William Golding Lord of the Flies Literary Criticism

"Golding's own explanation for the breakdown of civilization in Lord of the Flies was delivered in a lecture given in 1962 at the University of California at Los Angeles. He describes the breakdown as resulting from nothing more complex than the inherent evil of man: "So the boys try to construct a civilization on the island; but it breaks down in blood and terror because the boys are suffering from the terrible disease of being human""

"[A]ll of the clashes can be explained in Golding's view; they are the result of the beast inherent in both boys. The clash that arises from the discussion of the beast does not result from Ralph's extreme rationalism, but rather from the murmurings of the beast within him: "Something he had not known was there rose in him and compelled him to make the point, loudly and again" (Golding 34). Motivated by that inherent evil, that original sin of pride, both boys assert their power."