Golding's Christian Symbolism
"The truth about man is not merely that he is, by nature, savage and afraid, but that he refuses deliverance, and murders the messenger of light"(Dick, "Criticism" 197). This view of our nature as human beings is based on the teachings of the Christian doctrine of original sin, a theory that has been used as a theme in many works of literature. One of these is William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies. Throughout the work, Golding conveys his faith in the theory of original sin through the use of vivid Christian symbolism. He takes his characters, a group of British schoolboys marooned during a futuristic nuclear war, and places them on a small island, establishing a microcosm in which the reader can study and analyze the regressive and savage behavior of mankind as he returns to his primitive state. As an author who is convinced of original sin, Golding shows the gradual effacement of societal values on the island, and the change of the boys from proper, innocent schoolboys, into young savages (Baker, "Essays" 17). Golding wrote the novel as a Christian allegory, and thus presented numerous Christian symbols including a Christ-figure, the clairvoyant Simon (Swisher 36). Through his development of characters and plot in th
This willingness to set aside his personal needs and feelings to take care of others shows his Christ-like nature. ) At the moment of Simon's death, the wind lifts the body of the parachutist and carries him across the beach and out to sea, terrifying the boys. It is significant that Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies while he is alone, as Christ encountered Satan while alone in the wilderness. He becomes angry and frustrated with himself and promises "next time. The beast wants Simon to realize that he is as human and naturally evil as the rest of the boys. Once fear overtakes the rational thinking that initially exists on the island, the effects are noticeable in the way the society is run. Simon, like Christ, possesses an "awe for the wilderness," and often ventures into the woods to meditate (Meitcke 37). He recognizes the nature of the beast and realizes that the boys can counter it simply through awareness of its existence. Once the stage is set, Golding shows the slow regression of the boys' society, as fear prevails over innocence. The tide swelled over the rain-pitted sand and smoothed everything with a layer of silver. Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. In Simon's case it was nature, or perhaps the supernatural, that filled the role of Joseph of Arimathea. We began well; we were happy and then -- people started getting frightened" (82). When one of the littluns mentions this beast early in the novel, the other boys are skeptical and shrug it off as a figment of a child's imagination.
Common topics in this essay:
Dick Golding,
Joseph Arimathea,
Lord Flies,
Baker Golding,
Kingdom God,
Jack Piggy,
Adam Eve,
Simon Christ,
Throughout Golding,
Knowledge Evil,
lord flies,
beast simon,
pig's head,
original sin,
adam eve,
head stick,
creatures fiery eyes,
simon's death,
boys aware,
simon comes,
nature beast,
inquisitive bright creatures,
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Acceptance Essays
