Analysis of space in the work Lord of the Flies

Erin Villanueva Coronado

The book Lord of the Flies was written in the context of the post-war after World
War II. Its author, William Golding, was part of the Navy, so he was in contact
with the "inherent wickedness of man" that was evident in this context. Issues
such as the nature and the intrinsic evil of human beings are treating the work
and are supported by elements like space. This essay will analyze the space to
determine how the characters and influences how the space is a representation
of issues such as isolation, danger and excitement of children. The play is set
on a bleak island. The island is described as a place with dark spaces that are
disclosed by descriptions of children. All the boys in the island try to survive, so
they did many activities to afford the situation in order to survive.
The longer they stay in the island, the savage they become. That was evident
when they kill the pig and named it The lord of the Flies. In this case, we see a
loss of innocence, but this occurred because of the natural adapt that the
children have. At the end of the story they were a group of savage kids, the
story end with these; Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of
mans heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy.
Ralph realizes that, although he is saved from death on the island, he will never
be the same. He has lost his innocence and learned about the evil that lurks
within all human beings. Here, Golding explicitly connects the sources of
Ralphs despair to two of the main themes of the novel: the end of innocence
and the darkness of mans heart, the presence of savage instincts lurking
within all human beings, even at the height of civilization. The island could be
represented as a place where all the children changed.