Lord of the Flies was first published in 1954 and from then on has been read by millions of pupils, students and adults. Today the book is still popular as it deals with a subject that is timeless and fundamental : the human struggle between civilisation and the savage instinct. The book is a fable showing how the inherent evil in man’s nature threatens order in a society. Golding uses an allegorical story to illustrate this threat to civilisation. Because of it’s timeless topic and because it is an ideal showcase for allegorical structure and literary analysis the novel has been dealt with in numerous school lessons and university courses.
This paper gives an overview of some aspects of Lord of the Flies which are important for understanding the text and interpreting the film. I will first investigate how the characters are presented in the book and comment on some narrative aspects. I will then go on to discuss the role of the book as an anti-robinsonade in the historical context of the English novel. I will also point out some philosophical aspects of Lord of the Flies. I am going to focus on aspects of the view of human nature as argued by Thomas Hobbes in his book The Leviathan and contrast it against the philosophy of Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Being one of the most successful English novels Lord of the Flies has been turned into a movie twice: One version is from 1963 in black and white by Peter Brook and a later one from 1992 by Harry Hook. Due to its better visual quality it is usually the latter one that is chosen to be shown in class by teachers. Unfortunately this version neglects some of the key aspects of the novel. The second part of this paper will investigate how this film has adapted Golding’s novel and point out some of the shortcomings of this adaptation. I will concentrate on differences between the book and the movie. I am going to demonstrate how Hook presents his characters and how he treats symbols. Furthermore I will comment on some narrative features of the film. David Bordwell suggests a definition of ‘narration’ as “the organization of a set of cues for the construction of a story” . I will investigate how Harry Hook organises these cues and how they are conveyed to the audience.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2 LORD OF THE FLIES BY WILLIAM GOLDING
2.1 Characters
2.2 Narrative aspects
2.3 Symbolism in the novel
2.4 Philosophical and political aspects in Lord of the Flies
2.5 Robinsonade and anti-robinsonade
3 THE MOVIE LORD OF THE FLIES BY HARRY HOOK
3.1 Characters
3.2 Narrative aspects
3.3 Symbolism in the film
3.4 Is the film an anti-robinsonade?
4 CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" and its cinematic adaptation by Harry Hook, focusing on how both works explore the struggle between civilization and innate human savagery. The central research question investigates whether the film successfully captures the philosophical and allegorical depth of the novel or if it simplifies the narrative through a more optimistic, mainstream approach.
- Comparative analysis of character development in the novel versus the film adaptation.
- Evaluation of narrative techniques and technical codes used to convey psychological states.
- Examination of symbolic elements like the conch and the "beast" in both media.
- Discussion of philosophical influences, specifically the conflicting views of Hobbes and Rousseau on human nature.
- Classification of the novel as an "anti-robinsonade" and the assessment of whether this categorization holds for the film.
Excerpt from the Book
2.4 Philosophical and political aspects in Lord of the Flies
Alastair Niven suggests that “if the student of Lord of the Flies wants to read just one book as background to the novel then The Leviathan is a good choice”15. In this book Thomas Hobbes depicts a very negative concept of human nature and describes it by “homo homini lupus”16. He denies that man is by nature a social being. Humans, according to Hobbes, are fundamentally guided by self-interest and are in constant fear of a violent death. The ‘state of nature’ describes the condition of humanity if there were no checks and balances to restrain it. Hobbes claims that in the ‘state of nature’ every human being has the natural right to do everything to protect and defend itself against others and do “anything which, in his own judgement and reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto”17. This would ultimately lead to violence, anarchy and chaos. If there was no government having absolute authority life would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”18. Hobbes believes that the innate bestiality of human beings is only solvable by a good government. Thus there has to be a sovereign (a leviathan) to whom individuals in a society must surrender their ‘right of nature’. This sovereign should have the monopoly on the initiation of the use of violence and use it to protect members of society against the wildness of nature and the anarchistic opposition of their fellow men to ensure internal peace.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the core conflict of the novel and outlines the paper's intent to compare Golding's original text with Harry Hook's 1992 film adaptation.
2 LORD OF THE FLIES BY WILLIAM GOLDING: This section provides a detailed literary analysis of the novel, covering character archetypes, narrative structure, symbolism, philosophical foundations, and its status as an anti-robinsonade.
3 THE MOVIE LORD OF THE FLIES BY HARRY HOOK: This chapter analyzes the cinematic adaptation, evaluating how Hook translates literary characterization, narrative techniques, and symbolism into film, and whether he maintains the novel's critical message.
4 CONCLUSION: The concluding chapter synthesizes the comparison, arguing that the film fails to retain the deep allegorical meaning of the novel due to its prioritization of mainstream cinematic conventions.
Keywords
Lord of the Flies, William Golding, Harry Hook, film adaptation, civilization, savagery, human nature, allegory, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, anti-robinsonade, symbolism, narrative techniques, characterization, literary analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this paper?
The paper explores the thematic and narrative differences between William Golding’s 1954 novel "Lord of the Flies" and Harry Hook’s 1992 film adaptation, specifically regarding their depiction of human nature and civilization.
What are the core thematic fields addressed?
The core fields include literary and film theory, moral philosophy (Hobbes vs. Rousseau), and the study of the "robinsonade" genre and its subversion in Golding’s work.
What is the research goal of this work?
The goal is to determine if Hook's film adaptation successfully conveys the complex philosophical and allegorical messages present in Golding’s novel or if it renders them superficial.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a comparative, analytical approach, examining narrative codes, character development, symbol usage, and the historical-philosophical context of both the novel and the film.
What does the main body cover?
The main body provides an in-depth character and narrative analysis of the book, a critique of the film’s adaptation strategies, and a discussion of the philosophical "anti-robinsonade" framework.
Which keywords characterize this analysis?
Key terms include civilization, savagery, allegory, anti-robinsonade, and comparative media analysis between novel and film.
How does the film's version of the conch differ from the novel?
In the novel, the conch's destruction signifies the death of democracy, whereas the film presents a more optimistic view where the conch does not break, suggesting the foundation of democracy remains intact.
Why does the author argue that the film is not an "anti-robinsonade"?
The author suggests that by adding an adult character (Captain Benson) and changing the context of the rescue, the film undermines the "test conditions" of Golding's experiment, making the film's moral outlook more optimistic than the novel's.
- Quote paper
- Benjamin Althaus (Author), 2005, Lord of the Flies - parallels and differences between Golding's novel and Hook's cinematic adaption, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/44567
