Allegory of the Garden of Eden in William Golding's Lord of the Flies Essay Example

If a group of boys aged 6 to 12 were stranded on a beautiful island without adult supervision, would they live in harmony or become savages? William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies suggests that most of the boys would become savages, given the right circumstances. The story begins during World War II when a group of British schoolboys land on a beautiful island with no adults as a result of a plane crash. At first, the boys are innocent and attempt to recreate civilization on the island, though their behavior soon changes as their innate self manifests. Lord of the Flies reflects Golding’s belief that all human beings are inherently evil, and that it is difficult to resist giving in to selfish desires and temptations once the rules, order, and stability of civilization are no longer in place. Evidence suggests that the boys’ loss of innocence on the island resembles Adam and Eve’s fall from innocence and purity in the Garden of Eden. This is because both the island and the Garden of Eden demonstrate the inevitable transformation of humans from a state of innocence to a spiritually corrupt state. The novel can be seen as an allegory to the Garden of Eden as numerous parallels can be drawn between the two, including the setting, mindset of the characters, and great temptation the characters are subject to. 

The tropical island resembles the Garden of Eden because it is a paradise with acres of fruit trees and pleasant weather. An ambiance akin to that of the Garden of Eden is created by Golding through his portrayal of the island and its tropical climate. Before the arrival of the boys, the island, everywhere filled with “the scent of ripeness and the booming of a million bees at pasture” (Golding 56), is pristine and untainted by humans. This mirrors the description of the Garden of Eden, as when The Book of Genesis says, “Out of the ground the Lord God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food” (Genesis 2:8). Also, Adam and Eve are the first humans to inhabit the Garden of Eden, like how the boys are the first humans to inhabit the island. Characters in both settings are essentially blank slates, free from outside influence. The boys do not have to work for food on the island and are free to eat as much fruit as they like from the “acres of fruit trees, where the least energetic could find an easy … meal” (Golding 56). Similarly, Adam and Eve are free to eat from any fruit tree in the Garden of Eden of their choice (except one!). Everything the characters need is provided for them in idyllic sanctuaries that start off as pure.

The boys are civilized and innocent when they first arrive on the beautiful island, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden initially. The island is a place where the boys have total freedom from the restrictions of society. Ralph refers to it as a “good island” and naively believes that it is a place for them to have fun “until the grownups come to fetch [them]” (Golding 32). Innocence is shown through the characters’ undressed state both on the island and in the Garden of Eden. Ralph takes off his clothes and stands “naked, looking at the dazzling beach and the water” (Golding 10). This is like how The Book of Genesis describes Adam and Eve as “both naked, and … not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25). The characters in both stories exhibit an elemental naiveté. In The Book of Genesis, nakedness symbolizes purity and innocence, or a sinless state. On the island, an environment in which the boys are no longer bound by the constraints of society, the nakedness of the boys signifies freedom from restraints and gives them an opportunity to exercise their innate goodness or evil. Though the boys are innocent at first and do not go against the rules of society, they embrace their primitive instincts more and more as their stay on the island lengthens.

Despite being in what is essentially paradise, the boys soon become unsatisfied with just fruit, and desire meat, similar to how Adam and Eve desired the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Evidently, the boys are not tempted by knowledge, but by violence. Without adults and rules to keep them in check, the boys are free to behave however they want on the island and show their true nature. The first to become obsessed with the idea of killing and bloodshed is Jack. Although he is unable to kill a pig before putting on a mask, killing quickly becomes a game for him and his hunters. They slowly transform into violent, unforgiving savages with no regard for animal life. The boys lose their innocence when they kill their first pig, like Adam and Eve do when they eat the forbidden fruit and realize “they [are] naked; so they [sew] fig leaves together and [make] coverings for themselves” (Genesis 3:7). In this sense, the meat is like the forbidden fruit, as both cause a loss of innocence. However, the boys do not stop at simply slaughtering pigs for meat. In chapter 8, Roger tortures a sow by finding “a lodgment for his point” (Golding 135) and begins to push until he is “leaning with his whole weight” (Golding 135). Hearing the sow’s “terrified squealing [become] a high pitched scream” (Golding 135) but not stopping this morally wrong action shows how the hunters, who laugh hysterically and try to reenact the scene afterwards, have no compassion at all for the helpless sow, after being on the island for so long. Others also exhibit this innate evil when they engage in dancing and chanting that eventually escalates into the brutal murder of Simon, who dies unjustly while trying to tell the boys that the “beastie” they are all so afraid of is actually a part of them. One of the “littluns” refers to the beast as “a snake-thing, ever so big” (Golding 35), which makes it apparent that the beast is an allusion to Satan, who appears in the Garden of Eden as a cunning and deceitful serpent representing the voice of temptation. This furthers the Garden of Eden parallel. Clearly, beautiful surroundings do not prevent the inevitable corruption of mankind, since it is in their nature to strive for more than what they already possess.

The novel Lord of the Flies alludes to the Garden of Eden in multiple ways, some of the most notable parallels being the physical features, initial innocence of the characters, and how they ultimately succumb to temptation. Both stories illustrate how humans will always be thirsty for power. Golding’s novel reflects his belief that all humans are naturally evil, and that the ugly side of human nature will manifest in a society free of rules.