Lord of the Flies Written by William Golding Published in 1954 The novel was rejected by 21 different publishers A story of Good and Evil

About the Author William Golding was born on September 19, 1911 in Cornwall, England (Died on June 19, 1993) Attempted to write his first novel at the age of twelve Father was a schoolmaster and his mother was very involved in the Women’s Suffrage Movement

About the Author (continued) Attended Oxford and studied natural sciences before changing his focus to English Literature Graduated from Oxford in 1935 Became a schoolmaster in Salisbury, Wiltshire (just like his father) Won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1983

The War Years In 1940 (teaching career interrupted) William Golding joined the Royal Navy Commanded a rocket launching vessel Participated in the invasion of Normandy Golding’s experience in WW II had a profound effect on his views of humanity and the evils which it was capable

The Novel Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of English schoolboys marooned on a tropical island after their plane is shot down during a war Exploration of the idea of human evil The boys on the island descend into savagery Peace vs. Anarchy and Violence

More about the Novel Island is a microcosm for society Fundamental human struggle between the civilizing instinct to obey rules, behave morally and act lawfully and the savage instinct to seek power over others, act selfishly, scorn moral rules and indulge in violence

An Allegorical Novel The characters and objects in the novel are infused with symbolic significance that convey the novel’s central themes and ideas William Golding explores the spectrum of ways in which humans respond to stress, change and tension Various Views/Interpretations: the novel explores religious issues, Freudian views (ID, Ego, Superego) and criticism of political and social institutions of the West

Themes/Motifs/Symbols Civilization vs. Savagery Good vs. Evil Loss of Innocence Biblical Parallels (Garden of Eden allegory) Objects as well as characters will be used throughout the novel as symbols to reinforce various themes

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