ipl-logo

Literary Lens In William Golding's 'Lord Of The Flies'

792 Words4 Pages

Kaiden Sheridan Mrs. Browne English March 15, 2023 Literary Lens Essay Both literal and metaphorical fires divide several boys who land on an island during a nuclear war. These boys fight over power and resources without the bindings of society. William Golding believes that civilization has no room for goodness and is pessimistic about mankind’s ability to live successfully. Not only the breakage of faith in the chief, but also the idolization of the Devil, and the extermination of children, support Golding’s pessimistic view. Golding, with a negative outlook on society, uses the boys’ disloyalty to their leader to convey the idea that humanity is evil. Roger sharpening a stick at “both ends” implies that Roger and …show more content…

The lord of the flies commanding Simon to “get back” to the children who later murder him, the Christlike figure, demonstrates the Devil’s strong control over all people(143). Being comparable to the Devil, the lord of the flies is very deceiving and convinces Simon to march to his death, like Jesus did to his crucifixion. Corruption is among the boys as even the Christlike figure falls to temptation and is murdered amidst the violence of the island. The boys fearfully leaving the pig head for “the beast” as they try to appease a creature of the Devil’s works, reveals just how much power people give to monsters(137). Because the boys are trying to appease the beast, they are worshiping an evil entity like humans are naturally drawn to. This beast represents humanity’s sins that one feeds into to please oneself instead of other people and Simon symbolizes Jesus whose main purpose was to help others. Consequently, Golding’s pessimistic view ensues through the pagan worship of a boar head that embodies the Devil as the boys disconnect from virtue and actually fall to crime as not just the murder of Simon takes

Show More
Related

  • What Does Piggy's Glasses Symbolize The Power In Lord Of The Flies

    928 Words  | 4 Pages

    The beast represents mankind’s essential illness that man cannot remain good and pure, because of human natures’ natural incline to resort to evil and violence. “After fear drives most of the boys into the hunter tribe, they lose all capacity for dialectic and begin sadistic persecution of those who stand outside their power,” (226). Golding also wants to portray that the beast is everywhere and is part of every member of mankind. While Simon is hallucinating, the beast says, “You knew, didn’t you? ” I’m part of you?

    Read More

  • Allusions In Lord Of The Flies

    867 Words  | 4 Pages

    In his 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding incorporates various Biblical allusions to add depth and complexity to the story. The uninhabited island, upon which a group of boys find themselves stranded, can be likened to the Garden of Eden from the book of Genesis. It is depicted as a paradise-like setting filled with an abundance of resources that quickly becomes marred in the presence of man. While some of the boys embody the essences of good and evil, the character Simon is portrayed as a Christ-like figure, as he is generous and empathetic to his companions. The encounter between Simon and the pig’s head also serves as a metaphor of the constant struggle that can be found between morality’s two spectrums.

    Read More

  • Chaos In Lord Of The Flies

    751 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, near the end of the book chaos ensues with both Piggy and Simon dying at the hands of Jack’s group leaving Ralph by himself; he then visits Jack’s base of operation, castle rock, where samneric tell him, ’"Roger sharpened a stick at both ends,"’ (Golding 149). This scene is an allusion to the point in the book where Jack’s group created The Lord of the Flies. All of the chaos up to this point in the book leads only violence, danger, and the deterioration of human morals, with the chaos leading to a critical point where Jack’s group hunts Ralph. The group’s split leads to trouble in maintaining order because of the large divide; this in turn leads to tension and violence

    Read More

  • 12 Angry Men And Lord Of The Flies

    1054 Words  | 5 Pages

    He stood back and the head hung there, a little blood dribbling down the stick” (Golding 136). Jacks vicious and bloody killing of the sow not only suggests that Golding views human nature to be evil, but it also conveys the Golding believes that the “beast” is inside of everyone. In a world where the “beast,” is unleashed, rules and morals become weak and useless. The “beast” symbolizing the boys indicates that Golding suggests humans are born innately

    Read More

  • Flies: Savagery

    1952 Words  | 8 Pages

    Another symbol that Golding uses is a pig 's head. The pig 's head is symbolic of the inner beasts of men. As they (the boys) become more enthralled in the hunt and its bloodlust, they even begin to worship this beast, leaving it sacrifices, such as the sow 's head on a pike, as if it were a tribal god (Neighbors). This event occurred in front of Simon without the hunters ' knowledge. Simon was left to think to himself about the event that had just occured.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Religious Allegory

    978 Words  | 4 Pages

    William Golding’s novel “Lord of The Flies”, employs religious allegory to explore the theme of inherent evil. The character Simon represents a Christ-like figure, the island represents the Garden of Eden, and the pig’s head symbolizes the devil or Beelzebub. Through these allegorical elements, Golding suggests that human nature is inherently flawed and that the potential for evil exists within all people. Throughout the novel, Simon is portrayed as a Christ-like figure who symbolizes hope and goodness.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies War Essay

    640 Words  | 3 Pages

    The island represents a new start to a beginning. Individuals can be carried in the emotions of the group, leading to disastrous consequences. As Simon talks to the pig head on a stick, a fanatic character called the lord of the flies is represented as the devil, the thing that encourages Simon to do bad things that he has inside of him. “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!... You knew, didn't you?

    Read More

  • William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    503 Words  | 3 Pages

    What if you were stranded on an island with no adults just you and other kids? Well, the book Lord of the flies was basically just that. Lord of the flies was about a group of choir boys who plane had crashed on an island and they were forced to survivor and live on their own. With in this book there were lots of symbols but, I’m only naming three. The three are the beastie, Jack, and conch.

    Read More

  • What Is The Significance Of Simon Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Golding uses the symbol of the beast to further highlight the idea of the evil within us that manifests within each one of the boys as the novel progresses when they are further removed from civilization. The novel teaches that humans are evil and it is civilization that teaches the qualities of morality and virtue. However, sometimes evil manifests within civilization itself. When the naval officer comes and rescues the boys, he judges them despite the civilized world being in a war at that moment. The government and leaders use civilization as an excuse to cover up their evil.

    Read More

  • William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    304 Words  | 2 Pages

    After reading "Lord of the Flies", I gave myself some time to think about the novel and, it's resolution. The novel generally ended how I predicted it to, as I always had the feeling that they were going to be rescued in the end but, I was just not certain how. I did not really like how Golding chose to end it, as I would have wanted more than just a few pages describing them finally being found. However, I did enjoy the irony at the end when the Navy Officer was telling Ralph how they saw their smoke and came.

    Read More

  • Human Nature And Evil In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    1127 Words  | 5 Pages

    (Golding, 77). Although the boys laugh at Simon’s idea, his belief conforms Golding’s idea that inner evil exists. The boys develop into the beast when they kill Simon. Simon was desperate to explain the unidentified creature on the mountain but the boys weren’t in the mood for listening to him. With his brutal murder by the other boys, chaos takes over civilized order on the island.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies: William Golding's Dark Optimism

    551 Words  | 3 Pages

    A dark optimism is when good things happen, but they might have worse consequences. It means that there is always an underlying possibility in life going south, or declining, although the fundamental belief is that the good, or what one believes is good will prevail. In the 1955 novel, Lord of The Flies, the author William Golding’s overall message, which is that humanity has an underlying evil, or savagery to them, and without order, or societal rules, this savagery will reveal itself, is conveyed through dark optimism. However, there are three extremely important occurrences where Golding’s ‘dark optimist’ approach to this novel are revealed.

    Read More

  • William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    308 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Golding was a British author born September 19, 1911 in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England (“William Golding Biography”). Golding began writing at a young age. He first tried to write novels at the young age of twelve. With a lack of success, he became frustrated, bullying his peers. William attended Oxford University after completing primary school where he changed his focus from science to English Literature.

    Read More

  • Commentary On 'Lord Of The Flies' By William Golding

    221 Words  | 1 Pages

    Golding indicates that power is wanted in the boy’s new society, this is presented first in the quote “if only I could get a pig” (pg. 55) indicating that hunting and or the hunter is the more powerful person or the “bigger man”. Another example referring to the importance of power and tying in with the quote above is on (pg. 53) “If you’re not hunting, you are getting hunted.” These quotes are in part summarizing that if you are not hunting you not a man and therefore you will most likely not last on the island. I also feel these statements are stating that you need to do your part to get to the position you want.

    Read More

  • What Is The Significance Of Violence In Lord Of The Flies

    725 Words  | 3 Pages

    Additionally, Golding aims to showcase that primal instincts intensify over time, reinforced by behavior such as Jack's, who provides the boys with food and a sense of power. One could parallel this to the real world when thinking about war and how higher-ups reinforce violence behavior on those lower than them. The purpose of violence goes beyond explaining the theme of savagery prevailing in a world without strict rules and order, but to caution us about the potential inherent darkness inside all of

    Read More

More about Literary Lens In William Golding's 'Lord Of The Flies'

Open Document