Lord of the Flies William Golding. William Golding Background Born in Cornwall, England Studied at...
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Transcript of Lord of the Flies William Golding. William Golding Background Born in Cornwall, England Studied at...
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
William Golding Background
• Born in Cornwall, England• Studied at Oxford• Began his studies in science• After 2 years, switched to English Literature and
education• Member of the British World Navy during WWII• Involved in Normandy invasion
• Career-taught at a boy’s prep school (pre and post war)
• 1983-won the Nobel Prize
About the Novel
• Published in 1954, after being rejected by 21 publishers
• Golding’s influences:– Holocaust– Nazi brutality– Atrocities caused by the atomic bombs– Rise of Communism– His war experiences– Rise of technology
“Man produces evil, as a bee produces honey.”-William Golding
• Content of novel discusses:– The problem of evil– Reason vs. emotion– Good vs. evil– Man’s desire for power– Savagery vs. civilization
Golding’s Beliefs• “It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write
after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis.” -Golding
• Used the book as a format for studying human nature• Believed that if a man was facing a difficult situation,
then he would show his other nature: HIS DARK AND GUILTY SIDE
• Felt there was a capacity for evil that resides within all men
• Golding: The novel was “an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature”– What’s wrong in society is the consequences of human
choice and actions– William Golding on Lord of the Flies.wav.lbc2dh2.partial
Novel Background• Lord of the Flies: The literal translation means
Beelzebub, which is a another name for the devil/satan
• Follows a group of boys stranded on an island • Setting: undefined future during an atomic war – Indian or Pacific Ocean– Barrier Reef: runs along one side of the ocean– Lagoon: between the reef and the island– Orchard: provides fruit– Castle Rock: tip of the island– The Overview | Lord of the Flies | 60second Recap
Characters
• Ralph, 12– Main protagonist– Elected leader after finding the conch– Common sense, strong, courageous, intelligent– Insists on responsibility
• Piggy– Fat, blind without his glasses, asthmatic– Becomes Ralph’s advisor
Characters (continued)• Simon, 9 or 10
– Skinny– Intelligent, attune with nature– Lonely, logical, very mature for his age
• Jack, 12– Antagonist– Tall, thin; leader of the Choirboys – Easily angered, cruel– Desires power
• Roger– Jack’s follower– Bully– Insists on responsibility
Lord of the Flies as an Allegory
• Allegory-a story expressing truths or generalizations about human nature through the use of symbolic characters or events
• Think of it as an extended metaphor• Example: Avatar-Pandora woods represent
Amazon rainforest (stresses ecological importance) and attempting to get the Na’vi to cooperate represents the U.S. presence in foreign countries
Main Themes
• Human evil• Order vs. Chaos• Savagery vs. Civilization• Loss of innocence • Power
Main Symbols
• Conch• Lord of the Flies• Piggy’s glasses• Beast