the First World War
features displayed in his latter major work of William in Cornwall, on the south-western tip of England. He
Golding and focus on the interpretation on symbolism in was educated at a famous boys’ school in the 1920’s. His
Lord of the Flies compared with other “deserted island” parents expected him to become a scientist and sent him
literature. to Oxford University with this purpose in mind. However,
Key words: William Golding; Lord of the Flies; after two years of studies in science Golding changed his
Symbolism; Deserted island major to English literature and the study of Anglo-Saxon.
He graduated in 1935, published a book of poetry, and
Ma, D. N. (2015). William Golding and Lord of the Flies. English
became a school master at a boy’s school, an occupation
Language Teaching, 3 (1), 7-10. Available from: http://www. which he considered to b mostly a waste of time.
elt-journal.dcthink.org/index.php/elt-journal/article/view/23 In 1940 he joined the Royal Navy and entered the
DOI: http://dx.dot.org/10.18319/j.elt.23 Second World War. During the next five years he took
part in many battles and saw the sinking of the German
battleship Bismarck. He commanded a rocket-launching
ship during the Allied invasion and liberation of France in
INTRODUCTION 1944. He fought fiercely because he was bitterly opposed
While the Angry Young Men were starting a literary to the Nazi philosophy, with its cruel intention of making
movement that emphasized unadorned realism and a Germans the “master race” of the world and the resulting
revolt against intellectual culture in the middle 1950’s death camps for murdering and distortions of culture.
William Golding began writing novels of a very different Golding wrote what he learned from his hard naval
kind. Unlike the Angry Young Men, who were nearly service against the Nazis: “The basic point my generation
all under 30 years old, Golding was 43 when his first discovered about man was that there was more evil in him
novel appeared. He disregarded the “kitchen sink” than could be accounted for simply by social pressure.”
realism of daily life, but turned instead to symbolism to From this he got the idea which underlies all of his books:
express his view of life. He was just as pessimistic about that human beings constantly spoil their opportunities
condition in Western societies as were most other writers to make a good world, not by conscious intention but
at that time, but he differed from them in trying to find because the bad qualities in their nature overwhelm them.
and clearly identify the cause. He did not look for it in After the war, Golding went back to teaching and
political or economic systems, but in the actual nature of stared writing novels. His first novel, Lord of the Flies,
human beings, which he believed to be basically bad and was published in 1954 and it aroused widespread interest
impossible to reform. He thought man’s worst tendencies from both critics and the public. It is the story of a group

7 Copyright © Developing Country Think Tank Institute

William Golding and Lord of the Flies

of English school boys who, when isolated on a tropical surroundings. this is the same sort of fable that is told in
superstition. Its violent and unexpected treatment of the Bible about the Garden of Eden. In the Bible story,
a popular type of story showed that the English were God put Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman,
not superior to less civilized people of the world. The into a beautiful garden and told them to live in peace with
implication of the book was the humans can only form Nature and with one another. But in every such case, the
good societies when the restriction of civilization forces people fail, starting with greed and selfishness, then the
them to do so. desire to dominate others and finally end by killing their
Lord of the Flies takes its basic situation from a fellow men. Golding wrote several more novels in 1960’s
famous 19th Century adventure story for boys entitled he personally considered The Inheritors to be his best
Coral Island by R. M. Ballantyne. In this tale, a group book but the greatest impact was made by his first one,
of shipwrecked English boys reach a tropical island and Lord of the Flies.
soon organize themselves into a reasonable imitation of After twelve years when he published nothing. Golding
pious—Victorian English society. The boo encouraged has now written a new book Darkness Visible. It tells the
its readers to believe that English people had reached the life of Matty, who was so badly burned as a child during
highest point of evolution in the world, that they were a the wartime bombing of London, that he remains forever
splendid example to all others because of their “natural” scarred and disfigured. The invisible scars on his face and
superiority. The boys in Golding’s story quickly relapse body symbolize invisible scars on his conscience caused
into savagery, invent a depraved kind of religion based by his betrayal of a teacher. Every character he meets in
on their fear of the jungle, and they try to kill the two post-war, multi-racial Britain, and among international
boys who continue to represent intelligent reason and terrorist, carries a symbolic meaning. Like all of Golding’s
civilized behavior. The irony of the contrast is reinforced books, it is meant to be understood in more than one way.
by the fact that Golding’s main heroes have the same Golding’s works appealed very much to the restless,
name as Ballantyen’s young characters. The next year, disillusioned young generation after the Second World
1955, Golding wrote another imaginative parable, The War. Two different books about young people enjoyed
Inheritors. This story also takes place in an unrealistic the greatest popularity with English-speaking intellectual
setting, this time an ancient period at the beginning of youth; they were the Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger,
human history. Homo sapiens, our own intelligent species an American author, and Golding’s Lord of the Flies. It is
of man overran the innocent world of Neanderthal man, interesting to compare the themes of the two books. The
a primitive, peaceful species, and used their superior American novel tells the story of a good, generous-minded
abilities to conquer the gentle Neanderthals. Like the boys youth in New York trying to find something decent in a
in the earlier novel, the intelligent humans spoiled their rotten society; it encouraged like-minded young people to
chance to make a good, new world. It is Golding’s opinion drop out of their parents’ way of life and form a “counter-
that humans bring evil with them wherever they go, as culture” more to their liking. The English novel, just the
part of their nature, so in the end they are incapable of contrary, shows rotten youngsters successfully destroying
maintaining their civilizations as history continues. Human a good and decent society. It encouraged a feeling of
intelligence is too often misused to invent methods by hopelessness about the chances of improving conditions
which the strong oppress the weak and create superstitions. in the world. Perhaps the two books reflect the optimism
Golding wrote the third book Pincher Martin, about with which America, a young country, tends to view
the guilty of state of mind of a naval officer whose boat life and the pessimism that has gripped England in this
has been torpedoed. He clings tenaciously to this condition century, seeing itself in decline at the end of a long and
and prefers to die on a rock, full of memories, rather glorious history.
than try to regain civilization. The main character of The
Spire is the dean of a cathedral in the Middle Ages who
becomes very proud and dreams of adding an enormous 2. MAJOR WORKS
steeple to his great church. In the end, he sees the spire Golding has written eight novels, many short stories, a
completed but only as the result of many acts of cruelly book of poems, and one play.
and wickedness. He has also lost his belief in God. His His major works are summarized as follows:
success in this wrong-headed scheme stood for his belief Lord of the Flies (1954), his first and most important
in God. His success in this wrong-headed scheme stood book, tells about a group of English school-boys alone on
for his failure as a civilized human being when pride and an island that turned into savages and denies the value of
ambition overwhelmed him. Golding likes to set his books civilization.
in strange or primitive locations, and some of his best The Inheritors (1955), set in the fat distant past, shows
writing is in his excellent primitive locations, and some of how the first intelligent men destroy the harmonious life
his best writing is in his excellent descriptions of natural of the more primitive Neanderthal men and introduce
scenery. The people that inhabit these landscapes have the many bad ways.
chance to create a new and perfect way of life amid ideal Pincher Martin (1956), tells of a naval officer’s life

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 MA Danni (2015).
English Language Teaching, 3 (1), 7-10

and death after his boat is sunk in the war, and how reason and intelligent order can no longer hold their own.
bravery can become destructive. The emergence of this wild, anti-social force is the theme
The Spire (1964), concerns the building of a mediaeval of Lord of the Flies.
cathedral whose dean is led by ambition and pride to add Golding himself explains it this way:
an enormous spire at the cost o his faith and his character. The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back
The pyramid (1967), Golding’s most light-heated book, to the defects of human nature. The whole book is symbolic
showing man’s propensity for evil in a humorous light. in nature except the rescue in the end when adult life appears,
dignified and capable, but in reality enmeshed in the same evil
The Darkness Visible (1979), Golding’s most recent
as the symbolic life of the children on the island. The officer,
book, returns to heavy symbolism, giving a darkly having interrupted a man-hunt, prepares to take the children off
pessimistic view of contemporary England and man’s the island in a cruiser (warship) which will presently be hunting
impossible task of overcoming his own savage nature. its enemy in the same implacable way. And who will rescue the
adult and his cruiser?
Thus, we could make a conclusion the implications of
3. ON LORD OF THE FLIES the story go far beyond the deterioration of the children
In the midst of an unnamed war, a plane carrying a group but an evil but authentic image of civilized world. The
of British boys who are being evacuated from a war zone island Golding displayed initially for the reader is the
crashes on an isolated island. At the beginning, holding abundant and fantastic wonderland filled with life and
the conch which is the symbol of authority, Ralph is energy, “Flower and fruit grew together on the same tree
elected as the children’s chief. And then Ralph points and everywhere was the scent of ripeness and the booming
another older boy, Jack, the leader of the choir, to be in of a million bees at pasture”, while finally, turned out
charge of the boys who will hunt food for the entire group. to be “scorched up like dead wood” in which “Nothing
A mini mimic ordered world seems established as their prospered but the flies who blackened their lord and made
coming society. Actually a union group comes to divide the spilt guts look like a heap of glistening coal”.
into two parts. On one side, convinced to get rescued, The three main characters, Ralph Piggy and Jack,
Ralph directs children to maintain signal fire on the top of along with an uncounted number of other boys, enact a
the mountain, and make shelters and find foods (mostly savage human tragedy of hunting and killing when they
fruits). Besides Piggy, Simon is anther boy who feels an have the chance to create a perfect life for themselves.
instinctive need to protect “littluns” (younger boys) from Ralph is the representative of civilization, with its
“biguns” (older boys). On the other, Jack who is engaged symbols of law and social organization. The conch shell,
in hunting wild pigs controls most children by delicious with which he claws to call the boys to meetings and puts
meat or strong power. Distinct from Simon, Roger is into the hands of any boy who wishes to speak, while
Jack’s close companion and often abuses “littluns”. When others must keep silent and listen to him, is representing
Jack builds his fort, the initial group completely splits into an authority balancing a democratic society with equal
two parts. Ralph’s group shrinks rapidly with the death of rights and freedom. Everyone in this society works for
Simon and Piggy. At last, Ralph himself is abandoned and the benefit of the whole group. Building shelters, looking
even hunted as a pig by the others, which means Jack’s for food and keeping the fire alive are the three most
group has overwhelmed Ralph’s group thoroughly. At the important things.
end of the story, an officer rescues Ralph. However, has he The collapse of this society as well as the fear of the
saved the stray soul of these boys? Obviously this is not beast brings about the death of Simon and Piggy. The
a simple adventure story of boys cast away on a tropical accidental death for Simon and deliberate assassination
island. Golding has combined the typically 20th Century for Piggy displays the darkness inside human heart, being
methods of analyzing human beings and societies and has exposed while mankind is conquered by savages. Fear is
created a theoretical situation in which to test them. what provokes savagery. Authority and civilization was
The fear and frustration provoke the darkness of smashed as deterioration of Roger. The destruction of the
man’s heart. Without any law and order, man will conch along with the death of Piggy means.
turn into savagery. The title, Lord of the Flies, with a Piggy, a fat, clumsy boy, represents the necessary
rhetorical meaning of “devil”, originating from an early power of logical thought and intellect existing only in an
mistranslation of Hebrew and Greek versions of the adult world which could be disposed from his attempt
Bible, does not enter this book in any religious sense on conditioning the island as in England they all lived in
but the name, which is nonetheless appropriate in that and the continual references to reason-oriented side of
it denotes decay, dirt and destruction. Golding sees a human nature, along with the obsession with the signal-
modern equivalent of the Devil’s evil force in anarchy, fire. His eye-glasses are both a tool for the boys setting
disorganization and the discarding of morality, anti-social fire and a symbol of reason. The shattering of his glasses,
forces that can manifest themselves so strongly in some one lens at a time, marks the decay of rational influences
individuals that they become uncontrollable in the world. as the story progresses. The signal fire is one of the only
Then the civilized restraints of social consciousness, symbols of order on the island. The extinction of the

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William Golding and Lord of the Flies

fire shows a mental disintegration of Piggy. The death of of psychiatry, anthropology, and social psychology. His
Piggy demonstrates that the evil in humanity can never be classic, startling, and perennially bestselling portrait of
controlled under any of civilized systems in western world. human nature remains as provocative today as when it
The democracy is doomed to collapse under the power. was first published. Constructing a concrete and sensible
Jack, the leader of the forces of anarchy on the island, theoretically palace which, on the other hand, is the
is a symbol of the inherent evil inside human nature. His reflection of the brutal, barbarous and immoral human
talent for hunting and killing pigs lures all boys except nature and society.
Ralph and Piggy. The followers paint their bodies and
give up the habits of civilization for the sake of meat.
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