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WILLIAM GOLDING (1911-1993) - Coggle Diagram
WILLIAM GOLDING (1911-1993)
LIFE
born in Cornwall
studied at Oxford
He joined the Royal Navy and fought in WWII, taking part in the D-Day landings in Normandy
dark perception of life and human nature after the war
1983 he received the
Nobel Prize for Literature
1988 Queen Elizabeth II knighted him Sir William Golding
he died of heart failure in 1993
WORKS
1954
Lord of the flies
7 million copies in the USA, translated into 14 languages
analysis of man's EVIL
1955
The Inheritors
analysis of man's ORIGINS
1956
Pincher Martin
analysis of man's DESTINY
1959
Free fall
analysis of man's GUILT
1964
The Spire
analysis of man's VISION
1979
Darkness visible
1980
Rites of passage
1984
The Paper men
1987
Close Quarters
1989
Fire down below
CONCERNS
analysis of what is permanent in human nature
he looks at the man in relation to his cosmic situation
he believes that man's propensity for evil is far greater than his propensity for goodness
THE STRUCTURE OF HIS NOVELS
structure as an emblem of the spiritual life
2 narrative movements
2 different perspectives of the same situation
radical shifts iin points of view
Lord of the Flies
PLOT
After a plane crash, a group of boys from 6 to 12 are left on an Eden-like island. All the adults, evacuating with them from schools, died.
The 3 main characters,
Piggy, Jack and Ralph
, set up a rational society based on a 'grown-up' model. They build shelters and arrange food supplies, but soon the society disintegrates under
aggression
and
superstition
They turn to a
savage existence
based on hunting pigs and fear of 'the beast'. After killing an enormous sow, Jack cuts his head off and puts it on a stake, transforming it into a god, the 'Lord of the flies'
Jack and his tribe have a feast and invite Ralph and Piggy to have some meat. Meanwhile,
Simon
finds out that the beast is the corpse of the pilot, and he is killed during a ritualistic dance (he was running to share the news). They explain that Simon was the beast an his death was rationally necessary. Everyone takes part in the ritualistic dance, representing the desire to be set free.
When Piggy is killed, all social rules are disregarded. Ralph becomes a sacrificial victim hunted by those who oppose social boundaries. In the end, the adult world intervenes (a British naval officer) and the fable ends with Ralph crying for
'the end of innocence, the dark of man's heart'
CHARACTERS
RALPH
reason, democracy and civilisation
he turns from leader into victim because he cannot face the situation with rationality
JACK
savagery, violence and instinct
resembles the cruel Kurtz from
Heart of darkness
, descending into the darkest parts of the forests and of his self
PIGGY
rationalism
fat, asthmatic and short-sighted
his death represents the triumph of irrationality
SIMON
intelligence and sensitivity
his death marks the end of civility and rationality
OBJECTS
FIRE
destruction and rescue
WHITE SHINING CONCH
democracy and order
SKULL OF A FEMALE PIG
a sacrificial victim, emblem of the forces of evil
PIGGY'S GLASSES
power because they can control fire
THE CHILDREN'S PAINTED FACES
savagery
THE LORD OF THE FLIES
translation from the Greek
Beelzebub
, another name for Satan
STRUCTURE AND STYLE
2 phases
1st: seen from the childlike point of view of Ralph
2nd: from the adult point of view of the naval officer
language
symbolic
concrete
abstract
FILM VERSIONS AND SONGS
Films by Peter Brook (1963) and Harry Hook (1990)
quotation by U2 (1980), whose song
Shadows and Tall trees
is named after the title of Chapter 7
song by Iron Maiden (1995)