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