A View to a Death: Savagery in Lord of the Flies and Nazi Germany During the time of Golding’s Lord of the Flies’ publication, nations were uncertain, unsure of their future following World War Two. The introduction of nuclear weapons and the emergence of a platform upon which communism prospered influenced Golding’s perception of conflict in the world. He utilized his wartime experiences in the British Navy to elevate the novel from a survival story into an allegorical masterpiece. Ralph, Jack, and Piggy, all central characters in the novel, each represent themes and symbols beyond themselves; the island they inhabit is a microcosm for the entire world. Each boy represents traits commonly found among the human race including leadership,
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In the ninth chapter of the novel, Ralph and his tribe are victim to brutal terrorization by the newly separated Savage tribe. The brief conflict, described as “a complication of snarls and crashes and flying limbs”(Golding 167), results in Piggy’s glasses being stolen by the savage pillagers, similar to the looting and seizure of goods during the German raid on the Jews. The both cases, the seizure of property was a violation of their security, and served to demoralize the affected parties. The Nazi Youth involvement in the Night of Broken Glass parallels events taken by the children on the island, making even more evident the savage capability of the perceivably innocent. Furthermore, the Savage’s justify their violence towards Ralph by convincing themselves that he is hazardous. A Savage declared “See? I told you – he’s dangerous”(Golding 194)!, while hunting Ralph, despite that fact that Ralph was cornered, and the Savages had large numbers and spears. This is similar to the Nazi propaganda campaigns which attempted to justify their violence by the belief that Jews were dangerous – a baseless claim towards the innocent and peaceful people. Both Kristallnacht and the raid on the camp could be described as a prelude to disaster; they both foreshadowed more sinister violence – the Holocaust regarding the Jewish people and the death of Piggy in Lord of the Flies.
The novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is an allegory for World War Two, specifically the German use of terror and scapegoats in their persecution of the Jewish people. The Savages on the island employ similar tactics as the Nazis, specifically in their blame of Ralph for their struggles on the island and the terror tactics they use to intimidate Ralph and the other civilized
In the ninth chapter of the novel, Ralph and his tribe are victim to brutal terrorization by the newly separated Savage tribe. The brief conflict, described as “a complication of snarls and crashes and flying limbs”(Golding 167), results in Piggy’s glasses being stolen by the savage pillagers, similar to the looting and seizure of goods during the German raid on the Jews. The both cases, the seizure of property was a violation of their security, and served to demoralize the affected parties. The Nazi Youth involvement in the Night of Broken Glass parallels events taken by the children on the island, making even more evident the savage capability of the perceivably innocent. Furthermore, the Savage’s justify their violence towards Ralph by convincing themselves that he is hazardous. A Savage declared “See? I told you – he’s dangerous”(Golding 194)!, while hunting Ralph, despite that fact that Ralph was cornered, and the Savages had large numbers and spears. This is similar to the Nazi propaganda campaigns which attempted to justify their violence by the belief that Jews were dangerous – a baseless claim towards the innocent and peaceful people. Both Kristallnacht and the raid on the camp could be described as a prelude to disaster; they both foreshadowed more sinister violence – the Holocaust regarding the Jewish people and the death of Piggy in Lord of the Flies.
The novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is an allegory for World War Two, specifically the German use of terror and scapegoats in their persecution of the Jewish people. The Savages on the island employ similar tactics as the Nazis, specifically in their blame of Ralph for their struggles on the island and the terror tactics they use to intimidate Ralph and the other civilized