Allegory In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

Gaby Brakoniecki

July 28th, 2015

Question 1: In what way is the novel an allegory of The Garden of Eden? William Golding’s Lord of the Flies offers an in depth exploration of the mind in terms of savagery and civilization. The Bible’s story of the Garden of Eden shows just how easily people can be deceived. Golding’s novel uses religious allegory from the Biblical story. In terms of imagery, characterization, and the overall themes, the novel and the Biblical story can easily be compared, and Lord of the Flies can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning for the Garden.

Both the Garden of Eden and the island the boys landed on seem like paradise for the characters of the story. For Adam and Eve, it is a place where they have everything they need; for the boys, it’s a chance to escape from the rules of society and live freely. In Genesis 2:9, the Garden is described as having “every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. This

The snake tempted Adam and Eve to eat fruit that God told them to stay away from. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon about the horrible aspects of human nature, and foreshadows Simon’s death when he says “I’m going to get angry…You’re not wanted…We are going to have fun on this island…” (147). Both Adam and Simon were naïve and tricked into believing everything would be alright. The themes of both Lord of the Flies and the Garden of Eden show how easily the innocence of a person can be taken away. A person can be tricked into believing something is good for them, but in drastic times, a person can also ignore their common sense and act upon the moment. In summary, the religious allegory used by Golding helps readers realize just how far the human mind can go, and how easily it can be