I learned what an unhappy individual he had been: an alcoholic, prone to depression. “I have always understood the Nazis,” Golding confessed, “because I am of that sort by nature.” And it was “partly out of that sad self-knowledge” that he wrote Lord of the Flies.
So not necessarily allegory. It seems more a bleak worldview portrayed through fiction.
Is it? A lot of people seem to have come to the conclusion that its characters are realistic.
The novel is styled as allegorical fiction, embodying the concepts of inherent human savagery, mob mentality, and totalitarian leadership. However, Golding deviates from typical allegory in that both the protagonists and the antagonists are fully developed, realistic characters.
Golding’s work is a powerful exploration of the inherent capacity for savagery within human beings when societal structures are removed. The novel touches on themes such as the loss of innocence, the struggle between civilization and savagery, and the fragility of societal norms.
it serves as an interesting look at the dark side of human nature and how no one is beyond its reach. Plus, anyone who had a bit of a rough time in high school will probably not find the events in this book a huge leap of the imagination
The scary thing about this book is how real it is. The Lord of the Flies bespeaks the brilliance of realistic dystopian fiction, it gives you a possible world scenario, a bunch of very human characters and then it shows you want might happen when they are thrown into a terrible situation: they act like monsters (or humans?)
the author very realistically portrays human behavior in an environment where civilization no longer has meaning.
If you have never experienced the amount of destructive power that is possible in that short time-span, you might think Golding exaggerates. Unfortunately, I can see any group of students turning into the characters in The Lord Of The Flies if they are put in the situation.
Um, isn’t it allegory and sociopolitical commentary? Like, it’s not meant to describe a realistic scenario.
The link above had this to say about the author:
So not necessarily allegory. It seems more a bleak worldview portrayed through fiction.
A bleak self-image, even.
That might be a little advanced for this audience.
Is it? A lot of people seem to have come to the conclusion that its characters are realistic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/flies/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7624.Lord_of_the_Flies
If it’s not supposed to be realistic, he did a shitty job of communicating that.
For whoever put that on wikipedia, that’s an odd point of contention to hang your hat on when judging how allegorical something is.
Besides, are all of them are fully developed? Are they more developed than those of Animal Farm, which is undeniably an allegory?
… I mean, it is a fiction book… what did you need?
Lol, this was what I was thinking. It wasn’t meant to be taken literally