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...
... middle of paper ...
...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.
"Innate Evil in Golding's Lord of the Flies :: Essays Research Papers." Innate Evil in Golding's Lord of the Flies :: Essays Research Papers. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Why did William Golding Write His Novel, Lord of the Flies? - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"William Golding's Lord of the FLies: Man's Capacity for Evil." Teen Ink. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
William Golding, the author of the novel The Lord of the Flies, lived through the global conflicts of both world wars. World War II shifted his point of view on humanity, making him realize its inclination toward evilness. His response to the ongoing struggle between faith and denial became Lord of the Flies, in which English schoolboys are left to survive on their own on an uninhabited island after a plane crash. Just like Golding, these boys underwent the trauma of war on a psychological level. Ralph, one of the older boys, stands out as the “chief,” leading the other victims of war in a new world. Without the constraints of government and society, the boys created a culture of their own influenced by their previous background of England.
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.
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.
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.
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.
...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.
“Everybody has good and evil within them. All we're trying to say is that people are not all good or all bad. People are more complicated than you think, and one has to be more knowledgeable about the complexities.” This quotation from Stephen Schwartz establishes that even the best of people can be bitter by their own nature. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding removes the restraints of society to prove that it is human nature to live primitively and that evil lies within all of us. The sanctions of society begin to deteriorate due to the loss of communication, Jack’s obsession with hunting, and the inhumane nature of Jack and his “tribe”.
Like many authors, success did not come easy for Golding. He went through many obstacles before he published his first novel. William Golding originally went to college to study natural science, but after two years decided to switch to the subject he truly loved, English literature (William Golding- Biographical). While Golding was in war, he made the transition from a minor poet to an original novelist because he learned Greek (Rief 22). One summer, Golding made writing his first priority. (Reif, 21). He wrote two short stories and they both were rejected by publishers (Reif, 22). This discouraged Golding, but his wife encouraged him to start writing his own novel (Reif, 22). The novel now known as "Lord Of The Flies" was originally called "Strangers from Within" and was rejected twenty one times before it was published (Feeney) . Within a year, his first novel gained much success, which was just the beginning of his stardom (Al- Sadi and Reif, 18 ).
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.
Lord of the Flies provides one with a clear understanding of Golding's view of human nature. Whether this view is right or wrong is a point to be debated. This image Golding paints for the reader, that of humans being inherently bad, is a perspective not all people share. Lord of the Flies is but an abstract tool of Golding's to construct the idea of the inherent evil of human nature in the minds of his readers. To construct this idea of the inherent evil, Golding employs the symbolism of Simon, Ralph, the hunt and the island.
In the lord of the flies novel written by William Golding the characters are faced with several obstacles that leads them to have unfathomable ramifications. Atrocious acts of cruelty are shown in the novel that transpire out of fear and anarchy within the main characters. Acts of cruelty are vital to this novel because they function as a political factor in which the characters seek to have a well established form of society. In addition, these acts of cruelty reveals several things about the victims and the perpetrator.
Published in 1954, William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies exemplifies man's capacity for evil which is revealed in his inherent human nature. The underlying evil within man is the most prominent theme of the novel, and perhaps its most controversial one. To portray this theme, Lord of the Flies details the lives of a group of young school age boys who have been stranded on a deserted island. As these youngsters struggle to survive they are faced with the challenge of sustaining life by nourishing and sheltering themselves, as well as trying to figure out how to be rescued. Along the way they endeavor to maintain a civilized order as well as their own humanity, however it becomes apparent that most of the boys are capable of evil perhaps
William Golding wrote the book Lord of the Flies based upon his own experience in World War II and his ideas about evil in all humans. Golding, being a naval officer during World War II experienced the horrors of war and witnessed the atrocities of the horrible events which caused the death of millions of innocent people including Jews and multiple others. In addition, Lord of the Flies is a book about a group
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.
The psychological being of mankind is complex and intricate in many ways. How people envisage and respond to their environment relates back to psychological elements. In Lord of the Flies, Golding expresses his views on mankind being inherently evil. His allegorical representation supports his view of mankind being baneful with scenes of cults, rape, and death. Throughout the book Golding continues to symbolize that human nature is drawn to savagery and innocence is spurious.