The Exposure Of Us as Humans Through the Eyes of Golding
William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies had endured many occupations throughout his lifetime which include being a sailor, lecturer, schoolmaster, and actor. William Golding joined the Royal Navy in 1940, and was able to fight against battleships, submarines and aircraft. He had gone through the war as a Lieutenant, and was present at the sinking of the Bismarck. After the war, William Golding returned back to a school by the name of Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury, where he wrote his first novel Lord of the Flies, which later got published in 1954. So what really encouraged Golding to write Lord of the Flies ? Was it his experience at war, his childhood, another book, or what he thought humans were actually capable of. It was actually all of these reasons why William Golding decided to write Lord of the Flies, also his experience in war was really what gave him the idea to write such a novel, portraying what humans could really do to in the time of distress and wanting to survive.
“ I began to see what people were capable of doing. Anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or wrong in the head.” ( Golding 1). William Golding actually addressed this after the war expressing how he felt his experience was like all throughout the war. In Lord of the Flies, the book is meant to show how human nature can turn to evil, and how the evil within man can be shown upon in a quest for survivaL. Because of the extreme circumstances within the novel, and also trying to maintain peace and order with one another, Golding shows how almost every boy is able to bring out their true natu...
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...tic, darkness lies within all of humanity, and when provoked, everyone is capable of evil.” ( Teen Ink, Kenzie Treub ) William Golding’s true intent of writing Lord of the Flies was to expose the true nature of humans and show the world that it is possible for human beings to turn their backs on one another for the sake of survival.
Works Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print.
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Nelson, William.William Golding's Lord of the Flies: A Source Book. New York: Odyssey Press, 1963. Print.
Part of Golding’s intent was to demonstrate that the evil is not recognised in specific populations or situations. On the island the beast is manifest in the deadly tribal dances, war paint and manhunt: in the outside world the same lust for power and control plays out as a nuclear war. Throughout ‘The Lord of the Flies’ Golding has managed to show that evil is present in everyone.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, at first glance, is an incredibly dark read. However, that trait evaporates after one's first cursory read. Once it's text is more thoroughly perused, a pattern of optimism erupts between passages. If one dares to dive deeper into the meaning behind the book, many reasons surface. For example, the story, all in all, had a happy ending. Also, the themes were only represented among a very small pool of data. Lastly, the representation of evil in the book insinuates even greater things of goodness.
...religious allegory. He depicts a story in which the boys are stranded on an island and need to fend for themselves. However, instead of focusing on rescue and building a fire, the boys ultimately shift their priorities to hunting and killing. They turn a once beautiful and majestic island into a place of terror and evil. Additionally, they maul and kill their only hope of ever changing, Simon. Lord of the Flies is reminiscent of the television series “Lost.” Just like in Golding’s world, “Lost” is staged on a remote far away island after a plane crash. However, these people are not children. They are adults, which makes the story even more chilling. These adults eventually succumb to murderous acts and violence, further proving the point Golding sets out to make. Humans are inherently evil, and without any system to keep them in line, they will destroy the world.
Golding drew inspiration for Lord of the Flies from his own childhood, years of teaching, and time serving the British Royal Navy. As a child, Golding bullied his peers as an outlet for his frustrations, (Bibliography.com); these actions are
The novel “Lord of the Flies” was written by William Golding to demonstrate the problems of society and the sinful nature of man.
Hynes, Samuel. "William Golding's Lord of the Flies." Critical Essays on William Golding. Ed. James R. Baker. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1988.
The nature of humans can be described in many different ways. Throughout Golding’s novel Lord of The Flies, multiple examples of human nature are portrayed by the boys. As shown through the progression of the novel, Golding thinks that human nature cannot account for itself, even with good accompanying it. William Golding stresses these topics in his recent article: “Why Boys Become Vicious”. He explains his allusions to the real world, and how corruption is present.
Lord of the Flies was written in the early 1950’s by William Golding. Golding wrote this allegorical novel in England when World War II was happening and Stalinism in Russia was at its peak. Lord of the Flies attracted a cult of followers, especially among the youth of the post- World War II generation (“Golding”). People thought that his book was too harsh, but what they didn’t realize was the true essence of how the war was really like. The war showed the good and evil side of everyone and it made people turn against one another and were no longer in a civilized manner. “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?” he wondered due to the experiences that he had encountered as a British naval officer during this time. This effected that the worst in humanity would prevail, and that many so called decent minded people would be easily and willingly influenced to act in terrible ways towards one another causing conflict between civilization and savagery.
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies portrays the lives of young British boys whose plane crashed on a deserted island and their struggle for survival. The task of survival was challenging for such young boys, while maintaining the civilized orders and humanity they were so accustomed too. These extremely difficult circumstances and the need for survival turned these innocent boys into the most primitive and savaged mankind could imagine. William Golding illustrates man’s capacity for evil, which is revealed in man’s inherent nature. Golding uses characterization, symbolism and style of writing to show man’s inhumanity and evil towards one another.
Golding has a rather pessimistic view of humanity having selfishness, impulsiveness and violence within, shown in his dark yet allegorical novel Lord of the Flies. Throughout the novel, the boys show great self-concern, act rashly, and pummel beasts, boys and bacon. The delicate facade of society is easily toppled by man's true beastly nature.
When viewing the atrocities of today's world on television, the starving children, the wars, the injustices, one cannot help but think that evil is rampant in this day and age. However, people in society must be aware that evil is not an external force embodied in a society but resides within each person. Man has both good qualities and faults. He must come to control these faults in order to be a good person. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding deals with this same evil which exists in all of his characters. With his mastery of such literary tools as structure, syntax, diction and imagery, The author creates a cheerless, sardonic tone to convey his own views of the nature of man and man’s role within society.
This paper will explore the three elements of innate evil within William Golding's, Lord of the Flies, the change from civilization to savagery, the beast, and the battle on the island. Golding represents evil through his character's, their actions, and symbolism. The island becomes the biggest representation of evil because it's where the entire novel takes place. The change from civilization to savagery is another representation of how easily people can change from good to evil under unusual circumstances. Golding also explores the evil within all humans though the beast, because it's their only chance for survival and survival instinct takes over. In doing so, this paper will prove that Lord of the Flies exemplifies the innate evil that exists within all humans.
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is an author’s painting of the evil that resides in all of the human race. The tropical island setting presents an environment free from civil order introducing a battle ground for the war of good and evil. Showing different side of human nature one can ponder the question “What would I do?” Golding explains the good, bad and balance of human nature, revealing that in times of despair man can easily regress to a primitive state, leaving the strong willed to promote civil order, but often be extremely out numbered.
Everyone, at one time or another, has dreamed of running away to a deserted island to get away from the life of the real world, but in William Golding's Lord of the Flies this perceived dream of a deserted island is brought to reality. When the dream did come true for some English boys things don't actually turn out as glorious as imagined. Human nature went into effect and let evil run wild. The Island paradise they once saw turned into a bloody nightmare. A message that ran rampant throughout the novel was that evil is inherited in everyone. By looking at three very important scenes, one can see how the effects of evil are permanently etched into everyone's personality. Understanding those events are vital to understanding the overall theme of the book.