Lord Of The Flies Allegory

The animalistic, selfish and inherently evil nature of human beings is illustrated and referenced through allegory, an act of interpretation to further demonstrate concepts of the human condition. In William Golding’s novel The Lord of the Flies, the characters and setting are read as an allegory linking directly to religious figures and biblical stories, including those of Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve and of Jesus Christ, to unveil the harsh truths about the boys’ inherent savagery and the inevitable deterioration of order and civilisation it ensues.

The constant controversy throughout the novel stems from a more sinister evil within them, that brings to mind the story of Cain and Abel; the two sons of Adam and Eve, from the Book of Genesis
- the first book of the Hebrew Bible. Cain was the the first human to be born and Abel was the first human to die, caused by Cain who committed the first murder by killing his brother. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph beats Jack in the race for chief due to his charisma and conviction. Jack’s boiling “mortification” seen in the first chapter of the book, is released in a full attempt to kill Ralph in the eleventh chapter, shown in this quote, “’I’m chief.’ Viciously, with full intention, he (Jack) hurled his spear at Ralph.” What was once petty jealousy developed into a motivation for murder, reflecting the idea of the Beast, which originated as a littlun’s nightmare and eventually escalates into an insatiable darkness encasing the island with the boys’ mounting fear.