Synopsis
Lord of the Flies‘ savagery underlies the most civilized of creation by exploring the dark side and allegorical of human psychology. The book describes the intrinsic evil nature of humans, whereas William Golding refers to the book as a tragic parody of children’s adventure stories. By presenting the reader about isolation to survival, he tells how a group of boys from hope to disaster do not always keep an eye on each other. In the middle of a nuclear war, a group of British boys finds themselves stranded on a tropical island without adult supervision.
The group was divided into “littluns,” boys about six years old, and “biguns,” between ten and twelve years old. Initially, boys try to form a culture similar to the culture they left behind. They elect a leader, Ralph, who seeks to set the rules for sanitation and housing with Piggy’s support and advice. Ralph also made the fire signal the group’s priority so that any ships passing by saw the smoke signal and saved them. The main challenge to Ralph’s leadership was Jack, who also wanted to lead. Jack orders a chorus of hunter-turned-choirs to sacrifice the task of tending the fire so they can participate in the hunt. He also pulled the other boys slowly away from Ralph’s influence. It is because of their natural attraction and tendency towards adventurous hunting activities that symbolize crime and violence.
The Pig
Literal fear exacerbates the conflict between Ralph and Jack, the forces of civilization and savagery they represent against the mythical beasts that roam the island. At night, aerial battles take place over the island. Battle survivors float with open parachutes, resting on the mountain tops. The sights and scenes made the boys panic when they thought the corpse was the animal they feared. In reaction to the panic, Jack forms a splinter group that joins all but the specific boys. The boys who join Jack are captivated by Jack’s seemingly ferocious protection.
The prospect of playing a savage role began to emerge. They performed ritual tribal dances, hunted, and wore disguised face paint. At the onset, Jack’s group slaughtered a sow, making the pig an offering by placing the pig’s head on a stick. On the other hand, Simon dares to discover the beast’s true identity on the mountain. He started hallucinating after witnessing the death of a pig, a gift made from his head for the animal. They risked the pig’s head being the Lord of the Flies, relaying to Simon, whom he had suspected. The pig is not an animal; it roams but hides in the soul of every boy. Therefore, he lost consciousness after his terrible vision weakened him.
The Beast
After regaining consciousness at night, Simon struggles to the top of the mountain, discovering that the beasts are dead soldiers or pilots. After trying to bring news to the other boys, he stumbles into the frenzy of their dancing tribe, becoming a “beast” so that all the boys beat him to death. Soon, only the three older boys, including Piggy, were still in Ralph’s camp. Jack’s group steals Piggy’s glasses to save his cooking fire, leaving Ralph unable to maintain his signal fire.
When Ralph and his group approach Jack’s tribe, one of Jack’s hunters releases a boulder at Piggy, killing him. The tribe captures two other bigun prisoners, leaving Ralph alone. The tribe goes on a search to track down Ralph, lighting a fire to get him out of one of his hideouts. It created forest fires all over the island. A British naval officer arrived at the shore when a passing ship saw smoke from the fire. The officers arrive just in time, saving Ralph from certain death at the hands of the schoolgirls who go insane.
William Golding
In 1954, Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, less than a decade after World War II. When the world was in the midst of the Cold War, the evil threat of the Communist demon behind the iron curtain, the terrible effects of the atomic bomb, to the atrocities of the Holocaust were present in the minds of writers and the western public. Such a fearful environment combines the rapid advancement of technology, acting as an island backdrop. One example is the dogfight that took place on the island of the book. Historically, the general public has felt vulnerable in times of widespread socio-economic pressure.
They turn to the leader who shows the most power or, in other words, offers the most protection. Jack and the Hunters fill such a role in the book, offering the luxury of flesh and the comforts of a dictatorship. The other boys sacrificed any moral doubts about his policies in exchange for protection. Enthusiastically, they must persecute boys who refuse to join their tribe. Such circumstances reflect Germany’s economic woes, which paved the way for the radical political politics of Nazism after World War I. In the same decade, the world depression occurred in the 1930s.
The Tendency of Society
According to Golding, man’s innate evil is the treatment of the Judeo-Christian concept of original sin. When he published Lord of the Flies, critics were not with him. It is for this reason that Golding was not part of any of the contemporary literary movements. In the minds of critics, Golding was not concerned with themes such as the sociological, existential, and mystic. Instead, he is a 43-year-old schoolteacher with a wife and children who discuss classic themes of evil and good.
The allegorical view of humanity in Lord of the Flies directly conflicts with rationalism creation, becoming the basis of Golding’s thinking. His father’s rationalist optimism stated that sufficient effort could perfect humanity. It can clear anti-social and aggressive tendencies in society. From Golding’s point of view, the book is much more pessimistic about actual human makeup. He considered human nature to be permanently equal parts evil and good. Instead of seeking social reform, Golding felt that the destruction of social order could directly lead to a moral collapse at the societal level.
The Allegory of Militarism
Golding also develops the theme of violence in Lord of the Flies and modern creation by asking his character to form a democratic allegorical assembly. As well as being institutionalized in politics and the military, verbal violence significantly affects Jack’s character’s power play and the squad of hunters. It produced and established a small military dictatorship. Allegorically, boys’ assemblies reflect both ends of the civic and social spectrum. From pre-verbal tribal gatherings to modern government agencies, it shows that even though political forums have changed over thousands of years, the dynamics have remained the same.
Jack’s hunters managed to provide meat for the group in the book. It is because they take advantage of their innate ability to resist violence. So far, most communities have established mechanisms to channel aggressive impulses into productive projects or ventures. Such violence becomes a reasonable response to the needs of the group in which it feeds the population. In such a way, it produces positive results and effects. On the other hand, violence can be a motivator, and the outcome that society wants has no moral or social value. As with the hunters in the book, violence becomes cruel, savage, and evil at that very moment.
The Flaw of Human Nature
When Golding first released Lord of the Flies, he described the book’s theme as an attempt to trace society’s creation back to the allegorical of human nature. In short, the book’s simple theme is constant sadness. Of course, the book ends with Ralph mourning the mark of evil that he can never erase from everyone’s heart. The crime he barely suspected existed before witnessing the effect on his friends and supporters. The former schoolchildren thoughtlessly tried to dominate others, not their group. When the choice between the influence of intelligent civilization confronts and spoils them, they still choose to abandon the cultural values that Ralph represents.
In a similar vein, the source of sadness that Golding wants to convey is when he places school children in a depressing situation. The supposedly innocent schoolchildren in an environment that a tropical island protects illustrates a point. The point is that savagery is not limited to certain people in specific environments. However, it exists in everyone as a wound. If it is not dominating, human nature has a nobler side. In such a case, Godling represents the most petite boy who acts in innocence. Jack and his tribe show the same ruthless desire for domination. Adults who sacrificed wars that left boys stranded on the island exercise a desire to rule over others, acting like they saw adults.
Reference
Golding uses a lot of military, cultural, religious, and social ethos at the time, in contrast to other writers who use time and life as reference points in each author’s work. In conclusion, Lord of the Flies is a creation in the allegorical of a microcosm it follows and is familiar with. Besides many other events and objects, the island and the boys represent his views about humanity and the world in general. The reader finds many characteristics or values in British culture in particular.
On the other hand, Golding spent two years as a science student at the University of Oxford before abandoning his pursuit of science in favor of a degree in English literature. Significant personal life experiences shape himself and his work. By being the first step, he rejected the scientific rationalism that his father adhered to. After joining the British Royal Navy when World War II broke out, he was involved in the invasion on D-Day. After his military experience, he became a school teacher. During his 15 years as a teacher, he immersed himself in reading Greek classics. According to him, reading Greek classics is a flesh, feeling that Greek drama significantly influenced his works.
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