Fear is only as deep as the mind allows and believing in it strong enough can make it come alive. World War II veteran and author William Golding wrote one of the most influential novels of the 20th century based on his experiences in the war and his realizations about the horrifying evil the man is capable of. The Lord of the Flies is a translation of a Hebrew name for the devil also known as “Beelzebub”. The novel is an allegory to represent the world as a whole during war time, specifically focusing on human behavior. Lord of the Flies explores the themes of human savagery, religion, fear, negative effects of war on society, and the loss of innocence. The novel begins just after a plane has crashed on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean
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A dogfight occurs in which a plane is shot down resulting in a dead parachutist being ejected from the plane, landing onto the island. The flowing parachute of the dead pilot appears as wings to the boys which they perceive to be as the Beastie. According to Jayanta Dangar, the author of “The Nightmare Beast, War and the Children” William Golding uses war as an “off-stage protagonist” which helps lead the “behavior of the boys” throughout the novel (Doc C). This means that the war is a behind the scenes theme of the novel and serves as the backbone of the boys’ actions. Golding suggests that war brings out the evil nature of humans and darkness within a man which corresponds to one of the many symbolizations of the Beast. According to Dangar on Golding’s commentary on war, “Where did the Second World War come from? Was it made by something inhuman and alien- or was it made by chaps with eyes and legs and hearts?” (Doc C). Golding suggests that there is no way a human is capable of causing this much destruction. He refers to the creator of the catastrophe as inhumane almost being suggestive of a Beast. Golding uses the dead parachutist, a casualty of war, who the boys mistaken as the “Beastie” to symbolize the negative effects of war on society and people and to advocate that the human nature that embraces havoc is the Beast. According to William Golding, the author of the Lord of the Flies, “...though not even a faint popping came down from the battle fought at ten miles’ height. But a sign came down from the world of grown-ups, though at the time there was no child awake to read it” (Doc D). The sign from the adult world was the dead parachutist. Ironically the boys wanted a sign that would guide them, however, the sign of war that came down lead their belief about the Beast become stronger than ever leading them to go in a frenzy.
A dogfight occurs in which a plane is shot down resulting in a dead parachutist being ejected from the plane, landing onto the island. The flowing parachute of the dead pilot appears as wings to the boys which they perceive to be as the Beastie. According to Jayanta Dangar, the author of “The Nightmare Beast, War and the Children” William Golding uses war as an “off-stage protagonist” which helps lead the “behavior of the boys” throughout the novel (Doc C). This means that the war is a behind the scenes theme of the novel and serves as the backbone of the boys’ actions. Golding suggests that war brings out the evil nature of humans and darkness within a man which corresponds to one of the many symbolizations of the Beast. According to Dangar on Golding’s commentary on war, “Where did the Second World War come from? Was it made by something inhuman and alien- or was it made by chaps with eyes and legs and hearts?” (Doc C). Golding suggests that there is no way a human is capable of causing this much destruction. He refers to the creator of the catastrophe as inhumane almost being suggestive of a Beast. Golding uses the dead parachutist, a casualty of war, who the boys mistaken as the “Beastie” to symbolize the negative effects of war on society and people and to advocate that the human nature that embraces havoc is the Beast. According to William Golding, the author of the Lord of the Flies, “...though not even a faint popping came down from the battle fought at ten miles’ height. But a sign came down from the world of grown-ups, though at the time there was no child awake to read it” (Doc D). The sign from the adult world was the dead parachutist. Ironically the boys wanted a sign that would guide them, however, the sign of war that came down lead their belief about the Beast become stronger than ever leading them to go in a frenzy.