Falling of Angels into Beasts: The Archetypal Study of Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Abstract

The impenetrable sound of the breaking conch spread everywhere, where the wind whisper forgotten prophecies and the waves carry the echoes of the first fear of civilization, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies emerges as an evocative modern myth. Amidst the fragile cocoon of an emerald isolated island the innocence blooms only to wither beneath the constant struggle of instinct, which depicts the omnipresent wilderness of human heart. This discussion examines the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding through the archetypal perspectives of Carl Jung and Northrop Frye, presenting the timeless patterns, symbols and characters that surpass the unseen footprints of historical, geographical and cultural radix.

The unnamed island becomes an archetypal embodiment of the eternal battle between civilization and savagery. Ralph symbolizes the reluctant hero struggling to restore peace and hope amidst interminable darkness, while Jack personifies shadow; captured by the restless desire for power and primal instinct. All the characters embody the archetypal reflections and, human mind and depicts evil as the eternal inhabitant of the human heart.

Through the archetypal and psychological perspective, the paper presents the island both as paradise and dystopia. Moreover, from the Biblical lenses, the novel echoes the Judeo-Christian narratives of the fall, sin and redemption through the sacrifice of Simon that completely transformed the island from an Edenic realm into a site of devastation and the decay of human civilization. Thus, the paper purports to emphasize the significance and space of islands in literature, the archetypal criticism of human civilization and depicts the destruction of nature in the battle of human limitations and desire.