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Literary Lens In William Golding's 'Lord Of The Flies'

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Kaiden Sheridan Mrs. Browne English March 15, 2023 Literary Lens Essay Both literal and metaphorical fires divide several boys who land on an island during a nuclear war. These boys fight over power and resources without the bindings of society. William Golding believes that civilization has no room for goodness and is pessimistic about mankind’s ability to live successfully. Not only the breakage of faith in the chief, but also the idolization of the Devil, and the extermination of children, support Golding’s pessimistic view. Golding, with a negative outlook on society, uses the boys’ disloyalty to their leader to convey the idea that humanity is evil. Roger sharpening a stick at “both ends” implies that Roger and …show more content…

The lord of the flies commanding Simon to “get back” to the children who later murder him, the Christlike figure, demonstrates the Devil’s strong control over all people(143). Being comparable to the Devil, the lord of the flies is very deceiving and convinces Simon to march to his death, like Jesus did to his crucifixion. Corruption is among the boys as even the Christlike figure falls to temptation and is murdered amidst the violence of the island. The boys fearfully leaving the pig head for “the beast” as they try to appease a creature of the Devil’s works, reveals just how much power people give to monsters(137). Because the boys are trying to appease the beast, they are worshiping an evil entity like humans are naturally drawn to. This beast represents humanity’s sins that one feeds into to please oneself instead of other people and Simon symbolizes Jesus whose main purpose was to help others. Consequently, Golding’s pessimistic view ensues through the pagan worship of a boar head that embodies the Devil as the boys disconnect from virtue and actually fall to crime as not just the murder of Simon takes

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Now stranded on an unknown island, the boys must govern themselves. Soon the burning desire for power overthrows their civilized approach of leadership as a deciding factor tears the boys apart. Golding effectively uses the symbolism of the conch, the beast, and painted faces to reinforce the theme of how difficult situations reveal the demons inside of everyone. Together these symbols are applied in order to lead the reader to the suspenseful end.

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Golding then illustrates that “The water rose further and dressed Simon’s coarse hair with brightness. The line of his shoulder became sculptured marble”(170). This tranquil image creates a sense of sacredness in Simon

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However, near the end of the book chaos ensues with both Piggy and Simon dying at the hands of Jack’s group leaving Ralph by himself; he then visits Jack’s base of operation, castle rock, where samneric tell him, ’"Roger sharpened a stick at both ends,"’ (Golding 149). This scene is an allusion to the point in the book where Jack’s group created The Lord of the Flies. All of the chaos up to this point in the book leads only violence, danger, and the deterioration of human morals, with the chaos leading to a critical point where Jack’s group hunts Ralph. The group’s split leads to trouble in maintaining order because of the large divide; this in turn leads to tension and violence

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Another symbol that Golding uses is a pig 's head. The pig 's head is symbolic of the inner beasts of men. As they (the boys) become more enthralled in the hunt and its bloodlust, they even begin to worship this beast, leaving it sacrifices, such as the sow 's head on a pike, as if it were a tribal god (Neighbors). This event occurred in front of Simon without the hunters ' knowledge. Simon was left to think to himself about the event that had just occured.

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He stood back and the head hung there, a little blood dribbling down the stick” (Golding 136). Jacks vicious and bloody killing of the sow not only suggests that Golding views human nature to be evil, but it also conveys the Golding believes that the “beast” is inside of everyone. In a world where the “beast,” is unleashed, rules and morals become weak and useless. The “beast” symbolizing the boys indicates that Golding suggests humans are born innately

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What if you were stranded on an island with no adults just you and other kids? Well, the book Lord of the flies was basically just that. Lord of the flies was about a group of choir boys who plane had crashed on an island and they were forced to survivor and live on their own. With in this book there were lots of symbols but, I’m only naming three. The three are the beastie, Jack, and conch.

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William Golding’s novel “Lord of The Flies”, employs religious allegory to explore the theme of inherent evil. The character Simon represents a Christ-like figure, the island represents the Garden of Eden, and the pig’s head symbolizes the devil or Beelzebub. Through these allegorical elements, Golding suggests that human nature is inherently flawed and that the potential for evil exists within all people. Throughout the novel, Simon is portrayed as a Christ-like figure who symbolizes hope and goodness.

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William Golding uses the symbol of the beast to further highlight the idea of the evil within us that manifests within each one of the boys as the novel progresses when they are further removed from civilization. The novel teaches that humans are evil and it is civilization that teaches the qualities of morality and virtue. However, sometimes evil manifests within civilization itself. When the naval officer comes and rescues the boys, he judges them despite the civilized world being in a war at that moment. The government and leaders use civilization as an excuse to cover up their evil.

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William Golding was a British author born September 19, 1911 in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England (“William Golding Biography”). Golding began writing at a young age. He first tried to write novels at the young age of twelve. With a lack of success, he became frustrated, bullying his peers. William attended Oxford University after completing primary school where he changed his focus from science to English Literature.

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Additionally, Golding aims to showcase that primal instincts intensify over time, reinforced by behavior such as Jack's, who provides the boys with food and a sense of power. One could parallel this to the real world when thinking about war and how higher-ups reinforce violence behavior on those lower than them. The purpose of violence goes beyond explaining the theme of savagery prevailing in a world without strict rules and order, but to caution us about the potential inherent darkness inside all of

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