The Author’s Life and Work
Born in 1911 in St. Columb Minor, Cornwall, William Gerald Golding spent his childhood in an area of historical wealth. In all his life, he would never leave South England for a longer period of time. Golding attended the Marlborough Grammar School in Wiltshire, where his father was teaching. For his son, Alec Golding embodied rationality and knowledge. Even as a child William Golding did a lot of reading. Some of his favourites were Tarzan of the Apes (E. R. Burroughs), Coral Island (R. M. Ballantyne) and adventure stories by Jules Verne. These books portray man as basically good and fighting the evils brought upon by society. At the age of twelve, Golding decided to become a writer. He made early, ambitious attempts at writing. So he planned a twelve-volume work on trade unions of which not more than the first sentence ever was completed. Initially, his studies at college weren’t promising, either. As his parents had intended him to make a career as a microscopist, he began reading sciences at the Brasenose College in Oxford in 1930. But soon he felt that these rational subjects were not what he desired for and that “a career as a writer was inevitable” (Contemporary Writers 1). Hence he changed to literature and graduated from Oxford as a Bachelor of Arts. Neither did his Poems, published in 1934, nor the four years he spent acting and writing in London bring him satisfaction and success. After getting married in 1939, he took up teaching at a boys’ school in order to earn enough money for a living. Yet, again, he didn’t feel satisfied, but considered teaching a chore. In 1940 he joined the Royal Navy and took part in antisubmarine and antiaircraft operations. As a naval officer he was involved in D-Day. This six years of military service changed Golding’s concept of man’s nature. The atrocities of war he had witnessed contradicted his belief in man’s perfectibility and in man’s basic innocence. In his essay ‘Fable’ he states that “anyone who moved through these years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or sick in the head”, a sentence which has been cited by all his critics (e.g. McCarron 1-2) and which has branded Golding a pessimist. Accepting this term first, Golding had a hard time getting rid of it again.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE AUTHOR’S LIFE AND WORK
1.2 ROBINSONADES IN GENERAL
1.3 LORD OF THE FLIES AND THE ASPECT OF IGNORANCE
2 BODY
2.1 A SHORT OUTLINE OF THE PLOT
2.2 SYMBOLS
2.3 THE CHARACTERS
2.3.1 THE WAY OF THEIR CHARACTERISATION
2.3.2 SINGLE CHARACTERS
2.3.2.1 Piggy
2.3.2.2 Simon
2.3.2.3 Ralph
2.3.2.4 Jack and the Hunters
2.3.2.5 Samneric
2.4 LORD OF THE FLIES AND CORAL ISLAND: A COMPARISON
2.5 LORD OF THE FLIES – AN ADVENTURE STORY?
2.5.1 THE CHILDREN’S AND THE ADULTS’ IGNORANCE
2.5.2 CHILDREN AS THE CAST
3 CONCLUSION
3.1 FINAL ASSESSMENT
3.2 DEFICIENCIES OF THE DISCUSSION AND A PROSPECT
Objectives and Themes
This academic paper examines William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies through the lens of human ignorance, arguing that the characters' blindness to their own inherent evil mirrors a broader existential failure of humanity. The central research question explores how the protagonists' inability to recognize their primitive impulses necessitates civilization as a controlling force, and why Golding utilizes the Robinsonade tradition to expose this fatal ignorance.
- Analysis of Golding’s biographical influences and his disillusionment with human perfectibility.
- Evaluation of symbolic elements—such as the conch, fire, and the beast—as indicators of the boys' moral regression.
- Character studies examining individual blindness among key figures like Piggy, Simon, Ralph, and Jack.
- Comparative analysis between Lord of the Flies and Ballantyne’s The Coral Island to highlight Golding's subversion of optimistic adventure tropes.
- Discussion on the narrative perspective and the choice of children as a cast to expose universal human flaws.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 A Short Outline of the Plot
Owing to an aircrash, a group of British school boys, aged between six and twelve, find themselves on a tropical island. They probably have been evacuated, because a war rages. Two boys are the first to appear: one, tall, strong, fair, is called Ralph, the other, fat and asthmatic, admits to being called Piggy. Exploring the island, they find a conch which Ralph sounds. Other boys appear. Among them are a choir, led by Jack Merridew, and the twins Sam and Eric. Standing in the oppressive heat, one choir boy called Simon faints. The boys decide to elect Ralph their leader and to hold assemblies whenever the conch is blown. They agree on some more rules concerning food, the building of shelters, and their toilet. Afterwards, Simon, Jack, and Ralph explore the island and find that there are no other people. Having failed to kill a piglet, Jack decides to learn to hunt and to provide food. At the second assembly, a small boy claims to have seen a snakelike thing, a beast. He is never seen again after the boys, by using Piggy’s glasses, have lit a fire, which soon they lose control of.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: This chapter provides biographical background on William Golding, defines the "Robinsonade" literary genre, and introduces the central thesis regarding man’s fundamental ignorance of his own nature.
2 BODY: This core section analyzes the novel's plot, symbols, and character motivations, comparing Golding's work to Victorian adventure stories to demonstrate how the loss of civilization reveals inherent human evil.
3 CONCLUSION: The author summarizes the findings, reiterating that Golding’s purpose is to warn against the dangers of human blindness, and acknowledges stylistic aspects that remained outside the scope of this analysis.
Keywords
William Golding, Lord of the Flies, Robinsonade, Human Ignorance, Civilization, Symbolism, Character Analysis, Moral Regression, Inherent Evil, The Coral Island, Literary Criticism, Narrative Perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores William Golding’s Lord of the Flies with a specific emphasis on the concept of human ignorance and the characters' blindness toward their own inherent capacity for evil.
What are the primary themes discussed in the text?
Key themes include the critique of human nature, the failure of civilization, the symbolic significance of objects like the conch and glasses, and the subversion of traditional adventure story structures.
What is the primary research objective?
The primary goal is to prove that Golding uses the isolated setting of the island to demonstrate that man suffers from a fundamental ignorance of his own nature, which can only be mitigated by civilization.
Which scientific or analytical method is employed?
The paper utilizes a formal, text-based analysis, focusing on character behavior, symbolic interpretation, and comparative literary studies against established genre conventions like the Robinsonade.
What content is covered in the body section?
The body offers a detailed outline of the plot, a symbolic analysis, character-by-character studies of the boys' distinct forms of blindness, and a comparative critique against Ballantyne’s The Coral Island.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Significant keywords include William Golding, human ignorance, moral regression, civilization, and literary symbolism.
Why does Golding choose children as his primary cast of characters?
The paper argues that Golding uses children as "truer" characters to highlight the inherent nature of evil, making the message more effective and less offensive than if he had depicted adults behaving in a similar manner.
How does the author interpret the ending of the novel?
The author views the ending, particularly the naval officer’s perspective, as highly ironic; the "distance" between the boys' island and the adults' war is far smaller than the characters realize.
- Quote paper
- Gesa Giesing (Author), 1998, The Aspect of Ignorance in Golding's Lord of the Flies, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/28621
