Themes In the Lord of the Flies William

~Themes~ In the Lord of the Flies

William Golding on Theme: “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable. The whole book is symbolic in nature except the rescue in the end where adult life appears, dignified and capable, but in reality enmeshed in the same evil as the symbolic life of the children on the island. ”

What is theme? Just a reminder…. “Theme” is a main idea, moral, or message in a text. There a number of themes, both obvious and subtle, in the Lord of the Flies Central to many of themes is the idea that the island represents a microcosm of human society

Some Themes Include… The Need for Civilization Innocence and the Loss of it The loss of identity Power Fear of the Unknown The Indifference of Nature Blindness and Sight

The Need for Civilization: Civilization and the rules of society are what keeps mans inherently “dark” nature at bay. Golding explores the idea of civilization in this text to make an important point: contrary to the belief that man is innocent and society evil, the story shows that laws and rules (and policemen and schools) are necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in line. When these institutions and concepts slip away or are ignored, human beings revert to a more primitive part of their nature.

Golding’s Conclusions/Message People are naturally evil, and only rules (laws) and the threat of punishment make them act civilized. And every person is capable of evil since man is innately evil and, given the chance, most carry out their evil thoughts.

Innocence and the Loss of it The existence of civilization allows man to remain innocent or ignorant about his true nature (inherently evil? ) Although man needs civilization, it is important that he is aware of his primitive instincts. If not, he/she cannot reach maturity. Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person’s understanding of human nature. Understanding is necessary for survival

Do you agree or disagree? Why? Everyone is capable of evil, as human beings are innately uncivil and naturally destructive

The Loss of Identity Civilization separates man from the animals by teaching him to think and make choices. When civilization slips away and man reverts to his more primitive nature, his identity disintegrates. The boys use masks to cover their identity, and this allows them to kill and later to murder. The loss of a personal name personifies the loss of selfhood and identity.

Loss of Identity Landing on the beach after the plane crashed and sank, the boys were fairly clear about who they were and what they were about. One could say that at that moment in time they were still highly civilized. However, before long, as a result of their isolation from all they knew - their separation from all they were familiar with - and their rapidly devolving values and goals, the boys started to lose their identities. They began to regress to more primitive states and they adopted identities that matched their current positions on the newly evolving hierarchy.

Power Different types of power, and how power is used and abused, is central to the story Each kind of power is used by one of the characters. Democratic power is shown when choices and decisions are shared among many Authoritarian power allows one person to rule by threatening and terrifying others. Spiritual power recognizes external realities and attempts to integrate them. Brute force, the most primitive use of power, is indiscriminate

Fear of the Unknown Fear of the unknown on the island revolves around the boys’ terror of the beast. Fear is allowed to grow because they play with the idea of it. They cannot fully accept the notion of the beast, nor can they let go of it. They whip themselves into hysteria, and their attempts to resolve their fears are too feeble to convince themselves one way or the other. The recognition that no real beast exists, that there is only the power of fear, is one of the deepest meanings of the story.

The Indifference of Nature Throughout much of literature, the natural world has been portrayed as “mother nature”, the protector of man. In Lord of the Flies nature is shown to be indifferent to humanity’s existence. When nature creates a situation which helps or hinders mankind, it is an arbitrary happening. Man may be aware of nature, but nature is unconscious or unaware of mankind.

Blindness and Sight Being blind and having special sight are interwoven themes. One who is blind to his immediate surroundings usually has special understanding of things which others cannot fathom. This person sees more, but he is not seen or recognized by those around him. Such a person is often considered a fool and ridiculed by others. Can you name the characters with special sight in Lord of the Flies?

Discussion What makes an individual powerful? How does individual power change in relationships with others? Do individuals control groups, or do groups control individuals? How does a society maintain order? Are laws necessary? How do fear and desire for acceptance influence human behavior? What are the implications for contemporary society? Does violence create power or control?

Today’s Activity 1) Using your text, find a quote, (including the page number!) that indicates one of themes discussed today 2) Write the quote on the sticky note provided 3) Take the sticky note and “park it” (place it) on the appropriate bristol board (based on theme it represents)