William Gerald Golding was born at St Columb, Cornwall, on 19 September 1911. He died on 19 June 1993 in Truro, Cornwall. Golding became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1955 and was awarded the CBE in 1966. In 1980 he received the Booker Prize and in 1983 Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. His multiple interests were to a considerable degree present in his writing. His fascination for archaeology is reflected i n The Inheritors 1 (1955) that Golding referred to as his own favorite among his novels. While digging as an amateur archaeologist, he discovered the remains of an old woman. He expressed his sensations when the skeleton was covered again with earth: “There is a sense in which I share the guilt buried beneath the runway, a sense in which my imagination has locked me to them. I share in what was at the least a callous act - in what at the worst may very well have been prehistoric murder.” Evolution and religion, two of the themes, which reappear throughout Golding’s writing, are addressed in The Inheritors. The most fundamental contribution to the evolutionary insight that man developed from animal, ape- like ancestors in the dim and distant past made Charles Darwin. His theory placed man at the top of evolution. Evolution became a synonym for progress. This new era of thinking influenced writers and provoked a strong reaction. One important example is The Outline of History by H.G. Wells, a rational supporter of the Darwinian theory. Deliberately prefixed to The Inheritors is the epigraph from The Outline of History. So the reader enters the novel with this passage in mind. … We know very little of the appearance of the Neanderthal man, but this … seems an extreme hairiness, an ugliness, or a repulsive strangeness in his appearance over and above his low forehead, his beetle brows, his ape neck, and his inferior stature. … Says Sir Harry Johnston, in a survey of the rise of modern man in his Views and Reviews: ‘The dim racial remembrance of such gorilla-like monsters, with cunning brains, shambling gait, hairy bodies, strong teeth, and possibly cannibalistic tendencies, may be the germ of the ogre in folklore. …’ (7)
It served as the initial stimulus for Golding’s work about the clash of two different species - the Neanderthal man and the Cro-Magnon man. The book turned up with high frequency on the lists of The World’s Ten Most Important Books or The Ten Most Important Books in My Life. [...]
Table of Contents
- 1. The People
- 1.1. Community Life and Image of Nature
- 1.2. Leadership
- 1.3. Religion
- 1.4. The Concept of Guilt
- 2. The New People
- 2.1. Community Life and Image of Nature
- 2.2. Leadership
- 2.3. Religion
- 2.4. The Concept of Guilt
- 3. Concluding Remarks
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper aims to analyze the portrayal of community life, nature, and religion in William Golding's The Inheritors. It examines the interactions between the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon communities, focusing on their differing social structures, worldviews, and concepts of guilt.
- The contrasting community structures and social dynamics of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons.
- The differing perceptions and interactions with nature within each community.
- The role and expression of religious beliefs or spiritual practices in both groups.
- The exploration of the concept of guilt and its implications within the narrative.
- The influence of evolutionary theory and pre-historic anthropological interpretations on Golding’s portrayal.
Chapter Summaries
1. The People: This chapter delves into the intricate social fabric of the Neanderthal community, providing a detailed portrait of their daily life, interactions, and worldview. Golding meticulously illustrates their unique understanding of nature, their social hierarchy, and their rudimentary religious practices, highlighting their emotional depth and complex social dynamics. The chapter carefully examines their concept of guilt, laying the groundwork for understanding their actions and reactions. This includes exploring their internal conflicts and the consequences of those actions on themselves and their community. The absence of a clear, defined leadership structure is notable, instead presenting a more egalitarian community in contrast to the later introduced Cro-Magnons.
2. The New People: This section shifts the focus to the Cro-Magnon community, presenting a stark contrast to the Neanderthals. The chapter illuminates the Cro-Magnon's distinct community structure, emphasizing their organized social hierarchy and more developed tools and technology, compared to the Neanderthals. Their interaction with nature is analyzed, revealing a more instrumental and exploitative relationship. Golding uses this to highlight how their different relationship with the environment affects their society. The concept of guilt, present in the Neanderthals, is examined within this group, revealing potentially different origins and expressions, and impacting their interactions with the Neanderthals. Their technological prowess and strategic behaviors are contrasted to the more instinctual actions of the Neanderthals, leading to conflict and ultimately, the Neanderthals' downfall.
Keywords
Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons, community life, nature, religion, guilt, evolution, prehistory, anthropology, William Golding, The Inheritors, social structures, Darwinism, H.G. Wells, primitive man.
Frequently Asked Questions: William Golding's *The Inheritors* - A Comparative Analysis
What is the main focus of this analysis of William Golding's *The Inheritors*?
This analysis focuses on comparing and contrasting the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon communities depicted in William Golding's *The Inheritors*. It examines their respective community structures, relationships with nature, religious beliefs, and concepts of guilt, exploring the impact of evolutionary theory and anthropological interpretations on Golding's portrayal.
What key themes are explored in the analysis?
Key themes include the contrasting community structures and social dynamics of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons; differing perceptions and interactions with nature; the role and expression of religious beliefs; the concept of guilt and its implications; and the influence of evolutionary theory and pre-historic anthropological interpretations on Golding's narrative.
What aspects of Neanderthal society are examined?
The analysis delves into the Neanderthal community's social fabric, daily life, interactions, worldview, understanding of nature, social hierarchy, rudimentary religious practices, and their concept of guilt. It emphasizes their emotional depth, complex social dynamics, and the absence of a clear leadership structure.
How does the analysis portray Cro-Magnon society?
The analysis presents the Cro-Magnon community in contrast to the Neanderthals, highlighting their organized social hierarchy, more developed tools and technology, and their interaction with nature as more instrumental and exploitative. It examines their concept of guilt and compares it to that of the Neanderthals, emphasizing the consequences of their actions and contrasting their behavior with the more instinctual actions of the Neanderthals.
What is the structure of the analysis?
The analysis is structured into chapters focusing on "The People" (Neanderthals) and "The New People" (Cro-Magnons). Each chapter explores the community life, image of nature, leadership, religion, and the concept of guilt within each group. A concluding section summarizes the key findings.
What are the key words associated with this analysis?
Key words include Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons, community life, nature, religion, guilt, evolution, prehistory, anthropology, William Golding, *The Inheritors*, social structures, Darwinism, H.G. Wells, and primitive man.
What is the overall objective of this paper?
The paper aims to provide a thorough analysis of the portrayal of community life, nature, and religion in William Golding's *The Inheritors*, focusing on the comparison between the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon communities and their differing worldviews.
- Quote paper
- Christiane Landsiedel (Author), 2003, Prehistoric Islanders. Community Life, Nature and Religion in William Golding's 'The Inheritors', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/31411
