British writer and novelist
 Studied science at Oxford
 Changed major to English
 Became an English teacher
 During WW II, he joined the Royal Navy
 Participated in the WWW II
 Familiar with its horrors and suffering
 “But I went through war and that changed me.”
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Lord of the Flies Golding’s most famous novel (1954)
Rejected by many publishers
Editor changed title from Strangers from Within to
LOTF. First chapter was omitted: (how boys arrive to
the island)
Novel classified as:
o Adventure story, island story, allegory, fable, children
literature
o It belongs to the Robinsonade tradition
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Effect of Ballantyne’s The Coral Island is evident in
LOTF:
o Characters names
o English boys
o Island stories
o Words, values and images
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Direct reference to The Coral Island in chapters 2,12.
Golding invites readers to compare between his and
Ballantyne’s (dialogue between texts/intertextuality)
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Civilization vs. savagery
Loss of innocence
Darkness of man’s heart
Good and evil
Evil is innate (original sin)
Democracy vs. dictatorship
Criticism of the public schools systems and
headmasters in particular
Fear (real fear is from human beings)
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Plot/events/actions
o Plot summary (the boy with fair hair , the fat boy, Ralph, piggy,
finding the shell/conch, calling the others, meeting no.1,
electing a leader/Ralph, Jack leader of hunters, exploring the
island, no adults/grown-ups, failed hunting attempt, “next time
their would be no mercy.”
o Characters (Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, Roger, choir boys,
little’uns)
o Setting (island/paradise, fictional/real world, microcosm vs.
macrocosm
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Plot/events/actions
o Plot summary (the boy with fair hair , the fat boy, Ralph, piggy,
finding the shell/conch, calling the others, meeting no.1,
electing a leader/Ralph, Jack leader of hunters, exploring the
island, no adults/grown-ups, failed hunting attempt, “next time
their would be no mercy.”
o Characters (Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, Roger, choir boys,
little’uns)
o Setting (island/paradise, fictional/real world, microcosm vs.
macrocosm
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Conflict (Ralph vs. Jack, Jack vs. Piggy, civilization vs.
savagery and primitive life, democracy vs. dictatorship,
innocence vs. innate evil
Symblism
o Characters (i.e. Ralph represents civilization, goodness,
democracy and leadership-- Jack represents evil, dictatorship,
savagery and primitive life– Piggy represents intellectuality)
o The shell/conch
o Meetings/elections/voting represent democracy
o Island represents paradise turning into hell at the end of the
novel—it also represents the real world