How does Golding use the events of Lord of the Flies to get a message across about fascism?
Point - Golding wants to demonstrate how each individual human being is capable of being Hitler or Stalin
- highlights how we view ourselves through rose-tinted glasses - everyone is capable of that type of evil
Evidence - “I ought to be chief” - power is a right, innate belief in his own superiority (imperatives) -
streams from his ‘civilised’ background - “because I’m chapter chorister and head boy”
Analyse -
1. Golding points out dangers in our hierarchical structure - Piggy is ignored because he’s working-
class - he’s angered at the class system + questions why we group + classify people based on certain
criteria
2. When society attributes certain criteria as better - causes divide + people either conform, retreat or
revolt - fascism derives from people being too self-centred or craving self-worth
Writer’s Intentions - Golding wants a classless society - wants to reframe society's ideas regarding
superiority - makes key characters (intelligent, smart, thoughtful) - qualities not determined by class - shows
how if they weren’t ignored the boys may have had a better outcome
Context - during the 1950s there was no chance for social mobility - Golding was a teacher - saw how groups
were dominated through judgement over certain characteristics - mirrored throughout society - uses boys as
his readership will be less resistant to seeing his message
Alternative Interpretation - Golding sees benefits of fascism - Jack provides for the boys, gives them
immediate comfort + makes them struggle less - understands why humans may want such a system - perhaps
he believes humans need this type of control - so that we can return to our originality sense of morality
Point - Golding wants to demonstrate how each individual human being is capable of being Hitler or Stalin
- highlights how we view ourselves through rose-tinted glasses - everyone is capable of that type of evil
Evidence - “I ought to be chief” - power is a right, innate belief in his own superiority (imperatives) -
streams from his ‘civilised’ background - “because I’m chapter chorister and head boy”
Analyse -
1. Golding points out dangers in our hierarchical structure - Piggy is ignored because he’s working-
class - he’s angered at the class system + questions why we group + classify people based on certain
criteria
2. When society attributes certain criteria as better - causes divide + people either conform, retreat or
revolt - fascism derives from people being too self-centred or craving self-worth
Writer’s Intentions - Golding wants a classless society - wants to reframe society's ideas regarding
superiority - makes key characters (intelligent, smart, thoughtful) - qualities not determined by class - shows
how if they weren’t ignored the boys may have had a better outcome
Context - during the 1950s there was no chance for social mobility - Golding was a teacher - saw how groups
were dominated through judgement over certain characteristics - mirrored throughout society - uses boys as
his readership will be less resistant to seeing his message
Alternative Interpretation - Golding sees benefits of fascism - Jack provides for the boys, gives them
immediate comfort + makes them struggle less - understands why humans may want such a system - perhaps
he believes humans need this type of control - so that we can return to our originality sense of morality
