How Does Golding Present the Theme of Good Versus Evil in the Novel "Lord of the Flies"?
How does Golding present the theme of good versus evil in the novel "Lord of the Flies"?
William Golding's novel "Lord of the Flies" is at first impression a dramatic adventure story about a group of boys stranded on an island, whilst being evacuated from a war-torn world. However to the perceptive reader a more meaningful level of Golding's "Lord of the Flies" emerges. The novel is designed as an allegory; to a get a warning across to mankind about what Golding called the "Essential sickness of mankind". The island acts as a microcosm for the outside world; the boys themselves convey the flaws and the evil that seems to thrive in the mind of mankind as a whole race in a more deep and abstract way. In the opening the chapter the reader is presented with the first idea that is continued throughout the whole novel. The idea is man's negative impact on the island; "the long scar smashed into the jungle" is the first quote given to the reader about the impact man has on the island. The language used by Golding in this quote is very violent sounding and harsh, this helps with the idea of the quote. The word "scar" in the quote is quite significant to the idea of the negative impact; a scar is left by a deep wound and can be often associated with war and violence. The shuttle crashing on the boys' arrival has left the scar in the landscape and so being still innocent and unaware to a degree the boys have already become subjects to the violence, destruction and evil inherent to mankind in the novel "Lord of the Flies". Good and evil is presented through the characters early on in the novel. Ralph represents all things democratic and just, in the first few pages of the novel the reader can already tell that he is good rather evil. Ralph is ultimately good and Golding chooses to present this in the opening chapter through his eyes, "eyes that proclaimed no devil". It is often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul and if Ralph has "Eyes that proclaim no
William Golding's novel "Lord of the Flies" is at first impression a dramatic adventure story about a group of boys stranded on an island, whilst being evacuated from a war-torn world. However to the perceptive reader a more meaningful level of Golding's "Lord of the Flies" emerges. The novel is designed as an allegory; to a get a warning across to mankind about what Golding called the "Essential sickness of mankind". The island acts as a microcosm for the outside world; the boys themselves convey the flaws and the evil that seems to thrive in the mind of mankind as a whole race in a more deep and abstract way. In the opening the chapter the reader is presented with the first idea that is continued throughout the whole novel. The idea is man's negative impact on the island; "the long scar smashed into the jungle" is the first quote given to the reader about the impact man has on the island. The language used by Golding in this quote is very violent sounding and harsh, this helps with the idea of the quote. The word "scar" in the quote is quite significant to the idea of the negative impact; a scar is left by a deep wound and can be often associated with war and violence. The shuttle crashing on the boys' arrival has left the scar in the landscape and so being still innocent and unaware to a degree the boys have already become subjects to the violence, destruction and evil inherent to mankind in the novel "Lord of the Flies". Good and evil is presented through the characters early on in the novel. Ralph represents all things democratic and just, in the first few pages of the novel the reader can already tell that he is good rather evil. Ralph is ultimately good and Golding chooses to present this in the opening chapter through his eyes, "eyes that proclaimed no devil". It is often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul and if Ralph has "Eyes that proclaim no