From Paradise to Hell

William Golding uses the novel Lord of the Flies to reflect todays society and the
important impact man has had on earth. One of the links between the novel and the real world is
the decline of a human society from being civilized and well educated to being primitive and
competitive. This reflection of human society has been achieved with symbolism and metaphor
but mostly through the degeneration of the setting (the island), from a utopian paradise to being a
chaotic hell. The Lord of the Flies Island starts out as a heavenly and fun place to live. Right
from the beginning, the island is given enchanting and pleasing attributes, as demonstrates the
following citation of while Ralph explored the area in which they landed. "He picked his way to
the seaward edge of the platform and stood looking down into the water. It was clear to the
bottom and bright with the efflorescence of tropical weed and coral. A school of tiny, glittering
fish flicked hither and thither. Ralph spoke to himself, sounding the bass strings of delight."
(Page 12), as we can see this island is pure perfection, it has everything this boys need to be
happy and to live normally.
The first chapters reveal the evil elements in what at first glance appears to be an ideal
paradise. First we can see the scar, the first symbol of destruction of a once unspoiled place, and
then they see the creepers that resemble the snake of Eden, the forest which resembles eternal
darkness, and the witch-like-yell that represents the wailing and weeping from the underworld.
We can see that something is wrong and that there is a storm coming upon these boys.
Goldings aim in Lord of the Flies was to show the nature of humans, to show that evil is
inherently within us all. To convey his ideas, he uses a variety of different techniques the use
of setting and the boys actions. First, was the use of a perfect island. By doing this he shows us
that all the bad things that happen are caused by the boys themselves. Golding deliberately put
the boys in a place that had everything they needed and without any dangerous animals. By
doing this, the blame for the boys actions cannot be explained by outside influences, like
unnecessary fear and antagonism. This is also the reason he placed them on an island, with no
adults and no girls. Another way Golding conveys his theme is the boys actions, especially
Jacks swift decline into anarchy. Jacks changes during the story effectively show us how
people, everyday people, can be lead astray and corrupted by the power. He represents the
conflict between civilization and savagery in the conflict between the novels two main
characters: Ralph, the protagonist, who represents order and leadership; and Jack, the antagonist,
who represents savagery and the desire for power. This is apparent when Jack becomes leader of
his tribe, and is corrupted by his power even more. Another way that Golding points the finger at
us all being evil is by having English schoolboys, even upper class, English schoolboys, who are
meant to be able to handle anything, and come out the other side alright.
The imaginary beast that frightens all the boys stands for the primal instinct of savagery
that exists within all human beings. The boys are afraid of the beast, but only Simon reaches the
realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. As the boys grow more
savage, their belief in the beast grows stronger. The boys behavior is what brings the beast into
existence, so the more savagely the boys act, the more real the beast seems to become.
What we carry inside us is what determines us. It depend on us whether we will be good
or bad, whether we will live our own hell or paradise. We need to know that nothing is strictly
black or white and that shades are important. We need to control ourselves and to seek for the
best in us. The way we choose to live is our decision. But we need to be careful; lust and greed
can easily lead us to the wrong side of life. It is so easy to cross the line, what is really hard is to
persist and resist the temptations. In that case if we are playing smart, life is already part of a
heaven.


Jelena Bojkovic 39/09