William Golding between Pessimism and Optimism in Lord of the Flies

Abstract

William Golding's first novel, Lord of the Flies, published in 1954,

is still widely considered as his major work. It is one of the most widely-

read, widely- admired, and widely- discussed novels in the last few

decades. Throughout the novel, he shows a consistent struggle between

good and evil; goes in parallel with his pessimistic view of human nature

and his optimistic aspect represented in the characters of Ralph, Piggy

and Simon. This thesis makes Lord of the Flies one of those novels which

can be given several interpretations and be subject to controversial,

critical and analytical approaches. Some perceive a bleak picture of

humanity offered in Lord of the Flies when the symbol of reason and

common sense is forced into an outlaw existence, and evil is chasing it.

While others celebrate the shining hope of Ralph’s rescue and see the

sacrifices as a homage good humanity pays for reaching to a more mature

and higher state of being. What is so interesting in this novel is Golding's

treatment of evil and his raising a subject of so much concern to the

twentieth century people who have witnessed two horrible world wars.

Such concerns were becoming the subject of critical controversies in

popular and scholarly publications.

The Struggle between Pessimism and Optimism in Lord of the Flies:

Of the many great events of the 20th century, the two World

Wars played a great and decisive role in forming new attitudes and

opinions. William Golding was among the many writers whose lives were

touched by the calamities and horrors of war, which left an unforgettable

stamp on his literary career. The horrors of the World War 11 helped him

to perceive some kind of innate human evil, like that explored in Lord of

the Flies. Golding himself stated that "Lord of the Flies takes the

supposed innocent experience of the island- like life in order to test it

against the experience of Nazism and Second World War." 1 His work in

the navy where he became a lieutenant and was placed in command of a

rocket launching ship helped him to formulate this new vision about

human nature. During that war, Golding learned how brutal people can be

to one another, and witnessed all kinds of inhumanity and persecution