NON-AFRICAN PROSE
WILLIAM GOLDING: Lord of the Flies
Give an account of the novel as a story of adventure.
Explanation
The novel is an adventure story. It is the account of the experiences of some English boys on an uninhabited island. They are marooned on the island through a plane crash. The boys are excited when they first appear on the island. In their innocence, they are enchanted with the prospect of having "fun and games". All by themselves, the boys are far way from the prying eyes of adults who would have their movement controlled. They glamour of this affects the boys. They organized themselves under a leader who is Ralph. They form a hunting group headed by Jack. For their own rescue and security they attempt to keep a fire going. As the sole occupants, they assume that the island belongs to them,. They explore their new surrounding, have fun and play at being hunters.
Soon, however, their game degenerates dangerously. Simon is mistaken for an imaginary beast of which they are all afraid and he is killed. This follows the killing of a pig by the hunters. They impale the head of the pig on a stake as sacrifice for the beast. Not long after this, the accidental killing of Simon matures into deliberate murder of piggy who has lost his spectacles. The game of hunters continues and becomes quite deadly. By the use of the conch, a semblance of authoritative behaviour is put in place. Without the conch one had no authority to speak to the group. This search for order does not last. The animal in the boys surfaces with the conflict between Jack and Ralph heightening. Things nearly get out of hand. Ralph becomes the underdog and is chased by the others led by jack. He turns for dear life but it is clear that he cannot escape a cruel end.
The first experiment in which a stone is thrown soon leads to willful destruction of life by the boys. But for the arrival of the naval officer, the paradise atmosphere portrayed at the beginning will have become more tragic than the boys have expected. The boys' adventure ends with the arrival of adults from the Navy. The arrival of the sailors is Ralph's salvation. It is also the means by which all the savaged comes to an end and the boys return to civilization.