Location & Setting
English Lit: AQA GCSE Lord of the Flies, topic 4.1.4
Location & Setting
Golding suggests that humans eventually damage or destroy everything beautiful anywhere they settle.
The Garden of Eden
- The island represents the Garden of Eden – perfect until man’s arrival.
- The scar made by the plane shows how the boys immediately affect the island.
Human arrival
- Before humans had arrived, the island had been peaceful and good, full of light and with plenty of food.
- The arrival of the boys brought scarring, fire, destruction, violence and fear.
- Their true human natures irreversibly damage the island.
Savage mindset
- When the boys are exploring the island, they soon begin to think of it as something which belongs to them (“their beach”).
- This suggests a savage mindset, where basic instincts take hold – in this case, the instinct to claim and protect “their” territory.
Human arrogance
- Golding suggests that humanity is quite arrogant.
- Humans claim any land they want and believe that they have control over what happens there.
- In addition, Golding is suggesting that humans eventually damage or destroy everything beautiful and wondrous anywhere they settle.