What You Didn't Know About William Golding
The amazing book Lord of the Flies actually has a lot more to it than you think.The many themes are familiar with the author possibly explaining why it’s so well written.William Golding’s experiences teaching and fighting in World War II can be seen as a strong theme in his book Lord of the Flies. First, being a war veteran he experienced the worst side of humanity, one where people would become savages.Additionally, he saw the collapse of civilisation, which is prevalent in Lord of the Flies as characters like Jack and the hunting group become less and less civilised.Furthermore, he shows the experience he’s had with kids to convey the brutality of mankind.
Knowing the behaviour of children, he could accurately portray their emotions, motivations, and actions.The way the kids always wanted to play probably represents what it’s like in the classroom for him; chaotic, loud and no one focused on what they should be doing. Secondly, imagery such as the decapitated boar’s head and the hanging pilot man probably described the things he could’ve seen during his army time.These terrifying images set the tone of the story.For example, the decapitation of the boar head is a very barbaric thing to do and the hanging pilot sends a grim foreshadowing; things Golding may have felt himself, or seen during the war. Lastly, there is a sense of good versus evil in this story.
Light versus dark.Order against chaos. This can be seen in World War II as well.The Allies against the Axis being the two opposing forces in the war!In the story, Ralph represents a lawful side whereas Jack is the opposite. In conclusion, the author’s experiences in the war and teaching strongly influenced his novel in these ways.
