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Death In Lord Of The Flies And Beowulf

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Death.

To some the topic is taboo, something to avoid talking about, to be feared. Others are indifferent, celebrate it even. Regardless of one’s perspective on it, one constant of death is its inevitability. An analysis of two works, Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Beowulf, provides insight into the discrepancies between the treatment and depiction of death among different groups. These distinctions are emphasized by the moods conveyed through the respective works and the sequence of events. Death in Beowulf is portrayed as solemn and meaningful; comparatively, the deaths of 3 boys in Lord of the Flies seem insignificant and easily forgotten.

The characters from Lord of the Flies illustrate a sense of callous detachment towards the subject …show more content…

Unlike the nonchalant attitude towards death assumed by the characters within Lord of the Flies, death within Beowulf is something of value. For example, Beowulf’s death, much like that of many kings and warriors before him, is honored and grieved over by many: a proper funeral is held, a memorial is built to remember him by, and gifts and treasures are dedicated to him. These actions demonstrate the respect the Geats had for the dead. Moreover, although defeating monsters is accepted, killing one’s own kinsmen is a great crime. Unferth killed members of his own family, an act for which he will “suffer damnation in the depths of hell,” according to Beowulf (589). This belief further highlights the fact that a much greater importance is placed on death within Beowulf than Lord of the Flies, in which the boys on the island thought little of killing their own …show more content…

The characters from each of the stories believe that whoever kills the enemy will save them and be a hero. However, killing one’s own comrades has different consequences. In Golding’s novel, Simon and Piggy are killed mindlessly and without remorse. Most of the characters remain unfazed by the deaths in the book; there is a casual regard towards the subject. Conversely, death in Beowulf is something somber yet meaningful. Cultural differences show their influence in many aspects of our lives, including the perception of death, as demonstrated through Lord of the Flies and

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