AuthorWilliam Golding l British novelist l Born on

Author—William Golding l British novelist l Born on September 19, 1911, died 1993 l Studied Science and English at Oxford l Fought in Royal Navy during WWII l Participated in invasion of Normandy on DDay l At war’s end, returned to teaching and writing l Earned the Nobel Prize in Literature

The World Golding Knew l WWII 1939 - 1945 l The fall of France to Nazi Germany in 1940 l Britain feared an invasion and evacuated children to other countries l 1940 - A German U-Boat torpedoed a British ship carrying children, killing the boys, thus suspending the overseas evacuation program

On Writing Lord of the Flies “It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis. ” --William Golding

Inspiration l Golding once allowed his class of boys total freedom in a debate, but had to intervene as mayhem soon broke out l Experiences in war l Critical response to Coral Island by R. M. Ballanytyne (1857) l Philosophical questions about human nature: Are we born good and become evil? Are we born evil and become good? Nature vs. Nurture…

Philosophical Influence l Thomas Hobbes English Philosopher: 1588 - 1679 l Man is by nature selfishly individualistic l Man constantly at war with other men l Fear of violent death is sole motivation to create civilizations l Men need to be controlled by absolute sovereignty to avoid brutish behavior l

Philosophical Influence l Jean-Jacques Rousseau Geneva Philosopher: 1712 -1778 l Men are born good but become corrupted by the laws of mankind. l “Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. ”

Facts About the Novel l Rejected 21 times before it was published l It was his first novel- published in 1954 l Not successful until the early 1960’s l On the most frequently challenged books.

Story Synopsis l Set in mid 1940’s when Europe was engulfed in war. l A plane carrying British school boys is mistaken for a military craft and shot down. l Only the boys survive the crash and try to form a society and govern themselves.

Golding’s Message “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. ” --William Golding

Themes l Power/leadership styles l Mob Mentality (bullies) l Allegory l Human nature Nature Vs. Nurture l Good Vs. Evil l

Allegory l Lord of the Flies is an allegory on human society. l Golding represents the conflict between civilization and savagery in the conflict between the novel’s two main characters: Ralph, the protagonist, who represents order and leadership; and Jack, the antagonist, who represents savagery and the desire for power.

Allusions Use of the names Ralph and Jack as the main characters from The Coral Island. l Simon from the Bible “Simon called Peter”, Peter was the other boy’s name in The Coral Island l Mention of Coral Island Treasure Island l Numerous biblical allusions throughout: l The Island=The Garden of Eden l Simon=Jesus? l

Golding’s Literary Technique l Heavy use of symbolism l Motifs l Irony l Abundant l Figurative imagery and sensory detail Language: Simile; Metaphor; Personification

Lord of the Flies in Pop Culture In Hook, Robin Williams compares Lost Boys to savages in Lord of the Flies. l The Simpsons episode “Das Bus” is a parody l Inspiration for the anime series Infinite Ryvius l T. V. shows Survivor and Lost are said to have been inspired from Lord of the Flies. l 2006 movie Unaccompanied Minors makes reference to Lord of the Flies. l TV shows, such as 2 and a Half Men, also refer to this classic. l

l Stephen King uses the name “Castle Rock” (from the novel) as the name of a town in his books. He also makes reference to Lord of the Flies in the novels Cujo and Hearts in Atlantis l Orson Scott Card refers to it in Ender’s Shadow. Even Madagascar has a visual reference to the novel.