Today’s society is so egocentric in a way where people’s own selfish wants can blur their vision of what is right and wrong. In Golding’s allegorical novel ‘Lord of the Flies’, a group of boys from ages six through twelve found themselves stranded on a deserted island, completely isolated from the outside world. They quickly developed a way to survive on this island by establishing rules which they must abide by. This false sense of civilization which the boys created later developed into the realization of their individual savagery and selfishness. Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ was an allegory to the story of Adam and Eve, which was famous for its Fall of Man archetype. He wrote about the boys that live on the island giving in to temptations, which results in their loss of innocence. With the utilization of similar facets, Golding paralleled his story to the framework of the Fall of Man.
The symbols that Golding presented are similar to those in the famous story that is known for its Fall of Man framework, Adam and Eve. When the boys arrived on the island, one of the boys, Ralph, “undid the snake-clasp of his belt, lugged off his shorts and pants, and stood there naked, looking at the dazzling beach and the water… [then dove] and swam under water with his eyes open” (10-13). This scene Golding described can be an implication of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, naked, not feeling ashamed of themselves. It was only after they ate from the Tree of Knowledge that they realized they were nude. Also, Ralph’s diving into the water can be seen as a symbol of baptism or purifying one’s soul in the name of God. As the boys were on the island, they saw “Up there, for once, were clouds, great bulging towers that sprouted away over the island...The clouds were sitting on the land...everywhere a pearly stillness” (137-138). It seemed as if Golding was describing the untouched and holy island as Heaven. Even the colors and the way these surroundings are located play a huge role in Golding making the reader believe that he was depicting Heaven. Golding used clouds to describe this Heaven-like environment because in biblical terms white represents purity and Heaven was usually described as being surrounded by clouds. Golding also implemented the word ‘stillness’ to show that the island the boys crashed on was an allegory to the Garden of Eden. Before humans were placed in the two locations, both lands were seen as undisturbed, blissful realms. Symbols were not the only method Golding used to draw attention to his effort to relate his book to Adam and Eve.
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As the story goes on, the boys’ innocence, along with the island’s purity, were tainted by the experiences they endured. The first signs of loss of innocence in ‘Lord of the Flies’ were when Jack and his choir boys were on a hunt, Jack got “on top of the sow, stabbing downward with his knife...the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands” (135). Jack took the life of an animal, which ruined the island’s reputation of remaining pure of killing. In the tale of Adam and Eve, they ate from the Tree of Knowledge, which destroyed the Garden of Eden’s untaintedness. Not only did the island itself lose its innocence, but the boys’ innocence was also lost as they returned back into their original primitive, savage form when they took pleasure in killing. In fact, Jack took great pride in killing animals, so he “rubbed the stuff [pig’s blood] over his cheeks” (135). This sign of savagery would be deemed unacceptable in the civilization the boys lived in previous to crashing on the island. As Jack strayed further away from society’s expectations and disobeyed the rules of the island, he no longer had his child-like innocence. Adam and Eve also disobeyed God’s instructions to refrain from eating the forbidden fruit, which resulted in the loss of their purity. The corruption of innocence was a huge concept in the Fall of Man, and this idea was not only present in the boys but was also existent in the sullying of the island.
Golding drew attention to specific figures in his novel that shared the same characteristics as those in the Bible. The Beast was an imaginary character in ‘Lord of the Flies’ that represented the boy’s innate evil. The Beast tempted the boys on the island by appealing to the malevolence that resides inside of them. The Beast induced Simon by telling him to “run off and play with the others. They think you’re batty...There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast” (143). In the tale of Adam and Eve, the Beast would represent Satan who disguised himself in the form of a snake to persuade Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Even though Eve knew it was against the rules of the Garden of Eden to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, she gave in to her wants and temptations. Unlike the Beast, Simon, one of the main characters in ‘Lord of the Flies’, was portrayed as a Christ figure in the novel. After Simon’s death, he was described as being washed away while “The water rose farther and dressed Simon’s coarse hair with brightness” (154). Golding implied that the water around his head was meant to represent a halo. In biblical terms, when a character was described as having a halo, it displayed their holiness or their light given by God. Halos were only given to angels or God-like characters. These two contrasting figures furthermore add to the allusion Golding is trying to create to the Fall of Man.
Golding’s allegory to the Fall of Man was evident in his novel. His use of symbols functioned as a way for readers to see the similarities between his book and the story of Adam and Eve. He also utilized the theme of loss of innocence to furthermore prove his point that he was telling his readers the story of the Fall of Man. Ultimately, he manifested that ‘Lord of the Flies’ was an allegorical story by referencing biblical figures. Golding’s novel has flourished since its publishing because humanity, unfortunately, can relate to it. Society shares the same qualities as the characters that Golding writes about. Eventually, throughout the course of life, people lose their child-like innocence and give in to the temptations that lead them into their inner evilness. In a way, every human being is the Fall of Man.
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