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Matthew White
Period 3
9, January 2017
Research Paper
A Literary Breakdown of Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies is an interesting fictionalized novel by William Golding that concerns

how savagery and the greed for power lives within every human being. The novel teaches

readers that every man has the capacity to be evil and that evil is only suppressed by the rules of

society. When evil is free and humans become savages it can possibly lead you to turn on your

closest friends. Lord of the flies was written during a time of war. It was deeply criticized and

factually rejected twenty one times before being published in 1954 (Biography Editors, 2016).

Golding returned from World War II eager to write a novel correlated with his past experiences.

He began teaching and writing again and heavily gained his influence for Lord of the Flies from

the war in which he just returned from. Although the novel was criticized during its time of

publishing, today Lord of the Flies is regarded as a classic novel. Controversy over the texts

cruel and unsettling image lingers among critics concerning children reading it, but most critics

wholeheartedly view the novel as an excellent piece of work and consider it as one of the best

written novels (Bloom, 10). A novelist by the name of Harold Bloom even stated that, Lord of

the Flies established him as one of the leading voices in British Fiction (10). The novel has a

significant impact on the literary and societal worlds. It pervades popular culture, tributes and re-

imaginings as well as provides inspiration to the most unlikely of cultural forms. Lord of the

Flies, a novel that has experienced criticism for its violent nature has created a blueprint to why

rules in our society are essential for the preservation of a somewhat structured and peaceful

society.
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Lord of the Flies was written after the world had just experienced World War II. William

Golding was a British Naval officer during the war. Difficult times were present during this era

of history and Golding shed light on the situation by writing Lord of the Flies and reflecting the

image of war within the novel. The use of adolescents as characters within the novel shows

adults the human nature, without the "rules" that control adolescents. The groups of boys on the

Pacific island are not controlled by any external force which causes some of them to transform

into a chaotic state of mind. Rules are essential to lie out as adults especially when building a

family. Adults as the target audience were a successful source for Golding. It attracted many

adults, which made it the successful novel it is today.

Although adults have greatly been targeted by William Goldings Lord of the Flies,

overtime teens have become another known audience of the savage novel. The characters in the

novel are all young boys ranging from the age of six to twelve. Since the boys are so young,

Golding must have thought the novel would not only attract adults but as well as teens and the

youth. Today the novel is read by many young adults and high school students. The novel

appears on AP English tests and is present in many English curriculums. Attracting teens to be

one of the two target audiences was successful because teens took up a large chunk of readers

when Lord of the Flies was published in 1954 (TIME, 2014).

Lord of the Flies historical reception was a curved road. Several road blocks like

William Goldings excessive amount of drinking almost prevented him from publishing his first

novel that would change his life forever (Boyd, 2010). The novel was rejected by many

publishers before an alert junior editor at Faber & Faber, Charles Monteith, saw its potential and

encouraged Golding to make changes ( Boyd, 2010). Without Charles Monteiths eye for such

high quality work, Lord of the Flies perhaps would have never seen the light of day! Lord of the
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Flies was published during a pivotal time of literature when there here were many other great

novelists like Ralph Ellison, John Steinbeck and J. D. Salinger; therefore, Lord of the Flies was

easily overshadowed by other novels around this time (Boyd, 2010).

Overtime the curved road began to straighten for the heavily criticized novel. Lord of the

Flies only sold 3,000 copies before going out of print in 1955, but by 1962, the novel had sold

over 65,000 copies and was required reading at many colleges (101books Editors, 2016). Lord

of the Flies quickly became a fan favorite to many as time progressed from its historical

reception. Audiences felt as if they were virtually connected to the group of English boys

struggling between civilization and savagery in the novel (101books Editors, 2016). The novel

did not endure as much criticism to it as it did before it was published. After seeing the amount

of success Lord of the Flies started to receive, William Golding began to focus more on writing

as he sat upon the success of Lord of the Flies.

Today, Lord of the Flies is a book read in many classrooms and has been made into a

movie twice (Boyd, 2010). Critics and other novelist can agree that Lord of the Flies is one of the

most impactful pieces of literature in this time. Even William Boyd; a great novelist stated, If

anyone thinks of William Golding today, it is almost certain that his name will be conjoined with

his extraordinary first novel (Boyd, 2010). Another well-known novelist Stephen King also

praised the novel as one of the greatest of its time in 2011. In a foreword to the 2011 edition of

the novel King wrote, It was, so far as I can remember, the first book with handsstrong ones

that reached out of the pages and seized me by the throat. It said to me, This is not just

entertainment; its life-or-death (Golding, 2). Authors like Boyd and King admired the works of

Lord of the Flies and terminated the negative outlooks that the novel once received when it was

published. The novel has now prevailed as a classic novel in the history of literature.
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Lord of the Flies has many powerful references that allude to the novels work. For

example, the connections between Lord of the Flies and the television show Lost are too many to

count. To name a few: the island, the monster, two dueling leaders and the overweight comic

relief character all relates to the novel's plot. Lost is not a novel but it still exemplifies how other

successful activity in society were impacted by the novels work. The television show is a prime

example of how Lord of the Flies had an influence on society today.

The novel's influence can also be seen in the aspect of human nature. Within our society

humans are curious on the characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind. Golding

wanted to embed a social meaning inside the text to attract readers of different backgrounds of

life to his novel. After reading the Lord of the Flies readers gain a more realistic view of human

nature, that is, human nature is dark and self-serving when there are little social constraints

(Boyd, 2010) This understanding has had a hearing through the Lord of the Flies. Human nature

is an important aspect of today's society. Golding provides an insight that influences society's

mindset on human nature. The text directly relates to today's culture. Just as the boys

shipwrecked on the island struggle to gain a structured government, many second world

countries in our world struggle to form a government under one leader.

William Golding has impacted many other literary works. Novelist picked up on his

unique writing techniques and utilized them for their own use. As mentioned before, Stephen

King heavily admired the novel Lord of the Flies. His writing was also influenced by the Lord of

the Flies. One of the major references in Kings work, is Castle Rock; the town that appears in

many of his novels came from the island landmark in the Lord of the Flies (101 Book Editors,

2016). Considering that King is a 'New York Times'-bestselling novelist, the influence of such a
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high rewarded novelist like himself should clearly demonstrate why Lord of the Flies is credited

for is excelled impact on the literary world (Biography Editors, 2016).

Lord of the Flies can also be considered a great influence to literary works by its

compelling style, characters and themes. In the novel Ralph the protagonist struggles to pursue

his leadership role and receives several knocks by Jack the antagonist. The characters can

considerably be related to a group of kids on a playground. One kid wants to play fair while the

other will find any way possible to win. The conflict between the human impulse towards

savagery and the rules of civilization which are designed to contain and minimize is one of the

most popular themes of the text. The theme voices that every human being has savagery within

them; it just takes the right situation in life for the savagery to occur.

Lord of the Flies successfully impacted literature from its historical literary impact. Keep

in mind that the novel sold 65,000 copies after only seven years, so it is safe to say that the novel

undoubtedly touched many novelist and readers and made a deep impact on the world of

literature. William Golding provokes an attitude that makes readers think deeply and dissect the

novel in different ways. Many critics along with novelist spoke highly of the novels work. The

impact of the novel has grown stronger over time and today can be seen by anyone that studies

the novel.

Lord of the Flies contributed a significant amount to the world of literature. Its historical

reception, impact on both societal and literary worlds, the influence it gained overtime and lastly

how audiences view the novel is truly amazing. Collectively these aspects of the novel conveys a

powerful outlook on the novels work and led it to win the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature

in 1983, the coveted Booker Prize in 1980, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1979

(Carey, 2010) This clearly shows that although the novel faced hardships, it is certainly a
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powerful work of its time. The novel was written in 1955, but its still alive today and breathing

through the various numbers of pages when every newcomer reads it. This text will continue to

remain influential because of its deeper meaning than what is seen on the surface. The themes of

savagery and civilization are deeply embedded in our todays society which will attract many

more readers in the future. More importantly, Lord of the Flies is a blueprint to why rules in our

society will forever be an influence for the preservation of a somewhat structured and peaceful

society.