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Boys Fighting Man's War Analysis

Submitted By
Words 2504
Pages 11
Caleb Alexander
Mrs. Walls
AP Literature
May 8, 2015
Lord of the Flies
Boys Fighting Man’s War
I. Introduction
Greed, jealousy, and murder three of man’s original sins. Since the time of Cain and Able, humans have had an inner hunger for power and savagery. Over time this nature has been hidden, but not totally erased from Man’s nature. In today’s world politics are filled with corruption in every corner of the globe, yet they hide their nature of greed for power. William Golding served in the Navy during World War 2 where he witnessed human tragedy like no other. Inspired by what he saw, Golding wrote his most popular novel in 1954 titled Lord of the Flies. The novel is set on a remote island where a group of young boys had survived an airplane …show more content…
Yet as soon as the children are forced to assume responsibility and attempt to have order such as the “adults”, they immediately begin to decay into corruption. This change is also seen in the setting of the novel. When the children arrive to the island, it is lush and full of beauty. Some would compare this initial beauty to that of the Garden of Eden. As time moves on an unholy being both directly and indirectly influences the children, playing with their emotions especially pride. As each of the children’s pride begins to grow so they also begin to fall. Eventually it all ends in violence and brutality, and the first to go are Simon and Piggy who represent the characteristics of logic and moral reasoning. In any situation involving pride and violence, logic and moral reason are the first two things to be killed off. The manner in which they are killed is ironic in itself. Simon, the logical one, is corrupted by the Lord of the Flies and loses his mind. Piggy, the moral reason, dies by trying to get others to listen to him. By fighting for what he believes in the others kill him off to shut him up. Logic question the meaning of it all, and although others listened to him the supernatural overruled him. Moral reasoning tried to help others yet it was the others who killed …show more content…
The grotesque imagery and brutal savagery initially can distract the reader. Golding’s work can be represented by an iceberg in that Golding’s writing on the surface seems to only be so large. Yet there is so much underneath the surface that many simply can’t see. As I kept reading, I found myself becoming emotionally attached to the plot. I suddenly realized the source of my emotional attachment as I compared myself to the situations in the novel. As I finished the novel I was blown away by Golding’s choice in closing the plot. I personally enjoyed this book and hope to read it again to better understand Golding’s meaning. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a deeper book which is not afraid to discuss who we truly are. Lord of the Flies is a book I will remember and reference for years to

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