Religion In Lord Of The Flies

The Lord of the Flies. During the war, a plane carrying a group of British schoolboys is shot down over the ocean. The boys, range from six to twelve years old, survive the crash and find themselves deserted on an island. Golding shows the theme of religion with the use of Biblical stories. The Biblical stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Christs death can be revealed by the characters Simon, Ralph, Jack, and the island itself. “The largest and most physically powerful boy on the island’s name is Ralph” (LitChart editors). The protagonist in the novel is Ralph and he is the first boy the reader meets on the island. He quickly establishes power by blowing into a conch shell. As the other kids vote him as chief, it does not take long for Ralph to realize what he should use his power to accomplish. Only when the boys want to live by civilized rules, then his leadership is present. “All this I meant to say. Now I 've said it. You voted me for chief. Now you do what I say."(Golding 81).Following the rules is important to Ralph, so

The references in the novel of religion help some scholars classify it as a biblical allegory. However on the contrary “the novel 's allusions to the Old and New Testaments turn out to be ironic and thus criticize religion...not only the abundance of biblical images and themes in the text, but also the ways in which religion and religious themes are used.” (Ross). In the Garden of Eden, the boys are symbolically linked to Adam and Eve before the fall. Goldings description of the island resembles the Garden of Eden, by its scenery, and abundance in fruit. Ralph’s first action on the island is to take off his clothes and bathe. This reveals the innocent nudity of Adam and Eve in the garden, along with the act of baptism. Names are also important in Genesis, in a similar way the boys all give their names. The island soon gets corrupted when the “snake-thing” appears to tempt the boys. Just like when Satan disguised himself as a