Lord of the Flies

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Lord of the Flies

• By William Golding

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Lord of the Flies Food for thought

• The setting is idyllic An enchanting island with
  an endless beach, no vicious predators, no system
  of red-tape regulationsjust innocent children.
• The story contradicts, colorfully and completely,
  the utopian view of human nature and offers no
  promise of a better world.

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Lord of the FliesFood for thought-continued

• Lord of the Flies is pessimism personified.
• First rate adventure story
• A parable of our times
• An allegory and a complex web of symbolism.

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Background

• Born Sept. 19, 1911 in Cornwall, England
• Father was a schoolmaster
• Mother was a suffragist
• Parents wanted him to study science
• Part way through college decided to study English
  literature at Oxford
• Became an actor and play writer for short time

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Background cont.

• Became English literature teacher at Wordsworth
  School and later the school master
• Served in the Royal Navy during WWII
• Involved in the sinking of the Bismarck
• Involved in the invasion of Normandy

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Background cont.

• Returned to Wordsworth school after WWII
• Began writing career with the publication of Lord
  of the Flies in 1954
• Earned Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1983
• Died 1993

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Influences

• Enjoyed adventure stories as a child
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
• Edgar Rice Burroughs author of the Tarzan books
• Jules Verne author of 20,000 Leagues Under the
  Sea
• Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne

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Coral Island

• By R.M. Ballantyne
• Story about Ralph, Jack and Peterkin who are
  shipwrecked on an island. They bring
  civilization to the savages, have many adventures
  while living an idyllic life. They return home as
  heroes more mature and wiser.
• Basis for Lord of the Flies

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Coral Island Lord of the Flies

• Set on tropical island
• Group of English boys with no adults
• Boys named Ralph and Jack

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Coral Island Lord of the Flies

• Coral Island is a sweet, innocent adventure story
  where the boys learn a lesson. The outlook is
  optimistic.
• Lord of the Flies is a realistic look at what
  happens when a society loses it civilized
  aspects. The outlook is pessimistic.

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Lord of the Flies

• Published in 1954
• Was rejected by 21 publishers before being
  accepted
• Millions of copies in print
• The success of this novel allowed him to quit
  teaching and focus on writing full time.

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Changes in societys attitudes

• Before WWII society believed that man was
  essentially good hearted and society was often
  evil.
• After WWII society believed that man had a dark
  and evil side.
• The first view is portrayed in Coral Island and
  the other in Lord of the Flies

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Literary Devices to Notate

• Point of View Shifts several times during the
  course of the novel. Often told from Ralph,
  Piggy or Simons view.
• Irony look for examples of dramatic,
  situational and verbal
• Symbols

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Themes

• According to Golding, The theme is an attempt
  to trace the defects of society back to the
  defects of human nature. The moral is that the
  shape of society must depend on the ethical
  nature of the individual and not on any political
  system however apparently logical or respectable.

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Themes Contd

• Society holds everyone together and without these
  conditions our ideals, values and the basics of
  right and wrong are lost.
• Without societys rigid rules, anarchy and
  savagery can come to light.
• People will abuse power when it is not earned.

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Themes Cont

• Blindness and sight
• Loss of innocence
• Loss of identity
• Power
• Fear of the unknown

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Allegories

• Moral
• Ralph represents common sense and the potential
  to do good.
• Jack represents emotion
• Piggy represents intellect
• Simon represents the soul

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Allegories

• Social
• Ralph represents a fair, democratic government.
• Jack represents power, a tyrant who puts self
  above others.
• Piggy represents technology.
• Simon represents humanism. He explores nature
  and discovers the evil in all of us.

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Allegories

• Religious
• Ralph represents the everyday man searching for
  hope and salvation.
• Jack represents corruption within society.
• Piggy represents intellect who does not
  understand the everyday man, corruption or
  spirituality.
• Simon represents spirituality and faith.