William Golding's The Lord of Flie

William Gerald Golding was born in Cornwall, England on September 19, 1911. His father, Alec Golding, was a school master and his mother, Mildred Golding, was an active worker on behalf of women's suffrage and other causes. Golding's parents encouraged him towards science as an educational pursuit but, in his second year at Brasenoze College, Oxford, young Golding shifted his educational emphasis to literature. Today, he also admits to a fondness of archaeology, but it is rather a highly sophisticated knowledge of anthropology that crops us in his first two novels.
Golding's first published work was a slim volume of poetry, which appeared shortly after his Graduation from Oxford in 1934. He claims to have "wasted the next four years". When World war II began, he joined the Royal Navy in which he served with distinction for over five years. During this service, Golding had a variety of experiences, highlighted by his participation in the D–Day invasion of France. When Golding was discharged from the Navy at the war's end, he held the rank of lieutenant. There is no question that Golding's experiences in the Royal Navy were the most decisive of his life, particularly in his development as writer.
Lord of Flies is undoubtedly one of the most pronounced illustration of the split of human cycle and the consequent transformation of man into a beast. The theme of the novel advances upon the pillars of Allegorical parallels and contrasts that structure the world lived in and realized by the author. It is also said to be a forceful allegorical representation of evil in human heart.
The novel begins with the recreation of architypal pattern of a lonely individual in the disserted island. The beginning of the novel reminds us of Danial Defoe's Robinson Cruso (1719) swifts Guliver Travels Jules Vernice – The Mysterious Island. The architectural opening of the novel serves to intensity the effect, i.e. developed all along the length and breadth of the novel. At the same time, this opening renders a universal significance and value to the piece of fiction. The introduction of the location the island peopled by frightening vamparish image is imparted the pronounced metaphorical value and in turn is made a microcause of the world enduring onslaughts of the War on socio–cultural fabric of the world in general and Europe in particular. The views Ian Watt capture our attention. He in his appreciation of the first paragraph of The Ambassador says :
The primary location of the narrative in a mental rather than a physical continuum gives the narrative a great freedom from the restrictions of particular time and place.1
Evidently the locale of the novel serves to emancipate the theme and action of the novel from the Tyranny of time and space, and imparts it a sound metaphorical value that serves to universalize the latent meaning and experience.
Irony is unquestionably the most powerful weapon used by the author. The structure of the novel is built on the bricks of Irony and is veneered with the thick coat of allegory. The new habitation in a deserted island as an aftermyth of the ship–wreck is a new beginning where the dawn is fogged with dark clouds of various shades of evil. The antithesis is inevitable but the victory of evil over innocence and the defeat of intellect elucidated by the murder of Piggy by Rozer is a sound rectification of the meaning inherent in the narrative. It is obvious here that children are no longer children with conventional innocence but they are metaphors shaped by the whittling edges of irony. It is clear that the children in the novel issue forth an impression of graver reality that is shaping its own existence in an essential vicious and hostile world that is manifest along more than one direction. The views of Narcus Crouch invite our attention. He elevates the treatment of child characters and says :
Some of the children's novels are about identity, about children exploring – in William Penn's phrase – 'The house of their mind'. These too are books in which the distinction between the adult and child is at its most indistinct2.
Some of the best treatment in literature of entry into 'children's experience' and 'vision of living' are to be found in books that were written not for children but for adults. Our modern concept of childhood is built largely on the intelligent anti–determinant concern for children that has been enshrined in folklore, which was highly developed by Blake, Dickens, Charlotte Bronte and others. But, the most fashionable novels of our time often represent a complete rejection of those English tradition, as readers today admire the brutally selfish and anti–social man.
Philosophical biology finds men to be an animal with an extral cultural dimension closely related to his need for freedom. William Golding's novels fall within this scope of post–war fantasy–fiction which is a psychological exploration.
Lord of the Flies (1954) turns the long established boys' romance desert island tale into an intense, compelling allegory of the growth and corruption of political power3.
This simple story starts with a few boys wrecked on an uninhabited island with no grown ups around. It slowly builds up the tension of a thriller. The characterization in the novel is quite detailed as the story hangs on three principal figures who serve as human landscape, besides the picturesque island. Each one stands for a different cause reflecting his background, nature and values inherited. They depict the three essential qualities in man, i.e. intelligence, rational thinking and passion.
In effect it is a present day reconstruction of R.M. Ballantyne's famous 19th century adventure story Coral Island. But whereas the ship wrecked boys in his book soon organize themselves into a reasonable imitation of victorian God–fearing British Society, most of those in Golding's novel just as quickly relapse into savagry ...4
Golding is a man haunted by his own sense of human inadequacy, as, this novel does not belong to the eddifying and counter eddifying stream of anger – instead, it is a bold search which reflects his own vision of man. Through its portrayals of human beings and human problems, it brings forth important general principles of human behaviour and human relations. It demonstrates that humans are capable of intense evil, as a result of their own nature and not because of any outside factor. Ignorance and evil seems to drive the boys with the Fruedian ID which is an unconcious, a moral force within the human mind; whose function is to ensure the survival instinct.
The first Chapter opens with Ralph the hero. The story is about his psychological development from childhood to maturation. He encoutners a fat boy named Piggy; while wandering near the water the boys discover a large 'Conch'. It is a beautiful creamy pink shell which later on becomes the symbol of authority and sacredness as all the children are expected to show regards for it. The others who join in are some little ones, who later on are addressed by the generic title of 'littluns'. The rests are the members of a choir with a leader called Jack Merridew. Initially, everything goes on fine as Ralph becomes the chief with a wise counsellor Piggy; Jack and his choir members become the hunters besides, they are to take care of the fire on the mountain which is lighted to signal out for any passerby ship. Soon they form a society where shelter are built, water for drinking is stored and the rock serves as lavatory. Whole picture is of an ancient tribe with a chief and his kingdom. Ralph cheerfully says –
This is our island. It is a good island. Untill the grown ups come will have fun5.
Golding subtly explores the human psychology and gives a forewarning about Jack by hinting at the amount of pleasure he gets from the power he weilds. He is ruthless power–hungry, physically strong villain who is portrayed with ignoble instincts, leading to the formation of necessary evil in the society. Symbolically, the difference in the nature of the two boys is hinted through their hair; fair–headed Ralph signifies his faith in being fair at everything as compared to the red–headed Jack. Red colour signifies passion, fire, blood and lust. The seed of rivalry is sown right in the beginning though Jack is only sub–consciously aware of it. Diana Neill rightly points out –
Moral evil is the subject of Lord of Flies ...... The subject darkness in the human heart is made even more horrible by the fact that characters in the novel are children, young ones at that6.
As the novel proceeds we get a view at the evil streak in the heart of human, though mildly put, yet Golding has raised a very important point, when a big one "Maurice" tries to be mean with a littlun percival.
In his other life Maurice had received chastisement for filling a younger eye with sand. Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand. Maurice still felt the unease of wrong doing. At the back of his mind formed the uncertain outlines of an excuse7.
It is believed that much evil and most human vices are due to repressive and overly demanding ways of life, caused by adherence to the false conventions and values of civilization. In most cases, it destroys the essentially good and human qualities of people like Maurice and big bullies like Roger; who throws stones at young Henry though to miss; .....
as invisible yet strong was the taboo of the old life round the squatting child was protection of parents, school, policement and law8.
but he later on becomes a ruthless hunter and 'terror' as he beats us samneric and mercilessly and forces them to join in their tribe and work against Ralph.
The only child set apart from the rest is, Simon, who is bashful in public, wanders off alone; He appears as a shining hope; an epitome of wisdom; a Christ–like figure. This character is portrayed like a ray of hope that exist in the novel. Culture is seen as taking a foremost place in human make up and especially in the development of child : and when this restrain is lifted they gradually develop from ordinary to extra ordinary–evil or good. The choir group degenerates into a primitive tribe with painted faces and long hair. They are successful in killing a pig, but they neglect fire with the result a passing ship goes off without noticing them. This event symbolizes their rejection of life and siding with death. A lurking note of irony is discernable here; the choir which used to sing the Angels prayers on soft rhythms of music, now dances and sing.
"Kill the Pig, Cut her Throat, Spill her Blood"
and their laughter becomes a blood thirsty snarling at,
The knowledge that they have outwitted a living thing imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink9.
At this point Ralph realizes that a link between Jack and him has been snapped, and the islands too seems to split into two worlds.
There was the brilliant world of hunting lactics, fierce exhilaration skill; and there was the world of longing and baffled common sense10.
In ancient literature, we have instances, in which first advance was the rejection of idols in favour of a single God. This diety reflected a society where there is a tribal chief whom his people obeyed and he held supreme powers. The value of conch has been suggested and emphasized time and again by Golding. The Leader must possess it, equating him with the Sea–God 'Proteus' who blows a horn.
There is a symbolic association between Piggy and the conch. For Piggy it is something sacred, precious, God given and it is supreme. His worth as an intelligent friend and counsellor Ralph has slowly realized. With it has come the painful realization that the understandable and lawful world was being disintegrated, as the rules set initially were followed less and less.
A sensation is created where a dead parachutist drops on the mountain top and is called 'beast from air'. It is not surprising because the atmosphere prevailing is anything but congenial. It is born out of evil of ignorance.
The God of flies is none other than the Devil, lurking in the hearts of those fledglings, and waiting to reveal himself only until such time as he is no longer held in check by the taboos of civilization11.
The hero too, is only human as he gets immense pleasure when he is successful in piercing the flesh of a pig with appearance. While, Jack and hunters drop down from the level of humanity and are called 'savages'. They involve themselves in the gruesome act of sheer violence when they spot a sow and injure her, chase her excitedly as though 'wedded to her lust'. This phrase has added a sexual connotation symbolically signifying the adult intimacy with evil. They perch the head of the sow on a sharpened stick as a gift for the Beast. The blackening blood has lot of flies gathered around and the pig head looks like Lord of Flies. Golding has omniously placed the children in the primitive situation where God was military and jealous, and not the merciful Lord Jesus. Quite unawarely the choir group cease to be Christian and become the followers of Beelzebub who was known as the Lord of Flies. The description of the devil compels us to agree with Diana Niell,
particularly striking is his power to communicate the terror in Human heart before the unknown in nature and the all too clearly discernable cruelty in man12.
Simon watches the whole scene from his small paradise where butterflies are dancing around. The Lord of Flies tries to communicate to Simon.
The half shut eyes were dim with the infinite cynicism of adult life. They assured Simon that every thing was a bad business ...13
He urge him to go back to others as entirely good has no chance on the earth. He resembles Mephistophilis who warn Dr. Faustus about the consequences and tries to pursue him to go away. It is as though the devil is trying to communicate to Christ realizing fully well that Christ even today will be crucified. Simon is sure that the only evil is 'in us', so, he goes to the mountain top and solves the mystery of beast and discover it to be a dead human being. He untangles the dead body and runs down to tell others that they need not be scared of it any more. But the satanic looking figures with painted faces were so soaked in their lustful dance, that they refuse to acknowledge him 'as one of them' and mercilessly stab him to death. The storm breaks in all its fury, and boys run for shelter and the body of Simon and dead Parachutist is washed out by sea.
Ralph and Piggy were out of it all yet, they feel guilty and responsible for the act against Nature. Jack on the other hand refuses to acknowledge that they have committed a murder. He turns out to be an absolute dictator. He beats us a boy called Wilfred after tying him up for several hours, raids the shelters and runs away with Piggy's broken glasses and refuses to listen to any reasoning for returning them. The abuse of his power over the 'outsiders' leads him to a feeling of wild abandonment during which the symbol of sensible orderly procedure that is the coach is not merely destroyed but broken into a thousand fragments. The Conch and Piggy, the last of the civilized society, are smashed down together. Roger hurls a big stone, only this time not to miss, but to kill Piggy. Roger has now freed himself from the civilized world of parents and laws, policemen, which is remote and distant.
It is the story told with meticulous realism and at the same time with a visionary clarity that shows up everything as symbolic; of a group of small children wrecked on a desert island degenerating into a society based on fear, violence and tyranny14.
Golding has visualized his memory of World War II and the brutal slaughter of human life, transferred it to the world of children, the tragedies of the adult world are re–enacted, where under extreme stress, they show capacity for self harm. Ralph is chased and sought like an animal in utter barbarism with pass words, arrows, clay daubings and ceric battle cries. They put the entire island on fire creating the picture of war.
The final nightmare scene is ended abruptly by the arrival of a rescue ship. Yet, there is no sense of relief since the darkness revealed in the human heart leaves little hope for future15.
Ralph wept for the end of innocence and for Piggy. In the last encounter scene, with the officer, Ralph immediately replies to him that he is the Chief while Jack shrinks. He finds himself unprepared to own his crime and hesitates.
Moral evil then, is the subject of the novel, where original sin destroys the garden of innocence. The human race has time and again shown that Golding's vision is an accurate one. But he offers no direct solution to the problem he presents. Yet he hints at certain saving graces like Piggy and Simon. Knowledge of a problem is a great step in arriving at a solution. The movement is from specific to universal.
Golding has made a major contribution in the field of self awareness as every reader feels actively involved in it. The outcome of the struggle in the last scene can be conceived optimistically or pessimistically, depending upon how he interprets the miraculous rescue in the last scene. However, deficient our modern society might seem but civilization is the only thing that restrains mankind from a life of barbarianism and dehumanization. Goldings view has a lesson of morality to teach humanity that the civilized behaviour is the only hope for mankind to achieve a higher and more desirable ethical state.

References
1Ian Watt, The First Paragraph of The Ambassador 20th Century Literary Criticism : A Reader, ed. David Lodge (London : Longman, 1989) 533.
2Marcus Crouch, The Nesbit Tradition The Children's Novels in England 1945–70 (London : Earnest Benn Limited, First Pub. 1972, This Ed. 1972) 196.
3John Holloway, The LIterary Scene, The New Pelican Guide to English Literature – The Presented Bories Ford (London : Penguin Book, First Pub. 1983, This Ed., 1987) 101.
4Gilbert Philips, The Post–War English Novel (Pelican Guide) 435.
5William Golding, Lord of the Flies (London : Faber and Faber Limited, First Pub. 1958, This Ed. 1982) 38.
6Diana Neil, A History of the English Novel (New Delhi : Kalyani Publications, First Pub. 1962, This Ed. 1979) 389.
7Golding 65.
8Golding 67.
9Golding 75.
10Golding 76.
11Emile Legoise, Louis Cazamian, The History of English Literature (New Delhi : Macmillan India Limited, 1979) 149.
12Neil 389.
13Golding 152.
14David Daiches, A Critical History of English Literature (New Delhi : Allied Publishers Limited, First Ed. 1979, This Ed. 1992) 1175.
15Neil 389.