Lord of the Flies Themes and Analysis 🏝️
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a powerful novel. It’s filled with interesting themes, thoughtful symbols, and a particular style of writing that has made it a classic of British literature.
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
This book has remained popular since its publication. There are numerous reasons why this is the case. Firstly, it is often contained in school curricula. Due to its many themes, it lends itself well to studying.
Then, there is the thought-provoking nature of the piece. Most readers find themselves contemplating what they would do without the constraints of society. One only needs to look to contemporary films like “The Purge” to see that humankind still has a fascination with the notion of how human beings would live if there were no rules and no laws to keep them in check. The book is so popular it has spawned three movie versions plus influenced everything from books to music. It has been cited as a source of inspiration for Stephen King and rock groups like U2 and Iron Maiden.
Lord of the Flies Historical Context 🏝️
Written in 1953 in the wake of the Second World War, Lord of the Flies is often referred to as a book of ideas.
Lord of the Flies Characters 🏝️
Lord of the Flies is a multi-layered and character-rich novel. Golding utilized numerous, well-developed characters throughout.
Lord of the Flies Quotes 💬
This well-loved and much-debated novel is filled with striking and memorable quotes. Golding makes use of incredible examples of imagery as he describes the transformation of the boys from civilized members of modern society to savages.
Lord of the Flies Review ⭐
‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding is a complicated and sometimes problematic novel. It explores engaging themes but has also provoked disdain.
Lord of the Flies Summary 🏝️
‘Lord of the Flies’ is an adventure novel with a dystopian and allegorical twist that follows a group of stranded boys on an island.