Lord of the Flies

Article written by Lee-James Bovey

P.G.C.E degree.

Written in the wake of Golding’s own experiences as a soldier, the novel uses a group of boys left stranded on an island as a metaphor for the effect that humankind has on the natural world. It is also a social commentary on the innate evil that resides inside man when free from the constraints of society.

Key Facts about Lord of the Flies

• Title: Lord of the Flies 
• When written: the early 1950’s.
• Published: 1954
• Genre: Novel / Dystopian / Bildungsroman / allegory / Adventure
• Point-of-View: Third-person omniscient.
• Setting: An unknown pacific island.
• Climax: Ralph attempting to escape Jack’s hunters.
• Antagonist: Jack and his hunters.

William Golding and Lord of the Flies

William Golding worked primarily as a teacher before joining the navy during World War II to help in the war effort. It was an action that was to influence the author for the rest of his life. During his experiences, his views on humankind were shaped. He was forced to see how inherently evil humans could be. Allegedly, the idea of humankind’s evil was deep-rooted even before the war. Golding suggested he struggled with his own demons. He reported that he was a bit of a bully at school and had to work hard to control his own inner savage. With that in mind, it starts to become clear how the story of  ‘Lord of the Flies’ came to be.

The fact that he worked as a teacher and served in the War act as signposts of the creative inspiration behind ‘Lord of the Flies’. Themes in his books seem to be inspired heavily by his own life experiences.

Golding achieved great success in the literary world, claiming a Booker Prize and then later a Nobel Prize for Literature, thus cementing himself among an elite group of writers to have won the award.

Golding passed away in 1993 in Cornwall, where he had lived a peaceful existence with his family: his wife and two children.

Books Related to Lord of the Flies

As previously mentioned, ‘Lord of the Flies’  is a difficult book to categorize. The obvious comparisons are great adventure tales such as ‘The Coral Island’ or ‘Robinson Crusoe’. However, Golding’s work is far bleaker and has a lot more depth than these works. So while it could be categorized as an adventure book or a coming-of-age tale, often it isn’t.

It is more often associated with dystopian fiction. Given its allegorical nature, it could be likened (although not in terms of plot) to something like Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.

Legacy of Lord of the Flies