Introduction to The Lord of the Flies William Golding -1993 Born in Cornwall England Lord of the Flies was his first novel ( ) Won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1983 Member of the Royal in World War II His experiences in the and as a teacher influenced his views about human These views are expressed in the novel Respond: Agree (A), Disagree (D), or It Depends (ID) à Being stranded on a tropical island would be paradise. à Children can naturally organize themselves. à Our environment can greatly impact the course of our lives. à Leaders rarely dominate weaker people. à People tend to follow a charismatic leader. à People often misjudge things they don t understand. à Children act differently from grown-ups. à There is usually a clear-cut winner in conflicts. Inspiration for the novel: Golding was inspired to write the novel after the he witnessed as a naval officer during World War II. He believed that the within people caused these horrors. Additionally, Golding based his novel on the popular English novel, The (1857).
Three boys are shipwrecked on an island live in happiness until they encounter their fear proves to be unfounded they are released into the hands of their teacher LOTF is a more alternative to TCI. Plot & Setting Golding s characters (all boys) are on an island (somewhere in the South Pacific) They set up their own society BUT, Golding s boys do live in and order. LOTF takes place during a fictional nuclear war (Golding wrote the novel less than a decade after WWII think of the bombs) Lord of the Flies as an Allegory Allegory a narrative in which people and objects have abstract or spiritual meanings. The structure of LOTF operates on an allegorical level; this means that almost every character, action, object, and detail can be interpreted on a level.. We will track symbols throughout the novel and decide what Golding is trying to teach us through them. Three Views of Interpretation Interpretation - Sigmund Freud conflict between the Id, the Ego, and the Superego -Lawrence Kohlberg s 7 Stages of Moral Development Interpretation -War-like images and allusions Interpretation -Conflict between good and evil -fall of man (based on Christian values) -Biblical allusions
Characters: Ralph Ralph is the most of the group and is twelve. He is initially chosen as leader due to his many positive qualities, such as his athleticism and pleasant appearance. He maintains a conflict with throughout the entire novel, attempting to keep whereas Jack isn't concerned with it. Ralph and Piggy together come to represent the struggle for order and. His name was derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for council. Piggy Piggy is a short, overweight boy who wears glasses, has, and represents order and democracy. While probably the smartest boy on the island, he lacks any skills whatsoever, and has trouble or fitting in with the others. His glasses play an important part of the book, as they are used over and over to start. Jack Jack is about Ralph's age, with a skinnier build and red hair. From the very beginning, he seems to harbor emotions of and savagery. At first, he is the leader of his choir group, who become hunters as the book progresses. His goal becomes to Ralph as chief/leader. His name is derived from Hebrew name Jacob which means supplanter or one who takes over. Simon Simon is younger than the previous three boys but older than the. He is good, loyal and pure, and he has the most outlook. Additionally, Simon is very in tune with the natural and spiritual worlds; therefore he is perceived as strange by the others because he likes to go off by himself to. He suffers from epileptic episodes/seizures. His name is derived from the Hebrew name "Shim'on, which means "one who " or "one who observes." Samneric and are identical twins who become Samneric because they are inseparable. The pair is treated like character in the novel.
Roger Roger is one of the older choir boys who is described as a slight, furtive boy who has a streak that reveals itself as the novel progresses. Literary Terms Theme: the idea the writer wishes to reveal about the subject Parable: a saying or narration in which something is expressed in terms of something. Setting: the time and place of a story Characters: the individuals in the story Characterization: the process of revealing the personality of a character in a story Plot: series of events that make up a story (exposition, rising action (conflict), climax, falling action, and resolution) Climax: the exciting or tense moment in a story when we realize what the outcome of the conflict will be Conflict: struggle or clash between opposite characters, forces, or emotions Symbolism: a person, place, a thing, or an event that stands for and for something itself. Point of View: the vantage point from which the writer tells the story -Third Person Omniscient: all ; narrator knows the thoughts, feelings, and actions of all characters -Third-person limited: narrator zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of just one character Lord of the Flies from third person omniscient to third person limited. Resolution: the moment when all the problems are resolved and the story is closed Some other information to consider: Beelzebub comes from a Greek word that means today, Beelzebub is known as another name for the. What do you think that means in relation to the novel? Jean Jacques Rousseau argued that man in the state of nature was essentially and that the corruption of the natural state of goodness can be attributed to living in the unnatural state created by
MAJOR QUESTION TO BE ANSWERED WHILE READING LOTF: Do you think Golding agrees or disagrees with this viewpoint? Do you? Pay close attention to: Setting why is the novel set on an island? Point of view the point of view shifts frequently throughout the novel sometimes the narrator follows just one character, and at other times the narrator assumes the role of an omniscient observer Foreshadowing Symbolism