William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Great literature is said to end with a resolution of the central conflict, while creating lingering conflicts for the reader to ponder. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is no different. The final chapter, characterized with suspense and bewilderment, creates new conflicts the moment the Naval Officer arrives on the island. When the officer materializes, the scene of someone, an adult, on the island is baffling. The boys are bare, or fashioned in rags, painted in clay, and filthy from head to toe. The island, a backdrop of the horrendous events that took place, is in utter ruin, and ablaze. The officer pegs the island’s catastrophic condition as some childish antics, but the scenario before them was one they could not fathom. With the …show more content…
Up until the arrival of the Naval Officer, the end for Ralph is fast approaching; and, for the majority of the final chapter, it is apparent that death is encroaching on Ralph. The boys are absolutely dumbfounded and awestruck when the sight of the white capped male looms on the beach. They’ve been away from civilized human interaction for some time, so all Ralph can do nod his head and reply with short responses. There is an extreme break in facade upon the arrival of the officer for the remaining boys of the island, and this procession of emotion is led by none other than Ralph. Ralph is the initiator of the chorus of sobs, and eventually the boys weep from the heart, the eyes, and the soul. The heart aches for the loss of civilization, and accustomed life; the eyes emit a cleansing stream to attempt to rid their minds of the sights that cannot be unseen. The souls weep for the morals that were lost, and for the realization of the banality of their actions. They cry tears of immaculate joy, as they are finally free from the chains of the island. The wall is broken down, and raw emotion seeps through, and it was this wall that allowed the morals of the boys to disintegrate. This is the wall that separated their realities from their fantasy lives on the island, and darkened the heart of such innocent …show more content…
The true unresolved conflict is not knowing how the time spent on the island will affect the boys, and whether or not they will lead regular lives. New questions are formulated, especially about what their lives will be like when they return to England. Will their families be awaiting their arrival, or will they be orphaned due to the destruction of the nuclear war taking place? Gut-wrenching questions such as these, taking into account the ages of the boys, really linger in the back of the mind. These boys are no older than 13, prepubescent boys, still learning the ropes of life; but, this was majorly interrupted, and these children will probably never know regular life to the same extent again. Another major conflict is civilization versus savagery and temptation, and for the most part it goes unresolved. Even though the boys were saved, it is unknown whether or not they will have a smooth adjustment back into structured society. It leaves questions, such as, will their thoughts and tendencies to resort to their inner-working’s deepest temptations continue to haunt them, or will they be able to control them? Furthermore, it is vaguely known what is happening in the world, besides war, but it is assumed that the plane that crashed and brought the boys was struck down during an evacuation of their schools. Any additional details are a