Lord Of The Flies - Notes


The Lord Of The Flies
By
William Golding

William Golding was born in Cornwall, London in 1911. His father played an important role in his life. Initially, he went to oxford and studied science, but later turned to literature, especially old English. During WW II, he served as naval officer for five years and rose to be a lieutanent. He realised the dangers faced by modern man. Now we can find a reflection of all these experiences in his writings.
WORKS
1.      Lord Of The Flies (1954)
2.      The Inheritors (1955) – Deals with the story of primitive Neanderthal men.
3.      Pincher Martin (1956) – Known in the USA as “The Two Deaths Of Christopher Martin”
4.      The Spire (1964)

The story of “The Lord of the Flies” deals with four boys deserted on an island. The same theme is found in
1.      The Tempest
2.      Robinson Crusoe
3.      Treasure Island
4.      The Swiss Family Robinson
5.      The Coral Island
SOURCE
The Coral Island (1857) written by R M Ballantine is the source of William Golding’s novel, “The Lord Of The Flies”. In this book three English boys are stranded away from the care of adults on an island in the South Seas. The boys somewhat older than in Golding’s book have similar names. The boys in Coral Island are very proper British subjects who take upon themselves the task of turning the island into a miniature model of their mother country. They are very brave and they attack their problems the way adults would. Ballantine in a sense is beating the drum for Great Britain as an Empire builder and advancing the rather nationalistic prejudice the Britons have greater courage, higher morals and loftier goals than lesser mortals.
WHY GOLDING CHOSE A DESERTED ISLAND?
1.      To make it fascinating and interesting.
Ralph exclaims, “Here at last was……… place leaping into real life.
2.      An island is a small world all on its own within a larger one. – A microcosm within a macrocosom. It is like reducing life to a manageable governable size.
3.      Escapist value of the novel – The desert is like a retreat from the pleasures of the world. (“Away from it all attitude”)
4.      A challenge to man – One of our frequent nightmares is what would happen if all readymade supports of a civilised life disappear. The deserted island restores our self confidence to feel that it is possible to survive under difficult conditions. 




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