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Theme Of Loss In Lord Of The Flies

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In the mists of war, there are many causes for loss. William Golding learned this lesson early on in life, and his novel Lord of the Flies reflects this. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding provides character who, in the time of war, are physically, mentally, morally, and reallllitily lost. This theme, however, is simply meant to highlight greater loss. By providing characters who are lost, William Golding is able to metaphorically reference spiritual loss as a result of war.
William Golding provides characters who are physically lost as a result of war. His characters, a group of British schoolboys, are initially on a plane during World War Two. The pane is supposed to take them to safety, but instead it is shot, and it leaves the boys stranded on an island. While this occurs, the boys become physically lost as they cannot find their way home, and cannot be found to be rescued. “We’re on an island […] We saw no houses, no smoke, no footprints, no people. We’re on an uninhabited island with no people on it.” (pg 32)” The boy’s physical loss, however, has greater implications then simply …show more content…

“The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering.” (pg115) The more the boys hunt, the more they feel the desire to kill. Eventually, they stop differentiating from killing pigs and humans. One boy, Jack, jokes about killing a littlun. Soon, this is followed by actual murder. The group of children create new definitions of right and wrong. In doing so, they betray their original conscience. This process represents the next step in the loss of spirituality. The boy’s betrayal of ideology ultimately represents a betrayal of Christianity. This is also a result of war. One man in war will eventually become numb to the violence around him. Another may start to enjoy it. Traditional Christian values are stripped away by waves of demolition. The boy’s loss of moral conscience represents how war causes men to turn on

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