Lord of the Flies Deep In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies many religious undertones are present. The most predominant Biblical reference is in the setting. The isolated, lush island setting where the boys are stranded after their plane crashes is a metaphor of the Garden of Eden. Throughout the novel, the setting physical resemblance, the characters, and the degradation of characters through their greed are all supporting of this metaphor. The strongest resemblances between the island setting and the Garden of Eden are the physical features. Both are lush, green and natural environments filled with pristine vegetation. Golding describes the lush landscape of the boys’ island as "a great platform of pink granite thrust up uncompromisingly …show more content…
The top of this was covered with a thin layer of soil and coarse grass and shaded with young palm trees" (9). This is almost identical with the Good News Bible’s description of how God planted "all kinds of beautiful trees [that] grow there and produce good fruit" (Genesis 2.9). Golding says that "flower and fruit grew together on the same tree and everywhere was the scent of ripeness" (50). It is not only a description of the island setting but of the Garden of Eden as well. Like the Garden of Eden, the tropical island is portrayed as a perfect, Utopian setting upon which nothing could be improved. The mile-long white sand beach and the sun-warmed coral swimming bay of the boys’ island is a perfect match with the lush landscape and refreshing streams of the Garden of Eden.The abundant provisions needed to sustain life were also present in both places. The abundance was evident in the novel when Golding describes a boy …show more content…
Jesus had been crucified because the Church and Romans in power felt threatened by the truth he spoke of. Simon was always more aware of what was actually happening on the island than any other boy. He stumbled upon what was thought to be the “beast”. With his knowledge that there was no actual threat on this perfect island, he heads down the hill to tell the boys so they can stop living in fear mirroring frantic cornered animals. When he emerged from the trees the boys jumped on him and killed him, not able to handle the idea of no beast. The boys had to kill Simon because they had to have something to blame their savage actions on. They couldn’t comprehend, or did not want to face the fact that they had committed horrible acts on their own free will for no purpose other that they enjoyed being ruleless