Knoedler and Steward 1 Jon Knoedler and Amy Steward Mrs. Jones Literary Criticism 18 April 2012 Analysis of Essays on Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies is a shocking story of how young boys turn on each other when separated from civilized society. Innocence and naïveté are lost in the face of harsh circumstances. Power struggles force tension to the point where the boys can no longer live together in unity. When faced with the choice between civilization and savagery, the boys opt for brutality. This propensity for violent selfishness is prevalent in many of William Golding s novels. Two articles, The Novels of William Golding by Frank Kermode and Introduction by E. M. Forster, appropriately highlight Golding s recurring theme that man is naturally inclined toward complete depravity. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding portrays the theme of the natural depravity of man through his various characters and their interaction among one another. The novel begins by introducing a group of young, British cadet boys whose plane has been wrecked on a deserted island. Initially the boys follow the expectations of their cultural upbringing by electing a chief named Ralph. The conch symbolizes order, and the boys use it to form meetings to discuss the best plan for survival and their rescue. Stereotypical British pride and decorum quickly disintegrates as the boys become more accustomed to their primitive surroundings. As time passes, the boys personality flaws develop, and they begin acting selfishly rather than cooperatively for the benefit of the group as a whole. Eventually the desire for power overwhelms Jack s conditioned British respectability, and he separates from the established
Knoedler and Steward 2 republic to form his own tribe. This new tribe represents humanity s desire to be unrestricted. As the boys give in to this desire, they begin to become obsessed with violent activities. They forget about the main goal to be rescued in the face of the pleasure of savagery. This new lifestyle is epitomized in their chant, Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood (Golding, 155). The boys reach an ultimate low point when they kill one of the other boys named Simon in their vicious wildness. At this point, the characters have turned drastically away from their initial goal of working together to be rescued. Instead, they resort to barbarianism, finding satisfaction in hunting and revolting against Ralph and the order he represents. This rebellion eventually drives them to the point of ruthlessly murdering Piggy in order to reinforce their power and lust for dominance. Any opposition is not to be tolerated, and the older boys torture Sam and Eric into helping the violent hunter tribe. By the end of the novel, Jack and his tribe decide to hunt Ralph for no other reason than that he opposes them. Ralph realizes that all hope for rescue is lost and his primary focus must be on surviving the hateful revenge of the hunters. The social order and plan for salvation is forsaken and replaced with man s utter depravity. Golding s depiction of mankind stripped to his innate sin nature was not a popular idea in Golding s time, however. Frank Kermode, in The Novels of William Golding, compares Lord of the Flies to R. M. Ballantyne s, The Coral Island. Kermode shows how the boys situation in The Coral Island is strikingly similar to Golding s Lord of the Flies. Both books include an island as the primary setting, yet Ballantyne s boys... have a jolly time and live harmoniously, [while] Golding s boys become little savages (Kelly and Barratt). Ballantyne portrays man as positively good and pure in his relations with others when faced with dire circumstances. According to Agnes Shields, Lord of the Flies challenges the unrealistic outlook expressed in The Coral Island. Ballantyne s story includes three boys who manage to live prosperously and
Knoedler and Steward 3 peaceably while stranded on an island inhabited by cannibals and pirates. This pure representation of man s inner nature is idealistic and faulty when compared with reality. Golding s novel, although subject to more criticism because of its brutal nature, is a more accurate portrayal of man s natural tendencies. Golding suggests that even the civilized can become corrupt, which is in disjunction with the themes presented in The Coral Island. Lord of the Flies asserts that when civilized conditioning fades... the children are capable of neither savage nor civil gentleness (Kermode). The Coral Island portrays the boys as being able to maintain a cultured society outside of the confines of regulated civilization, but Golding solidly refutes this idea through his theme that man is ultimately evil. These two contrasting depictions of human nature pose a timeless debate on the innate characteristics of man. Golding presents man s natural depravity in many of his other novels. He uses the plot of survival under harsh conditions to bring out the recurring theme of the inherent sin nature that every man possesses. In one introduction to Lord of the Flies, E. M. Forster points out that Golding s characters are all born in sin or will all lapse into it. In The Inheritors, Golding brings out the same ideas found in Lord of the Flies. He ends Lord of the Flies with Ralph crying over the innocence that each of the boys lost through their barbarianism. In the same way, he... looks at the end of innocence [in] The Inheritors by having the civilized Homo Sapiens corrupt the undefiled Neanderthals (Loveday). Similarly, Golding uses his main character Martin, in Pincher Martin, to show the result of a life lived by fulfilling selfish desires as the boys did in Lord of the Flies. Golding leaves Martin stranded and alone with nothing to look at but the darkness [of] his core (Kelly and Barratt). Another work by Golding, called Darkness Visible, repeats the theme of corrupted innocence. This novel s title exemplifies Golding s persistent theme bringing the darkness within man into the visibility of the world. Leslie
Knoedler and Steward 4 Mittleman summarizes, Darkness Visible explores the common theme of [Golding s] major fiction: mankind s essential depravity and the human need, as a consequence of innate sin or acquired guilt. Clearly Golding has a major idea that he wants to convey to his audience. He repeatedly emphasizes the lostness and fallenness of humankind throughout many of his novels (Barratt). Golding uses his novels to depict the darkness of the human soul and the importance of dealing with the inner evil first. Golding uses stories of solitude and harsh conditions to repeat his theme that man is depraved at the core of his humanity. The two articles, The Novels of William Golding by Frank Kermode and Introduction by E. M. Forster, accurately draw out the prevalence of Golding s theme. They highlight the theme by studying the characters actions and reactions to each other and to the situations they must face. Because the characters actions support the sinfulness of mankind, many critics and readers attack Lord of the Flies for its message. However, Golding refused to be daunted by the criticism of others, and instead he wrote many novels emphasizing the depravity of man. By studying these essays in conjunction with reading the novel, students can easily determine the central theme that Golding intended for his readers to grasp. Through emphasizing the depravity of man and the natural tendency toward selfishness, Golding produced a novel that forced readers to view the world in light of reality.
Knoedler and Steward 5 Annotated Works Cited Barratt, David. William Golding. Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition. Pasadena: Salem Press, 2010. Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 April 2012. David Barratt summarizes William Golding s life and achievements. This article s most helpful feature is the summary and analysis of a variety of Golding s novels. Key summaries included The Inheritors, Pincher Martin, and Darkness Visible. This article is beneficial when looking at overarching themes that Golding presents in his novels. The detailed summaries help for gaining an understanding of how the author uses a recurring theme to emphasize his point of view. Forster, E. M. Introduction. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 1954. Print. This article gives a brief summary of three of the main characters Piggy, Jack, and Ralph. Forster also highlights the savagery that the boys exhibit on the island. The purpose of Forster s article is to introduce the novel to its readers. This article is helpful in preparing the reader for the themes and types of characters that will be present in the novel. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 1954. Print. Kelly, Rebecca and David Barratt. William Golding. Magill s Survey of World Literature. Pasadena: Salem Press, 2009. Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 April 2012. This article also covers the biography of William Golding and analyzes Golding s life and works. Kelly and Barratt cover Lord of the Flies along with six other novels, drawing out the themes that Golding repeats. This source is also helpful in looking at how Golding stresses the
Knoedler and Steward 6 theme of man s natural sin nature. Although similar to other articles, the insight of these two authors reiterates the same ideas from a new perspective. Kermode, Frank. The Novels of William Golding. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 1954. Print. Frank Kermode gives a detailed description of the correlation between Lord of the Flies and The Coral Island. He shows that Golding based most of his plot on Ballantyne s novel. Kermode also shows how Golding changed the plot, deviating from the typical British empirical mindset of the boys, to make them brutal savages. He talks about how the author s intended meaning for the novel is not always the meaning that its readers take from it. This article is correct in its portrayal of man s nature as depraved the main theme of Golding s novel. It gives good insight into the ideas that Golding presents in Lord of the Flies. Loveday, Veronica. William Golding. William Golding. Toledo: Great Neck Publishing, 2005. Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 April 2012. This article gives a detailed summary of William Golding s life. Loveday explains how Golding s childhood experiences affected his writing. She briefly talks about the impact that The Coral Island had on William Golding because it was one of his favorite novels. This article is helpful in showing the origination of many of Golding s ideas, character names, and setting. The article also addresses some of the themes that Golding put into his novels those of rationalism and division among societies. This article is most helpful in showing the relationship of themes between Golding s consecutive novels, Lord of the Flies and The Inheritors.
Knoedler and Steward 7 Mittleman, Leslie B. Darkness Visible. Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1987. Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 April 2012. In this article, Leslie Mittleman first summarizes the novel and highlights its key characters. She draws out the different themes and meanings in Darkness Visible and relates it to other novels. Mittleman then shows how critics received the novel after its publication. This source is helpful in looking at the theme that Golding portrays in many of his novels. Mittleman explains the ideas found in Darkness Visible that are also found in Lord of the Flies, making a good reference for analyzing the themes in Lord of the Flies. Shields, Agnes A. Lord of the Flies. Magill s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1996. Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 April 2012. In this article, Agnes Shields produces a summary of the plot of Lord of the Flies. She follows the summary with an analysis of the entire work and its characters. Shields gives good insight into the natural instincts and characteristics of children when disengaged from society. She ends the article by comparing Lord of the Flies to Golding s other novels and to Ballantyne s The Coral Island. This article gives a beneficial look at how to understand the characters. The comparison to The Coral Island is helpful in bringing out the contrast in views of mankind s nature.