Agriculture i in i India i is i entirely i dependent i on i the i vagaries i of i nature i and i the i Indian i farmers i suffer i when i the i nature i deceives i them. i Indians i are i mystical i by i temperament, i and i believe i in i magic i and i miracles. i „Nectar i in i a i sieve‟ i is i a i study i of i Indian i rural i life, i and i the i quality i of i the i author i following i Indian i tradition i and i culture i is i seen i in i various i ways. i First, i there i is i a i grim i picture i of i hunger, i poverty i and i starvation i both i in i the i city i and i the i village. i Various i sections i of i rural i society i and i various i village i occupations i are i presented i through i the i characters. 

Suganya, N.

English

Scholar

The Conflict  between the Good and Evil in man in Lord of the Files by William Golding S.N.SUGANYA1, S. KOWSALYA2, A. BHUVANESHWARI3, S. MIRUNALINI 4S ASSISTANT PROFESSORS DHANALAKSHMI SRINIVASAN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE FOR WOMEN AUTONOMOUS PERAMBALUR Abstract: i  Many i critics i have i explored i the i theme i in i Lord i of i the i Flies i (1954) i of i a i group i of i children’s i descent i from i civilization i to i savagery; i of i a i loss i of i innocence i on i an i Edenic i island, i where i a i mysterious i and i fearful i “beast” i causes i the i children i to i divide i into i factions, i with i murderous i outcomes. i The i novel i is, i though, i multilayered i and i complex: i its i plot, i characterization, i symbolism, i and i themes i invite i analysis i of i opposing i dualities i such i as i Christianity i and i paganism, i innocence i and i guilt, i childhood i and i adulthood, i civilization i and i anarchy, i collectivism i and i individuality, i and i democratic i values i as i opposed i to i tyranny. i The i context i of i the i novel’s i production, i release, i and i reception i was i the i immediate i post-World i War i II i era i and i the i Cold i War i clash i of i ideologies i between i East i and i West. i Author i William i Golding i had i been i a i junior i officer i in i the i Royal i Navy i during i the i war i and i witnessed i firsthand i its i violence i and i cruelty.   World war II  Auden’s i 1947 i poem i explored i themes i of i identity, i materialism, i isolation, i and i anguish i in i the i postwar i world. i It i was i Auden’s i response i to i a i war i that i had i exposed  the i fragility i of i civilized i society i and i given i vent i to i atrocities i that i were i as i epic i in i scale i as i they i were i in i barbarism. i Nazi i Germany i systematically i rounded i up i millions iof i Jews i from i  i all i over i Europe i and i Russia, i stripped i them i of i their i possessions, i transported i them i in i freight i trains i to i concentration i camps, i and i then i murdered i them i with i poison i gas. i Disease, i malnutrition, i and i brutality i accounted i for i those i who i initially i survived i the i mass i exterminations. i Nazi i tactics i included i bombing i cities i and i targeted i civilians i in i places such i as i Guernica i in i 1937 i during i the i Spanish i Civil i War. i Rotterdam i suffered i similar i treatment i in i April i 1940 i as i German i bombs i blitzed i the i city i center, i killing i hundreds. i Later i that i year i the i Nazis i subjected i Coventry i in i England i to i aerial i bombing i and i hundreds i more i were i killed. i From i September i 1940 i to i May i 1941 i the i Germans i blitzed i British i cities, i killing i thousands i in i London, i Liverpool, i Manchester, i Cardiff, i Belfast, i Glasgow, i and i many i other i large i urban i centers. i The i Royal i Air i Force i retaliated i by i developing i a i heavy i bomber i force, i which i would i target i dozens i of i German i cities i including i Berlin, i Hamburg, i Cologne, i Munich, i Essen, i Bremen, i Kiel, i and i Mannheim. i   As i the i war i turned i against i Nazi i Germany, i similar i atrocities i took i place i in i a number i of i French i towns, i most i infamously i in i June i 1944 i at i Oradour-sur-Glane i where i approximately i 640 i civilians—the i majority i of i whom i were i women i and i children—were i murdered i by i members i of i an i SS i Panzer i group i (Hastings i 185-98. Over i 20 i million i Russians i died i in i World i War i II, i representing i by i far i the i biggest i loss i of i life i on i the i Allied i side. i Russian i troops i took i their i revenge i on i German i civilians: i Perhaps i as i many i as i two i million i women i were i raped i as i Russian i troops i rolled i through i Axis i towns i and i cities i in i the i war’s i final i days, and i in i its i immediate i aftermath i (Wheatcroft). i German i troops i made i prisoners i of i war i by i the i Russians i also i suffered i terribly: i for i example, i only i around i six i thousand iof i the i 90,000 i German i troops i captured i at i Stalingrad i survived i Russian i incarceration i to i return i home i after i the i war i (Roberts i 134).  In i the i Pacific i theater, i casualties i may i have i been i fewer i but i the i war i was i prosecuted i just i as i fiercely: i in i 1941, i Japanese i Imperial i forces i killed i more i than i 2000 i American i military i personnel i and i civilians i in i a i sneak i attack i on i the i American i territory i of i Hawaii. i  i  i  i  i In i the i war i that i followed, i both i sides i committed i atrocities. i Japanese i soldiers i acted i fanatically, i carrying i out i suicidal i attacks i on i their i enemies, i the i most i infamous i being i kamikaze i attacks i on i US i ships. i Other i suicidal i attacks i took i place i in i the i Aleutians i and i on i Saipan. i Both i Japanese i soldiers i and i civilians i committed i suicide i in i Okinawa i rather i than i surrender i to i American i forces. i Japanese i forces i began i and i ended i the i war i in i the i Philippines i in i barbaric i fashion: i in i 1942, i Japanese i imperial i forces i captured i approximately i 75,000 i American i and i Filipino i troops i on i the i Philippine i island i of i Luzon. i In i what i became i known i as i the i Bataan i Death i March, i these i troops i were i force-marched 65 i miles i to i prison i camps, i with i many i thousands i dying i of i exhaustion i and i dehydration, i or i killed i by i Japanese i bayonets i because i they i could i not i go i on. i When American i troops i retook i the i Philippines i in i 1945, i perhaps i 100,000 i of i capital i city i Manila’s i 700,000 i population i were i killed i in i the i fighting. i During i this i period i the i Japanese i Army i tortured i and i murdered i around i 1,000 i Christian i hostages i in i an i act i referred i to by i one i Filipino i inhabitant i as i “soldiery i gone i mad i with i blood i lust” (qtd. i in i Dower i 45).  Good and Evil  It i was i in i this i maelstrom i that i William i Golding i learned i harsh i lessons i about war i and i about i himself. i Originally i from i Cornwall i in i England, i Golding i studied i at iOxford, i publishing i a i book i of i poetry i while i attaining i his i BA i degree i in i English i Literature. i He i married i in i 1939 i and i was i a i school i teacher i when i the i war i broke i out. i His i rural i upbringing i and i gentle i middle i class i background i left i him i ill-prepared i for i the i horrors i of i war. i Nevertheless, i he i enlisted i in i the i Royal i Navy i in i December i 1940, i initially i serving i aboard i HMS i Galatea i in i the i North i Sea. iAfter i a i short i period i of i time i aboard i Galatea, i during i which i he i participated i in i the i search i for i the i German i battleship i Bismarck, i Golding i transferredto i HMS i Wolverine. i This i was i a i fortunate i move: i not i long i after, i many i of i Golding’s i friends i and i ex-crewmates i were i killed i when i a i German i submarine i sank i the i Galatea i in i the i Mediterranean. i HMS i Wolverine’s i main i role i was i as i an i escort i for i Atlantic i convoys—a i hazardous i and i difficult i mission, i often i undertaken i in i dreadful i weather i and i harsh i seas. i Golding i would i later i recall i conditions i onboard i Wolverine i as i “cramped, i crowded, i and i unavoidably i liable i to i [lice] i infestations” i (qtd. i in i Carey i 87). i In i October i 1941, i Golding i was i transferred i to i the i Royal i Naval i Barracks i at i Portsmouth, i where i he i survived i a i terrifying i Luftwaffe i bombing i raid. i Soon i after, i he i successfully i applied i for i  i  i an i officer i commission, i eventually i learning i to i pilot  a i troop i landing i craft. i He i took i part i in i the i Normandy i landings i in i June i 1944, i and i at i Walcheren i in i the i Netherlands, i where i his i boat i was i one i of i only i a i few i to  survive i an i Allied i assault i on i the i heavily i defended i island i (Reiff i 27-8). i As i John i Carey i notes, i “Memories i of i Walcheren i haunted i him i for i the i rest i of i his i life” i (108).  Golding’s i  i war i experiences i caused i him i to i question i the i roles i  i of i good and i evil i in i the i world, i and i to i examine i humanity’s i capacity i for i violence—two i important i themes i of i Lord i of i the i Flies. i He i recalls i his i experiences i at i sea i on i the i Galatea i as i “misery, i humiliation i and i fear” i (Carey i 83) i and i he i believed i the i lessons i to i be i learned i from i war i were i about i the i nature i of i humanity i rather i than i about i nationalism i and i competing i political i or i economic i ideologies i (Meitcke i 2). i “One i had i one’s i nose i rubbed i in i the i human i condition,” i he i explained i (qtd. i in i Gindin i 4), i and i he i came i to i realize i that i both i sides i in i the i conflict i were i capable i of i terrible i acts i of i violence i and i cruelty. i These i things, i he i explained, i “were i not i done i by i the i headhunters i of i New i Guinea i or i by i some i primitive i tribe i in i the i Amazon.    To i achieve i this i didactic i aim, i Golding’s i island i is i deserted; i it i has i no i indigenous i inhabitants. i However, i the i message i is i clear i in i these i tales: i while i natives i are i expected i to i be i heathen i and i savage, i civilized i Westerners i exposed i for i too i long i to i native i practices i may i become i corrupted. i Golding i avoids i this i possibility i by i removing i natives i from i his i tale. i As i the i original i title i of i the i book—The i Stranger i Within—indicates, i the i children i are i left i alone i to i discover i that i “the i savage” i resides i within i themselves. i They i abandon i democratic i ideas, i split i into i factions, i and i create i their i version i of i a i hunter-gatherer i society. i The i children i become i superstitious, i and i nervous i talk i about i a i monster i reifies i into i a i protoreligion i in i which i they i provide i sacrifices i to i the i  beast, i  even i  as i  they i seek i  it i  out i  to kill i  it. i  Fear i leads i  them i  to gravitate i towards i the i strong—those i who i can i provide i food i and i protection. i In i the i process, i they i forget i their i humanity, i turning i on i each i other i and i losing i the i trappings i of i civilization.   The i final i main i protagonist i is i Simon, i a i sensitive i child i who i serves i as i the i emotional i and i spiritual i heart i of i the i novel. i Envisioned i by i Golding i as i a i Christlike i figure i (Gindin i 24), i Simon i bravely i faces i up i to i the i beast, i discovering i that i it i is i merely i the i corpse i of i a i parachutist. This i causes i him i to i reflect i on i the i divisions i among i the i children i and i he i realises i the i truth i in i what i he i had i earlier i suggested i to i the i group: i “maybe i there i is i a i beast i . i maybe i it’s i only i us” i (Golding i 82). i Before i he i is i able i to i reveal i this, i however, i Jack’s i hunters i strike i him i down i  i in i a i frenzy i of i sacrificial i violence. i With i this, i Golding i reveals, i the i savage i has i won i and i the i beast i has i been i exposed i as i an i intrinsic i part i of i human i nature.  One i by i one, i then, i the i symbols i that i underpin i civilization i are i removed—the i children’s i clothes; i the i parliamentary i authority i  i of i the i conch; i Ralph’s i elected i leadership; i Piggy’s i glasses i (a i symbol i of i the i kind i of i bookishness i that i seems i unnecessary i on i the i island); i the i extinguishing i of i the i signal i fire i (the i ability i to i make i fire i is i one i trait i that i distinguishes i humans i from i all i other i animals); i Christian i values; i and i finally i all i rationality i and i reason i as i the i island i becomes i a i scene i of i destruction, i anarchy, i and i murder. i These i are i the i lessons, i Golding i believes, i humanity i must i learn i not i only i about i the i war i but i about i itself i (Meitcke i 2). i Golding i admitted i that i his i war i experiences i motivated i him i to i write i the i novel: i “It i was i simply i what i seemed i sensible i for i me i to i write i after i the i war i when i everyone i was i thanking i God i they i weren’t i Nazis. i I’d i seen i enough i to i realize i that i every i single i one i of i us i could i be i Nazis” i (qtd. i in i Shaffer i 54).   The i novel i ends i with i a i rescue, i of i sorts, i and i in i an i anticlimactic i fashion. i Readers i do i not i get i to i experience i the i violent i demise i of i Ralph i with i which i they i had i been i teased i throughout i the i final i chapter. i At i the i moment i where i his i capture i seems i imminent, i Ralph i flees i onto i the i beach, i where i he i discovers i an i immaculately i dressed i Navy i officer i and i a i boat. i When i he i turns i to i his i pursuers, i fierce i savages i just i moments i before, i there i is i a i shift i in i perspective—they i are i now i just i  a i  “group i  of i  painted boys” i  and i his i nemesis i Jack i a i “little i  boy” (186) i too i afraid i to i speak. i Soon i the i children i dissolve i into i tears i at i the i realization i of i what i they i have i done, i and, i as i the i author i tells i us, i for i their i loss i of i innocence. I   The i officer i looks i embarrassed: i “What i have i you i been i doing? i Having i a i war i or i something?” i (185), i he i  i asks. i The i officer i is i shocked i at i Ralph’s i response i that i two i children i have i died. i What i the i officer i had i previously i referred to i as i “fun i and i  games” i (185) i has i had i tragic i consequences. i He i gazes i at i his i ship, i perhaps i realizing i that i his i profession i is i merely i a i grown-up i version i of i these i children’s i “fun i and i games,” i and i he i will i soon i take i them i back i into i a i world i in i which i an i atomic i war i is i unfolding i (11). i The i boys i may i be i naked i and i savage, i disappointing i the i Navy i officer i who i expects i a i group i of i “British i boys” i to i “put i up i a i better i show” i (186), i but i  despite i his i  neat, i  trim i uniform  and i clean i appearance, i  the i killer also i resides i within i him. i The i unveiling i of i that i horrific i knowledge i is i Golding’s i greatest i achievement, i and i it i is i difficult i to  pick i fault i with i Dominic i Sandbrook’s i observation i about i Lord i of i the i Flies, i that i few i books i better i capture i the i dark i side i of i the i century i that i saw i two i of i the i bloodiest i conflicts i in i human i history, i as i well i as i the i Holocaust i and i the i nuclear  arms i race” i (344).  Works Cited Adorno, i Theodor i W. i The i Authoritarian i Personality. i Norton, i 1950. Allen, i Walter i Ernest. i The i Modern i Novel i in i Britain i and i the i United i States. Dutton, i 1964. Baker, i James i R., i and i Arthur i P. i Ziegler i Jr., i editors, i Lord i of i the i Flies, i by i William i Golding. i Casebook i Edition. i Perigee, i 1988. Boyer, i Paul. i By i the i Bomb’s i Early i Light: i American i Thought i and i Culture i at i the i Dawn i of i the i Atomic i Age. i U i of i North i Carolina i P, i 1994. Bradford, i James i C., i editor. i International i Encyclopedia i of i Military i History. Routledge, i 2006. Carey, i John. i William i Golding: i The i Man i Who i Wrote i Lord i of i the i Flies. Faber, i 2012. Dower, i John. i War i Without i Mercy. i Pantheon, i 1993. Engelhardt, i Tom. i The i End i of i Victory i Culture. i HarperCollins, i 1995. i Ferguson, i Niall. i Colossus: i The i Rise i and i Fall i of i the i American i Empire. Penguin, i 2012. The i Fog i of i War: i Eleven i Lessons i from i the i Life i of i Robert i S. i McNamara. Dir. i Errol i Morris. i Sony, i 2003. Fussell, i Paul. i The i Boys’ i Crusade: i The i American i Infantry i in i Northwestern i Europe, i 1944-1945. i Modern i Library, i 2003. Gindin, i James. i William i Golding. i Macmillan, i 1988  

THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE GOOD AND EVIL IN MAN IN LORD OF THE FLIES BY WILLIAM GOLDING.

https://jconsortium.com/index.php/scholar/article/view/397/376

THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE GOOD AND EVIL IN MAN IN LORD OF THE FLIES BY WILLIAM GOLDING.

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