Lord of the Flies

William Golding portraits two worlds in his novel. On the one side there are virtues, innocence, goodness and spirituality; on the other evil, guilt and racisum. He is a modern novelist who has successful portrait the lantent conflict in the minds of modern man.

Golding's 1st novel Lord of the Flies was published in 1954. The novel was 1st entitled 'Stranger's from within'. He employs a straight forward writing style in Lord of the Flies one that avoids highly poetic language, lengthy description and philosophical interludes.

This novel is a mock- imitation of Ballantyne's 'Coral Island' , one of the most famous adventure stories for boys. In Ballantyne's story the 3 castaway boys who experience many hardships and exciting adventures look back upon their days on the island as a happy period. But in Golding's book, the situation is reversed. Here. the castaway boys are thrown upon a pleasant island- with fruits, meat, lagoons and beaches for bathing. But they make a hell of this paradise. The evil snake in them comes out into their garden of Eden and tempts from within, in bloody savagery. The danger comes from within, in Golding's book, while in Ballantyne's story, the threat is external.

Thus this novel combines fiction with fable; an imaginary story with a significant moral. The central theme of evil in the book is suggested by the title itself. Lots  of critical interpretation were already made by readers and critics. Some believe that this novel is based on the history of civilization, some other believe the novel explores fundamental religious issues, such as original sin and the nature of good and evil.

Although Golding's story is confine to the microcosm of a group of boys, it resounds with implications far beyond the bonds of the small island and explores problems and questions universal to the human experience. No one take care of them and they lose their innocence and eventually develop savagery. In the end, one is inclined to join Ralph in experiencing' the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart'.

In the story, the pig's head on the stick symbolizes the Lord of the Flies. Golding chooses children as his protagonist. The innocence of the child and of man is a fallacy; by nature man has a terrible potentiality for evil. Golding uses lots of themes in this novel like civilization Vs savagery, Loss of innocence and so on...........

According to me it's a wonderful novel, the theme is still relevant in the 21st century. Every people is selfish, they cheat each other for there own benefit. Every one lose there goodness and mankind. Lord of the Flies is an appropriate title for a novel which teaches the moral that the dividing line between so called civilization and cruel barbarism is rather thin and if mankind is to build up an enduring society on democratic lines, all men should conquer the evil that lies within them. A good society can produce better children to the future!

Anushma.j.s