Lord Of The Flies Setting Analysis

Essay Question: Describe an important setting. Explain why the setting is important. In the text, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of young boys become stranded on a remote island where there are no adults. The novel takes place on a tropical island in the Pacific, in the midst of a nuclear war.The island is self sustaining but is surrounded by impassable waters so the children have little hope of rescue. The boat shape of the island is a reference to the ship of fools, a famous allegory by the Greek philosopher Plato. This is also referenced in the conflict between the characters Jack and Ralph over leadership. The importance of the setting is that it isolates the boys from the outside world and allows them to develop without …show more content…
He represents the goodness and selflessness of humanity. Simon starts to lose sanity due to the isolation of the island and lack of healthcare. This is shown when the lord of the flies (which is literally, a sow’s head) starts to speak to him; “There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast. . . . “ . This is also displayed when Simon starts to believe that the beast actually exists and asks: “what if the beast...is real?” . The isolation of the setting is important as without rational thought the fear of the beast affects them all in the end. Golding is trying to show the audience that isolation can decrease reasoning and logical …show more content…
He represents the brutal side of humankind and embodies the subjugation of nature. Jack responds to the setting by reverting back to his primitive self and disobeying orders from the chief, Ralph. Jack is interested in gaining power so he can gratify his primal impulses. Jack acts like this because he does not care about the consequences and views the island as a place that he can do whatever he desires. His savagery is shown when he often methodically chants; "'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!'" and says to the boys; “'Fear can't hurt you any more than a dream. There aren't any beasts to be afraid of on this island....Serve you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies!’. It is important that there is no rules of civilisation and that the setting is in the wilderness so the boys’ primitive sides can be shown. Golding suggests that in the wild, human’s inherent evil is revealed. In conclusion the setting of the novel initially seems like a paradise where the boys are free from constraints and the rules of civilised society. However, because of the isolation of the island they turn to savagery and barbarity and brutally murdering each other. The setting is important to the progression of the plot and development of the characters because it influences their decisions and actions. Golding tries to convey the message that savagery and destructiveness are