Lord of the Flies
eGrant Johnson
Per 4
Final Draft0-
The Allegory of Life
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies repeatedly contrasts with the morality-driven views of the controversial philosopher Frederick Nietzsche. Golding’s allegorical novel tells the story of a group of young boys who remain stranded on an island and left to their own instincts. Golding and Nietzsche would argue the issues the boys face are based on the morality and nature of man. Ralph, the protagonist, is delegated power by the other boys, while Jack, the antagonist, quickly becomes jealous of Ralph’s power. In Lord of the Flies, the conch, the masks, and the “lord of the flies” represent civilization, freedom and evil respectively. Golding supports a Judeo-Christian order, in which society designs morality and evil inspires fear; Nietzsche in contrast argues that man should follow personal morals and that evil will grow out of an ongoing struggle for power. Nietzsche would point to the contrast between the tribes of Ralph and Jack to support his belief that yes-saying should prevail over no-saying; that is, personal ideals should take precedent over societal ideals. Golding’s interpretation of the conch, the masks and the lord of the flies contrasts with Nietzsche’s ideas of morality and the nature of man and of society. Upon arriving on the island, Ralph discovers a conch that the boys use to call and control their assemblies. Golding uses the conch to represent the society and government which the boys construct. At the beginning of the book, the shell symbolizes their civility and order because they seem to follow and respect its powers. “Where the conch is, that’s a meeting…We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all we’re not savages” (Golding 42). Unknown to the reader at the time, this quote is quite ironic as the boys will later lose control and become savages competing for food and survival. Golding believes that civilization provides structure for man just as the conch provides order
Per 4
Final Draft0-
The Allegory of Life
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies repeatedly contrasts with the morality-driven views of the controversial philosopher Frederick Nietzsche. Golding’s allegorical novel tells the story of a group of young boys who remain stranded on an island and left to their own instincts. Golding and Nietzsche would argue the issues the boys face are based on the morality and nature of man. Ralph, the protagonist, is delegated power by the other boys, while Jack, the antagonist, quickly becomes jealous of Ralph’s power. In Lord of the Flies, the conch, the masks, and the “lord of the flies” represent civilization, freedom and evil respectively. Golding supports a Judeo-Christian order, in which society designs morality and evil inspires fear; Nietzsche in contrast argues that man should follow personal morals and that evil will grow out of an ongoing struggle for power. Nietzsche would point to the contrast between the tribes of Ralph and Jack to support his belief that yes-saying should prevail over no-saying; that is, personal ideals should take precedent over societal ideals. Golding’s interpretation of the conch, the masks and the lord of the flies contrasts with Nietzsche’s ideas of morality and the nature of man and of society. Upon arriving on the island, Ralph discovers a conch that the boys use to call and control their assemblies. Golding uses the conch to represent the society and government which the boys construct. At the beginning of the book, the shell symbolizes their civility and order because they seem to follow and respect its powers. “Where the conch is, that’s a meeting…We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all we’re not savages” (Golding 42). Unknown to the reader at the time, this quote is quite ironic as the boys will later lose control and become savages competing for food and survival. Golding believes that civilization provides structure for man just as the conch provides order