Introduction:
The title ‘Lord of the Flies’ can be traced to the Jewish hierarchy (order of the angels) of demons. There is reference to Beelzebule who is known as the Lord of the Flies. He was the chief representative of false Gods. The title, therefore, is appropriate to a novel which like a fable conveys a moral that the world is not the reasonable place we are best to believe. Because all power corrupts us: One has to live with the darkness of man's heart.
It is the author's philosophy to restore principles in an unprincipled world. He wants to restore belief to a world of disbelievers. In Chapter 10 for the first time in the novel there is mention of the ‘Lord of the Flies’. It is the head of the killed sow swarmed with flies. Thus, the beast and Lord of Flies are identified with each other. “Man produces evil as the bee produces honey”. Evil plays dominant role in the novel.
Background, Principle and Message:
William Golding is one of the greatest novelists of this age. He had seen two world wars in 1914-18 and 1939-45. During the Second World War he joined the Royal Navy and was present at the sinking of the Busmarck. After the war he started writing novels. So, he had personal experience of what a war does to human society. The background of the novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ is a nuclear warfare in Europe. The novel also opens in a terrifying atmosphere. Nuclear war has broken out in Europe and a school from the English Home Countries has been evacuated by an aeroplane to an unknown forest. The writer wants to restore traditions, civilization and human values in an atmosphere of barbarism. This is what he wants to achieve in this novel. It deals with a boyish adventure. But the inner theme is “an attempt to bring out the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.”
Derivation of the Title:
The title of the novel is taken from Jewish order of angels of demons. Beelzebule was supposed to be the chief representative of false God. He was called ‘Lord of the Flies’. What we realise is that once the restraints of civilization are removed, the Lord of the Flies or the Evil begins to rule over us. The grown - ups are engaged in deadly warfare. So, the children on the island get into open conflict. There is conflict between Jack and Ralph. There is conflict between democracy and dictatorship. England and France stand for democracy and Germany and Italy stand for dictatorship. The writer wants to reveal this fact through this novel in the person of Ralph and Jack. The vast majority of them paint themselves. They throw off their clothes and turn into savages. They begin to worship the Lord of the Flies. The naval officer is ashamed of their appearance and reprimands them when he sees them painted. He expects them that they should have behaved better.
Worship of the Beast and Murder of Simon and Piggy:
The beast becomes a reality for the boys. Jack soothes it by ceremony and sacrifice. He leaves the head of the sow he killed as offering to the Beast. He says that this head is for the beast. It is the gift. He hopes that in this way the Beast will leave them alone. This was the practice of the primitive savages. They please and satisfy their deities by sacrifices and offerings. In this way, Jack sets up a new order. Murder and torture takes the place of peaceful life and co-existence. Simon is killed by spears and clubs by the dancing boys mistaking him for a beast Piggy is killed by the huge rock that flew over him. Ralph is hunted in the end. Thus, we see the full impact of the Lord of the Flies on the boys. The inherent evil of the human heart becomes obvious through Jack and his hunters.
Conclusion:
Simon alone is free from the delusion of the beast and the spirit. Because he is governed by his intuition and instincts which often prove correct. And he is not frightened of the beast. He does no believe in it. He also sees the killing of the some by Jack. He also sees offering of its head as a gift for the darkness. He is nauseated and falls in a fit. The sow's hand is swarmed with flies on a stick planted in the ground. It seemed to him to be the Lord of the Flies. The grinning head told him what the beast was. There was none to help him except him. He was beast. He was the evil in man. He was a part of him. Thus, we can say that the title is appropriate and to the mark of the novel.
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