Page 92 - The Gonzaga Record 1985
P. 92
LORD OF THE FLIES.
William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies as a critique of the adult world. He
wanted to show that society's faults are due to human nature, and that society
depends on the ethics of individuals, and not on any political system, however
respectable and/or logical. Thus one can see close parallels between the boys'
world on the island, and the adults' world; for human nature commands society's
structure, whether the environment is natural or man-made; primitive or civilised.
One parallel is through nature. Man's destructive force is shown in the book by
the boys' attacks on nature. They push rocks in to the forest, causing 'a long tear in
the jungle'; they set fire to it twice (once at the end of Chapter Two, when the
birthmarked boy is burnt alive, and then at the end of the book, when animals flee
from the raging blaze in their forest, caused by Jack's tribe's attempt to smoke
Ralph out of the thicket; they kill its creatures. The exploitation of nature ·is
summed up by the killing of the sow; it itself has parallels to rape and sexual desire
('the boys are wedded to her in lust').
But the destructive power of the boys (and its connection with the adult world) is
not only illustrated by the misuse of nature; they also attack and kill humans.
While the adult world is blowing itself apart, the boys kill Simon and Piggy. As
early on as the opening pages we learn of a war. Piggy says: 'We was attacked!'.
Later on, when Roger is throwing stones to either side of one of the 'littleuns', the
book says; 'His aim was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him,
and was in ruins.' The war is probably world-wide and atomic, between the 'West'
and the Communists (e.g. Ralph's remark 'We might get captured by the Reds'.)
By then we have witnessed a battle 'fought at ten miles height' with little lights
winking and going out, and faint 'poppings'. Thus the adults' world destructive
nature has gone beyond exploitation of nature, and has become an Armageddon.
Meanwhile, the boys on the island are progressively becoming more warlike.
From the meeting in Chapter One we learn that Jack's group are to be 'hunters',
and by Chapter Four they have "painted faces" and carry spears, and when they
catch and kill a pig they chant warlike, and enact the pig's death on top of the
mountain.
All this is only a game at first, but as the book goes on, it becomes serious and
dangerous. In a re-enactment it almost becomes real; then Jack remarks that 'we
should use a littleun' and kill it. Eventually, Simon, the symbol for gentleness,
philosophy and Christianity (Golding called him 'a Christ figure, a visionary, a
lover of mankind') is slaughtered by the 'savages'. A littlun is tortured; Piggy is
killed , symbolising the rejection of rationality and science. Ralph is hunted down
and is saved from death only by the naval officer.
Thus there is destruction both in the boys' world and in the adult world. When
the naval officer rescues them at the end of the book, he makes some especially
ironic remarks: 'What have you been doing? Having a war or something? Fun and
games? Two killed? I should have thought a pack of English boys - you're all
English , aren't you? - should have been able to put up a better show than that!'
While the world of the officer is destroying itself, and while he has a revolver at his
hip, and two ratings with sub-machine guns behind him , he cannot comprehend the
parallels in the island world. This is symbolic of man's failure to face up to, and
correct, his own faults and his evil.
84
William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies as a critique of the adult world. He
wanted to show that society's faults are due to human nature, and that society
depends on the ethics of individuals, and not on any political system, however
respectable and/or logical. Thus one can see close parallels between the boys'
world on the island, and the adults' world; for human nature commands society's
structure, whether the environment is natural or man-made; primitive or civilised.
One parallel is through nature. Man's destructive force is shown in the book by
the boys' attacks on nature. They push rocks in to the forest, causing 'a long tear in
the jungle'; they set fire to it twice (once at the end of Chapter Two, when the
birthmarked boy is burnt alive, and then at the end of the book, when animals flee
from the raging blaze in their forest, caused by Jack's tribe's attempt to smoke
Ralph out of the thicket; they kill its creatures. The exploitation of nature ·is
summed up by the killing of the sow; it itself has parallels to rape and sexual desire
('the boys are wedded to her in lust').
But the destructive power of the boys (and its connection with the adult world) is
not only illustrated by the misuse of nature; they also attack and kill humans.
While the adult world is blowing itself apart, the boys kill Simon and Piggy. As
early on as the opening pages we learn of a war. Piggy says: 'We was attacked!'.
Later on, when Roger is throwing stones to either side of one of the 'littleuns', the
book says; 'His aim was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him,
and was in ruins.' The war is probably world-wide and atomic, between the 'West'
and the Communists (e.g. Ralph's remark 'We might get captured by the Reds'.)
By then we have witnessed a battle 'fought at ten miles height' with little lights
winking and going out, and faint 'poppings'. Thus the adults' world destructive
nature has gone beyond exploitation of nature, and has become an Armageddon.
Meanwhile, the boys on the island are progressively becoming more warlike.
From the meeting in Chapter One we learn that Jack's group are to be 'hunters',
and by Chapter Four they have "painted faces" and carry spears, and when they
catch and kill a pig they chant warlike, and enact the pig's death on top of the
mountain.
All this is only a game at first, but as the book goes on, it becomes serious and
dangerous. In a re-enactment it almost becomes real; then Jack remarks that 'we
should use a littleun' and kill it. Eventually, Simon, the symbol for gentleness,
philosophy and Christianity (Golding called him 'a Christ figure, a visionary, a
lover of mankind') is slaughtered by the 'savages'. A littlun is tortured; Piggy is
killed , symbolising the rejection of rationality and science. Ralph is hunted down
and is saved from death only by the naval officer.
Thus there is destruction both in the boys' world and in the adult world. When
the naval officer rescues them at the end of the book, he makes some especially
ironic remarks: 'What have you been doing? Having a war or something? Fun and
games? Two killed? I should have thought a pack of English boys - you're all
English , aren't you? - should have been able to put up a better show than that!'
While the world of the officer is destroying itself, and while he has a revolver at his
hip, and two ratings with sub-machine guns behind him , he cannot comprehend the
parallels in the island world. This is symbolic of man's failure to face up to, and
correct, his own faults and his evil.
84
