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
, How does Golding present death in Lord of the Flies?
Point - focuses on metaphorical death of civilisation + sense of morality - death of values - boys have no
sense of unity - separate into ‘biguns’ + ‘littluns’ - independence - boys immediately look for guidance -
nobody has own moral code -
Evidence - “Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority” - doesn’t have the authority to
be controlling them - violating their rights - using violence - no consciousness + he doesn’t acknowledge
what rights + wrong - his apparent innate innocence has completely disappeared
Analyse -
1. Innocence that's associated with children has disappeared - no sense of compassion or love -
nurture v nature - Golding is so pessimistic that he doesn’t even think it's our environment - shows
he doesn’t think this is reversible - believes we were created like this
2. Is there any form of death? - if we are naturally evil, then no part of us has died - except for the
mask of civilisation that we faked - maybe it’s better if we’re liberated + able to live as we were
destined to?
Writer’s Intentions - Golding wants to show the degradation of society - contrast with the ‘Revolutionary’
period - science was developing + we were beginning to create + innovate - ironic - we think we’re
developing - but our advancements cause destruction (nuclear weapons) + we’re unable to see our own evil
Context - Darwin’s theory of Evolution - new ideas about creation were emerging - things religion could no
longer explain - Golding highlights how these scientific theories can also not explain the conflict between
good + evil rampant in society - crushes the hope people had
Alternative Interpretation - Could Golding still have a form of hope? - Simon’s death - he gets to go to
heaven - didn’t fulfil his mission - but he was good + imitated God + Jesus - fed the ‘littluns’ + prays +
maintains connection to God despite his evil influences
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
, How does Golding present death in Lord of the Flies?
Point - focuses on metaphorical death of civilisation + sense of morality - death of values - boys have no
sense of unity - separate into ‘biguns’ + ‘littluns’ - independence - boys immediately look for guidance -
nobody has own moral code -
Evidence - “Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority” - doesn’t have the authority to
be controlling them - violating their rights - using violence - no consciousness + he doesn’t acknowledge
what rights + wrong - his apparent innate innocence has completely disappeared
Analyse -
1. Innocence that's associated with children has disappeared - no sense of compassion or love -
nurture v nature - Golding is so pessimistic that he doesn’t even think it's our environment - shows
he doesn’t think this is reversible - believes we were created like this
2. Is there any form of death? - if we are naturally evil, then no part of us has died - except for the
mask of civilisation that we faked - maybe it’s better if we’re liberated + able to live as we were
destined to?
Writer’s Intentions - Golding wants to show the degradation of society - contrast with the ‘Revolutionary’
period - science was developing + we were beginning to create + innovate - ironic - we think we’re
developing - but our advancements cause destruction (nuclear weapons) + we’re unable to see our own evil
Context - Darwin’s theory of Evolution - new ideas about creation were emerging - things religion could no
longer explain - Golding highlights how these scientific theories can also not explain the conflict between
good + evil rampant in society - crushes the hope people had
Alternative Interpretation - Could Golding still have a form of hope? - Simon’s death - he gets to go to
heaven - didn’t fulfil his mission - but he was good + imitated God + Jesus - fed the ‘littluns’ + prays +
maintains connection to God despite his evil influences
