Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
Willam Goldings novel “Lord of a Flies” is a true masterpiece in analysing human behaviour and the impact that society has upon mankind. It was written in 1954, not long after the Second World War, therefore it is not hard to imagine that the inspiration for the book on some level comes from what Golding had experienced and read about during the war. In the novel, he plays a lot with the fact that all humans have evil inside them, it is just a question on how much it takes to release the evil. Everyone will show an evil side of themselves, even someone as innocent as children. It is all about the getting in the “wrong” situation.
Willam Goldings novel “Lord of a Flies” is a true masterpiece in analysing human behaviour and the impact that society has upon mankind. It was written in 1954, not long after the Second World War, therefore it is not hard to imagine that the inspiration for the book on some level comes from what Golding had experienced and read about during the war. In the novel, he plays a lot with the fact that all humans have evil inside them, it is just a question on how much it takes to release the evil. Everyone will show an evil side of themselves, even someone as innocent as children. It is all about the getting in the “wrong” situation.
The novel is set on an island and the inhabitants of this island are young boys who have just survived a plan crash. The two most outstanding characters of the story is Ralph and Jack, symbolising different views of what humans would be like without rules.
Ralph is at first the obvious leader. He is the one that calls the other boys to him and Piggy, using a conch sell. This is when we first meet characters such as Jack, Simon, Roger and the littl’unes (the youngest children). Jack sees himself as the leader, since he is already the leader of his choir, but the assembly state that Ralph should be chief and Jack in charge of hunting. They all realize that there is no one else on the island, so rules are set up, rules similar to the society they have come from.
The conch sell is in itself a very important character of the book. It is a symbol of how fragile our society is and how simple it is to rely on something just because it is there. The conch represents everything the boys are used to, all the rules they have lived after all their life. As most of the boys move further and further away from civilisation, the conch loses its importance. If no one wants to be reminded of the old ways or simply do not remember, then the conch is useless. The conch can only be a symbol of democracy if it is believed to be. When it is destroyed, together with Piggy’s death, is it a symbolic way to say that democracy and civilianisation has died and that there is no turning back.
As the book progresses, we get a deeper look at the main characters and what kind of people they really are. Their emotions, their values and their changes throughout the novel. The scene is set for rivalry between Ralph and Jack right from the start. But while Ralph is the humane one, the one that wants a functional community and democracy, Jack is the right opposite. He wants to break free of all the rules and has very hard to see on anything from a long-term point of view. If he wants something, he gets it: no concern of the consequence, not even a single though what his decision will lead to.
As the book progresses, we get a deeper look at the main characters and what kind of people they really are. Their emotions, their values and their changes throughout the novel. The scene is set for rivalry between Ralph and Jack right from the start. But while Ralph is the humane one, the one that wants a functional community and democracy, Jack is the right opposite. He wants to break free of all the rules and has very hard to see on anything from a long-term point of view. If he wants something, he gets it: no concern of the consequence, not even a single though what his decision will lead to.
Jack seems like an ordinary boy at a first glance, but he really changes for the bad when he starts painting is face when going hunting. By painting his face, he is able to hide from what is expected of him and with the paint on he can go wild and totally ignore the consequences of his actions. At first he just paints it for hunting, but then he keeps it painted at all times. That is when he really takes a turn for the bad, using the mask that the paint forms as a shield against his on conscience.
What is really interesting about the novel is that it takes up so many different themes, even though the setting is not in any way changed. Through out the novel there are just boys on an island, but the represent the whole of the human race. One example is the fact that some humans are prepared to anything to get power and will take it when there is opportunity, although they are not the ones that is suppose to have the power.
That is exactly what Jack does. He knows that Ralph is the rightful leader, but he cannot accept it. Jack is needy for power, and will use any measures to have it. He ignores the fact that Ralph is the serious, kind leader who wants keep a signal-fire going so that a ship might see it and they will all get rescued and return to society. Jack however does not see the point of returning to society and its stupid rules. He like making up his own rules and likes be in charge of the other boys. He does not think he needs society, because there he cannot do things the way he wants to do them. Jack likes feeling that rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins when he is being obeyed. He is not a better leader then Ralph, but he makes the boys believe that what he is doing is more important and more fun than what Ralph is doing.
Another big theme is the fear of the unknown. The rumours of “the Beast” are first something that is just spread around among the litt’unes, but then the fear spreads to the older boys as well. The Beast represents everything that one does not recognize or are not used to. In the novel they turn out fearing it, and it is often a quit normal human reaction; fearing the unknown. The conclusion can be proven by something as simple as many peoples reaction on for example homosexuals. There is so many who say that is “unnatural” and “disgusting”, but is that not usually just excuses used because the people who are saying them fear that that they too are unnatural and disgusting. Homosexuality is then just a personification of their on fear and the fear of what they do not know.
The whole novel is in some way directly linked to evil. Even the title of the book itself, Lord of the flies, is a direct translation of Beelzebub. Beelzebub is believed to be a very evil demon in the under world. Some might even say that it is the devil itself.