Historical Context (Lord of the Flies)

This section explains the historical context of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding and first published in 1954, in the aftermath of World War II. The novel is heavily influenced by the historical and social context of the time. Understanding this context helps explain many of the themes, characters, and events in the story.

Post-World War II Era

The Trauma of War: Golding himself served in the Royal Navy during World War II and witnessed the horrors of conflict, including the D-Day landings. His experiences of war, violence, and the collapse of civilised behaviour heavily influenced his writing.

Lord of the Flies reflects the idea that humans are capable of immense evil, especially when societal structures break down. The boys' descent into savagery on the island mirrors what Golding saw in the war, where human beings, when left unchecked, committed atrocities.

Nuclear Threat and the Cold War: The novel was written during the early stages of the Cold War, a period of tension between the Western powers (led by the United States and the UK) and the Soviet Union.

The fear of nuclear war was real and widespread, and Golding’s depiction of a world at war in Lord of the Flies echoes these anxieties. The boys are stranded on the island due to an unnamed war, which could symbolise nuclear conflict.

The atom bomb is mentioned in the novel, reinforcing the fear of widespread destruction.

Philosophical Influence

Human Nature: Golding challenges the optimistic views of humanity that were prevalent before the war. The novel critiques the idea that people are inherently good and shows instead that without the constraints of society, they can quickly revert to barbarism.

This is in contrast to earlier literature, such as Robinson Crusoe (1719) or Coral Island (1858), where stranded individuals maintain or even improve civilised behaviour. Golding turns this idea on its head, presenting a much darker view of human nature.

Civilisation vs. Savagery: The novel explores the thin veneer of civilisation. Golding suggests that society is what keeps humans from reverting to primal instincts, but once these structures are removed, the true nature of humanity is revealed.

This idea was heavily influenced by the atrocities of the Holocaust and other war crimes of WWII, which showed how quickly civilised nations could descend into violence and chaos.

British Imperialism and Class System

Colonial Legacy: Britain, once the most powerful empire in the world, was grappling with the decline of its empire post-World War II. The boys in Lord of the Flies are all British, and at the start of the novel, they embody the ideals of British society—order, leadership, and civilisation.

However, as the novel progresses, the boys abandon these ideals, suggesting that even the British, known for their imperialist civilising mission, are not immune to savagery.

Class and Leadership: The novel also reflects the British class system. Ralph, as the leader, represents democratic and moral leadership, while Jack represents authoritarian rule and dictatorship.

Golding critiques the British assumption of moral superiority and questions the idea that one class or type of leadership is naturally better than another. As the novel progresses, the veneer of British civility crumbles, exposing a raw struggle for power.

Influences from Psychological Theories

Freudian Theory: Golding was influenced by Sigmund Freud's theories about human psychology. Freud proposed that human behaviour is governed by the id (instinctual drives), ego (rational mind), and superego (moral conscience).

These ideas can be seen in the characters: Jack represents the id, driven by primal urges and desire for power; Piggy represents the superego, focused on rules, intellect, and morality; Ralph, caught between the two, represents the ego, trying to balance the instincts and societal expectations.

The Darkness of Human Nature: Golding also explores the "darkness" within humans, an idea that had gained prominence through psychological and philosophical thought during the 20th century. The "beast" on the island symbolises this internal darkness and the fear of the unknown, showing that the real threat is not external, but within the boys themselves.

Allegory and Cold War Ideology

Political Allegory: Some critics interpret Lord of the Flies as an allegory of the Cold War. The conflict between Ralph and Jack can be seen as a representation of the ideological struggle between democracy and totalitarianism (e.g. the Western democratic nations vs. the Soviet Union).

The novel reflects the fears of the time that civilisation could collapse into chaos or dictatorship, just as the world was divided by competing ideologies during the Cold War.

The Role of Fear: The boys' fear of the "beast" can be interpreted as symbolic of the fear that dominated Cold War politics, where suspicion and paranoia led to destructive behaviour on both sides.

Conclusion

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the context of post-World War II anxieties, the Cold War, and philosophical debates about human nature to create a powerful allegory about civilisation, savagery, and the potential for evil within all humans. His own experiences of war and the political climate of the 1950s deeply influence the themes of the novel, making it a reflection of the fears and questions about humanity that dominated that era.