Lord Of The Flies Literary Analysis - 1101 Words

Irony is a literary technique utilized by writers in an attempt to convey a message different than its literal meaning. For this reason, this technique used often in satirical writing, such as Lord of The Flies by William Golding. Irony is an important element in literature as it provides writers with a vehicle to communicate a deeper, more meaningful message. In his literary critique, How To Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster emphasizes the significance of irony in literature, stating repeatedly, â€Å"irony trumps everything† (Foster 261). In â€Å"everything†, Foster refers to all other components of the story: character development, theme, symbolism, etc. In writing this, Foster suggests that the significance of all other aspects†¦show more content†¦They believe that their inability to establish a similar society on the island originates from their immaturity, and that adult guidance will help them to reestablish order. However, â€Å"A s ign came down from the world of grown-ups, though at the time there was no child awake to read it. There was a sudden bright explosion and corkscrew across the sky; then darkness again† (Golding 95). The â€Å"sign† from the world of grown-ups refers to the atomic war occurring outside of the island. Though the boys had hoped for a â€Å"message† to help salvage order, the â€Å"sign† from the world of adults only validates their disorder. The usage of third person omniscient allows Golding to convey the character’s feelings while also providing the reader with a better insight into the conditions outside of the island. This provides the reader with a full understanding of the situation and allows for recognition of the duality in meaning of the â€Å"message† from the world of adults. In a literal sense, there was â€Å"no child awake†, meaning the children were sleeping when the explosion occurred. However, in a figurative sense, the children do not perceive adults as their equals and thus do not expect them to be equally as disorderly. Foster discusses this in How to Read Literature like a professor, stating â€Å"That’s irony- take our expectations and upend them, make them work against us† (255). As readers, we expect the â€Å"message† from the world of adults to helpShow MoreRelatedLord Of The Flies Literary Analysis1534 Words   |  7 Pagesthe most scrutinous detail to his plethoric of symbolism seen throughout the novel, it is clear that he is an experienced writer. From his other books like The Inheritors and The Scorpion God it can still be seen that one of his earlier books, Lord of the Flies, is truly one of his greatest masterpieces. That book would also be the topic of this essay, and from the very beginning was obviously a piece of literature that has aged well despite its year of publish. From the stranding on the island to theRead MoreLord Of The Flies Literary Analysis154 6 Words   |  7 Pagesoverruns them and evil starts to lurk over the island.The fictional story of the group of British schoolboys stranded on an island and the decisions they make, relates back to our society and the decisions we might make in a difficult situation. Lord of The Flies is Golding’s attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The use of symbols in the novel to represent the flaws of human nature, helps create this theme. The conch is one of the main objects the boys use and hasRead MoreLord of the Flies Literary Analysis853 Words   |  4 PagesLord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, reflects upon the very core of human beings. Golding described human beings as innately evil. He also showed readers that all it takes to bring humans’ true nature out is by being in an unknown environment that is free of laws. Being surrounded by mysterious creatures in an unknown land, the stranded boys are left for dead. In t he small world without adults, the boys slowly corrupt in to follow their instinct to satisfy their immediate desires. Read MoreLord Of The Flies Literary Analysis1406 Words   |  6 PagesGolding’s Lord of the Flies, the book is rich with symbolism and subtext. The story starts with British school boys being stranded on an island after escaping a threat of nuclear war. The boys elect fair-haired Ralph as their leader, but Jack, a fiery choirmaster of some of the boys, is jealous and the story quickly goes downhill from there, leading to aggression, mayhem, and murder. Throughout the novel, there is also a mysterious and imaginary beast that haunts the minds of the younger boys. Lord of theRead MoreLord Of The Flies Literary Analysis1465 Words   |  6 Pagesonce wrote, Every life is a march from innocence, through temptations, to virtue or vice (Abbott 7). This march, as Abbott puts it, is maturation. Inevitably, everyone must experience these phases, ending either in, goo d or evil. The novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, examines these very steps towards maturity. More specifically, Golding displays through the character Ralph; the phases of psychological maturity. Ralph throughout his experiences on the island will progress and regress inRead MoreLord Of The Flies Literary Analysis1191 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Lord of the Flies† written by William Golding and published in 1954 is an allegory and social commentary that takes place on a deserted tropical island. An island that becomes populated when a plane crashes and leaves British schoolboys stranded. The group of boys attempt to recreate the civilization they came from, by choosing a leader: Ralph but, Jack wants to lead also, which causes the boys to little by little leave civility and form into savages. The microcosm Golding creates exploresRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Lord Of The Flies2183 Words   |  9 PagesThe title Lord of the flies is noteworthy with respect to the novel. First, the word Devil is a Hebrew translation of the novel’s title Lord of the Flies in which the Devil represents the dark and evil of the underworld. This concept of darkness and evil is perceived throughout the novel as we observe the boys use their survival skills. An example of this is when we first meet the boys they appear to be well behaved British boys, but as their need for survival strengths we realize these boys mayRead MoreLord Of The Flies Literary Analysis2085 Words   |  9 Pages The Lord of the Flies demonstrates survival, cooperation, and friendship, and how hard those things are to achieve. It was written in 1954 by William Golding. There are several kids who are involved in a plane crash, and land on an uninhabited island, so they must use their resources to survive as a group. There are many boys, Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, and many others, with no girls. Fights, challenges, and jealousy takes them over and their civilization they created starts to shake. The conflictsRead MoreLord Of The Flies Literary Analysis Essay1657 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel, Lord of the Flies, is a tale like no other. It’s a story of perseverance, determination, survival, and emotion. Golding does a superb job displaying these traits and so many more throughout this story of fighting, not for your life, but to the death. The authors style is one unlike any other I’ve read. I love emotion. I’m not sure if it’s the way it makes me feel or how it can help me relate to the reading, but for some reason I love it. That’s why my favorite style displayed in Lord of theRead MoreLord of the Flies Literary Analysis Essay709 Words   |  3 PagesGreed for Power In the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of English boys in their adolescence are stranded on an island. They crash-land while being evacuated because of an atomic war, so the boys must learn to cooperate with each other in order to survive. The boys are civil at first, but the bonds of civilization unfold as the rapacity for power and immediate desires become more important than civility and rescue. The conflict between Ralph, the protagonist, and Jack, the antagonist