Geography comparison
The novel, “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, makes many connections with the
story of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis. Three connections include: The Island, The
forest, and the scar. Therefore William Golding compared the geography of the island with
many significant events within the book of Genesis.
First of All, Golding used the island as a whole to represent the Paradise known as the
Garden of Eden. This is shown when the novel says, “It was roughly boat shaped: humped near
the end with behind them jumbled decent to the shore. On either side rocks, cliffs, tree-tops
and a steep slope: forward there, the length of the boat, a tamer descent, tree-clad, with hints
of pink: and then the jungly flat of the island, dense green, but drawn at the end to a pink tail.
There, where the island petered out in the out in the water, was another island; a rock, almost
detached, standing like a fort, facing them across the green with one bold, pink bastion.”(pg,
26)This quote reveals how the island is similar to eh garden of Eden when the bible says, “And
out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good
for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and
evil.” (Genesis, 2:17) These quotes can be compared to each other because the both describe a
lush green paradise. Therefore Golding compared the geography of the island with the Garden
of Eden.
Furthermore, the forest in the Novel represents the idea of the tree of knowledge from
the book of Genesis. This is shown when the Ralph begins discussing the beast with a younger
boy, “Ralph laughed, and the other boys laughed with him. The small boy twisted further into
himself. Tell us about the snake-thing. Now he says it was a beastie. Beastie? A snake-thing.
Ever so big. He saw it. Where? In the woods.” (pg. 34) This can be compared to the Book of
Genesis, when the book of Genesis says, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the
field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, Hath god said, ye shall
not eat of every tree in the Garden?”(Genesis, 3:1) These two quotes can be compared because
they both introduce curiosity, in which the boys are curious about the beast in the forest and Eve
is curious about the Fruit on the tree of knowledge. In both stories the curiosity is brought forth
by a snake figure. Therefore Golding Compared the Geography of the island with the Garden of
Eden.
Finally, the Scar, Created by the plane when it Crashed, foreshadows that the boys are
going to lose their paradise. This is shown when the novel says, “The ground beneath them was a
bank covered with coarse grass, torn everywhere by the upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with
decaying coconuts and palm saplings. Behind this darkness of the forest proper and the open
space of the scar.” This shows that the scar represents something that will always be there and is
foreshadowing that the boys are going to lose the paradise. This can be compared to how Adam
and eve eventually ate the fruit and forever lost the ability to walk along side God and live in
paradise.
In Conclusion, William Goldings, The author of lord of the flies, created many significant
comparisons with the geography of the island that he created in his novel and the geography of
the Garden of Eden. Goldings did this by comparing the island as a whole with the Garden of
Eden, comparing the forest with the tree of knowledge, and using the Scar to foreshadow the loss
of paradise. Either Goldings was a very intelligent man or he was very lucky.