LORD OF THE FLIES BY WILLIAM GOLDING English 10H, Ms. Mathews

William Golding

About the Author  William Golding was born on September 19, 1911 in England.  Attended Oxford University, where he received a degree in English Literature  He joined the Royal Navy in 1940 and fought during WWII.  Was appointed Commander of the British Empire in 1966 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988  Died of heart failure on June 19, 1993

Writing Career  September 1953: manuscript for Lord of the Flies was rejected by Faber & Faber  September 1954: after cuts and edits, Lord of the Flies was published  It was shortly followed by The Inheritors, Pincher Martin, and Free Fall  Publishing success allowed him to resign his teaching post at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in 1961 and move to the US to work as a writer-in-residence at Hollins College

Lord of the Flies

What should I come to understand by the end of this unit?  There is a little bit of evil in all of us.  The true nature of humans has perplexed thinkers for thousands of years.  Novelists often use their fiction to make statements about their personal or political beliefs.

Essential Questions  What is our true human nature?  Why do people disagree about our true human nature?  How does Golding use setting and characters in Lord of the Flies to express his ideas about people?  How do people and their decisions impact society?

LOTF Facts  Most of the characters, actions and objects in the novel symbolize larger ideas  Golding’s novel deals with the conflict between the rational mind and natural instinct  Golding believed that people were instinctively evil and society was needed to protect humans from each other.

Premise of the novel  The novel takes place during a fictional nuclear war in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s.  A group of British schoolboys, aged 6-12, are flown out of their country to “protect” them from the horrors of war.  However, their plane crashes, killing all the adults on board.  The boys remain stranded on the tropical island to fend for themselves…

The Island There is plenty of water and fresh fruit a boring diet, but sufficient enough for survival No threats from man or nature on this island A coral reef beyond the beach either keeps the boys in or protects them from the outside world.

Themes  The need for civilization  Loss of innocence  Blindness and sight  Fear of the unknown  The effects of power on humankind and society

Characters  Jack  Ralph  Piggy  Simon  Roger  Sam and Eric (SamnEric)  The littluns

Symbols  The conch shell  Piggy’s glasses (specs)  The island itself  The “scar”  The Beast  Lord of the Flies  The signal fire