Influences & Impact

Influences

The Coral Island by R.M Ballantyne has a great influence on Lord of the Flies. Not only does Golding use similar names to those characters in The Coral Island, he also uses the same concept. In The Coral Island, boys Jack, Ralph and Peterkin are stranded on an island. Jack is the leader with common sense, Peterkin kills pigs, and Ralph demonstrates survival skills. In contrast to Lord of the Flies, the boys in The Coral Island live a civilized life and do not face any savagery or wickedness that is seen in Lord of the Flies. For instance, when William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, he wanted to highlight the aggression the boys would face against each other. He demonstrated the decline of humanity as the boys began to care less about their connection to civilization. Over time, the boys cared less about their hygiene, morals, and finding a way back home and instead worried about hunting and establishing dominance. Ultimately, these choices led to the deaths Piggy and Simon, as well as Ralph’s realization of the world’s cruel nature. Both Lord of the Flies and The Coral Island explore the darkness within humans and the world, but while Ballantyne shows the boys finding evil in the outside world, Golding shows the boys finding evil within themselves. Ballantyne’s entire representation of “good” and “evil” are clear cut (good boys, good pigs, bad pirates), but Golding’s representation of good and evil are blurred as the characters exhibit both their righteous and monstrous sides. This difference is a clear distinction between both novels, and therefore shows how Golding used Ballantyne’s ideas to create a castaway narrative with an all-encompassing examination of human nature.

Impact

Lord of the Flies has cemented itself as a classic novel. Over the years there have been many pop culture references referencing Lord of the Flies. In fact, the novel has inspired many reality television series. From “Survivor” to “Big Brother,” many competition based reality television shows have striking similarities to Lord of the Flies. More recently, in 2009 a show called “Kid Nation” attempted to recreate the situation that surrounds the characters in Golding’s novel. Although these shows have been controversial, elements of Lord of the Flies continue to appear in pop culture. In fact, many cartoon shows, like “The Simpsons” and “Spongebob Squarepants” have covered the topic.

However, perhaps the greatest impact of the novel lies in it’s message to readers. Lord of the Flies attempts to show readers the dark side of human nature. Although only a fictional novel, the story serves as a cautionary tale to be applied to everyday life. Without checks and balances, even the most innocent can succumb to the dark side of human nature. In instances like war we are reminded of the danger of idealism and mob mentality among other things.

Lord of the Flies has impacted society and readers alike for decades, and will continue to manifest itself into popular culture. As long as it is a required reading book in many schools across the nation and the globe, Lord of the Flies will be able to reach millions. Having already inspired so much, it is difficult to imagine what the novel will bring about next. Only one thing is for sure: Lord of the Flies is not going anywhere.