Inspiration In World War Ii And Lord Of The Flies

Inspiration In World War Ii And Lord Of The Flies

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What moves a writer to write? Or, more importantly, what moves a writer to write something great? It seems odd to consider that our favorite novels, which have become so ingrained in our society, actually started with a blank page. A writer started with a stark white page full of possibility. Next, was probably some self-doubt, a lot of hope, endless hours of perseverance and more head banging than students at an ACT prep course. After all the authors hard work we end up with a classic like Lord of the Flies to read, discuss, and ponder.

Published in 1954, Lord of the Flies was William Goldings first novel. This tale of stranded schoolboys gone wild does not paint a pretty picture of us human beings. What could have inspired a man to sit down and write such a dark and disturbing tale of rage, violence, and savagery?

Golding was born in England and had a nice, normal childhood. No deep dark secrets there. He led a typical life, but shook things up after college. Five years after graduating from Oxford University he joined the British Royal Navy. It was 1940 and World War II had already begun. Golding, who had lived a fairly sheltered and privileged life, was thrown into a situation completely out of his comfort zone. One does not need to fight in a war to know it is not pretty, but those of us who have not been there can only imagine what it might do to a persons view of humanity. The things soldiers see at war are often not repeated. Golding experienced this intense war from the inside and it clearly made an impact on him. We can assume during that time he saw devastating things and witnessed the worst of man. Golding must have taken his experiences from his time in World War II and used them as inspiration to write Lord of the Flies.

If Golding wrote Lord of the Flies after seeing this terrible side of human nature, the next logical question to ask is: why? Does Golding want us to see what he saw? Does he want us to examine ourselves and acknowledge the savage evil that he believes we are all capable of? Or was it a form of therapy for him? A way for him to process all he had seen?

Lord of the Flies contributed greatly to William Goldings success. The book was not an immediate a hit, but eventually it became a best seller, and highly revered. Today, Lord of the Flies is required reading at many high schools and colleges. Numerous students and teachers put Lord of the Flies at the top of their lists of favorite books. One cant help but wonder: would we have Lord of the Flies if Golding had not joined the Royal Navy? Did he need to experience war to concoct the story about the civilized boys who devolve into primitive monsters? Furthermore, is it dark experiences that inspire the best novels? Is great art born from great suffering?

About the Author:
Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Lord of the Flies, World War II and ACT Prep. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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