In What Way Is The Novel An Allegory Of The Garden Of Eden

The Garden of Eden and Lord of the Flies

"The Lord of the Flies", published in 1954, remains being one of the most important pieces of literature in history. This adventurous tale of a group of young boys reveals harsh truth about the reality of mankind's dark heart and the minimal amounts of innocence that exists in our world today. Through characterisation and symbolism, it is evident that religious undertones are present, the most notable being the numerous parallels found between the novel and the biblical story of "The Garden of Eden". Golding uses "The Lord of the Flies" as an allegory to "The" Garden of Eden" through the sow's head, the loss of innocence, and the island's setting. .
Savagery in the novel is displayed in many different ways, including the grotesque methods they use in hunting the sow and leaving her head as a sacrifice for the beast. The lord of flies is allegorical to the snake who persuaded Eve in the story of The Garden of Eden, primarily, they are both representations of the devil. . This sacrificial object comes alive in Simon's imagination and delivers the truth about the nature of the darkness all the boys on the island have within them. The pig's head, which is really a physical manifestation of the "beast" that lies within Simon, reveals the truth about the beast all the boys were afraid of. This being is the boys' evils in the flesh, an incarnated version of their internal darkness's just as the snake was to Eve and her vices. The snake in The Garden of Eden was the main source of temptation for humans which ultimately tarnished the innocence and the serenity of the Garden. Alike, the knowledge that the Lord of the Flies gave Simon in turn stole his child-like ignorance and he was no longer naive about the goodness that exists in mankind. Furthermore, in the process of trying to share this newly found knowledge, innocence becomes even more of a foreign virtue to the rest of the boys.

Essays Related to The Garden of Eden and Lord of the Flies

1. Lord of the Flies: Theological

Lord of the Flies A Brief Theological Interpretatio William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies can be interpreted theologically by regarding characters and events as religious symbols or ideas. ... Lord of the Flies is an allegory showing the fight between Christian and Pagan values. ... The island can be compared to the Garden of Eden, which was also destroyed by sin. ... Satan, the root of all evil, is portrayed by the Lord of the Flies. ... The Lord of the Flies is also explaining the evil that lives inside of us. ...

Word Count: 1095
Approx Pages: 4
Grade Level: High School

2. Lord of the Flies

The novel Lord of the Flies was wrote by a guy named William Gerald Golding. ... Lord of the Flies was his first novel published and it appeared in 1954, when he was only 43. ... Another theme explored in Lord of the Flies is "the loss of innocence." ... The entire island serves as a kind of Garden of Eden. ... In Lord of the Flies he uses two completely different styles of sentence structure. ...

Word Count: 916
Approx Pages: 4
Grade Level: High School

3. Civilization in Lord of the Flies

The author uses many different types of symbols to represent this idea as the novel continues, through the conch, comparisons to the Garden of Eden and also the signal fire. ... Golding used the conch in Lord of the Flies to show the reader the children's gradual slip from civilisation as their own personal desires surpassed the needs of the group. Another type of symbol Golding uses to show the reader the idea of civilisation versus chaos, are the multiple comparisons to the Bible characters Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. ... It can be said that in the beginning chapters of the no...

Word Count: 1000
Approx Pages: 4
Grade Level: High School

4. Allegory and Symbolism in Lord of the Flies

Throughout the novel "Lord Of the Flies," author William Golding incorporates characters, objects, and events which represent concepts or ideas pertaining to the flaws of mankind. ... The tropical island is comparable to the Garden of Eden and the boys' behaviour to the story of Adam and Eve. The island is like the Garden of Eden before the boys arrive because it is peaceful and pure, just like how before God created man, the Garden of Eden was also a place of tranquility and untouched beauty. ... Similar to the breakdown of the island, over the course of Adam and Eve's lives, the Ga...

Word Count: 3388
Approx Pages: 14
Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Humanity and Savagery in Lord of the Flies

William Golding's "Lord of the Flies," explores the clash between the human predisposition towards savagery and the laws of civilization that are devised to diminish it. ... It is the Lord of the Flies who reveals the true nature of the beast to Simon: "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! ... After he has the experience with the Lord of the Flies, understanding that the real beast is within them all, he returns to the group to tell them that they only have themselves to fear. ... The island that the boys are stranded on can be compared to the Garden of Eden upo...

Word Count: 1615
Approx Pages: 6
Grade Level: High School

6. Full Summary - Lord of the Flies

He stumbles across the sow's head, the "Lord of the Flies," now merely a gleaming white skull-as white as the conch shell, he notes. ... Analysis After Ralph's tense, exciting stand against the hunters, the ending of Lord of the Flies is rife with irony. ... For Ralph, as for the other boys, nothing can ever be as it was before coming to the island of the Lord of the Flies. ... Readers and critics have interpreted "Lord of the Flies" in widely varying ways over the years since its publication. ... Ultimately, there is some validity to each of these different readings and interpr...

Word Count: 11237
Approx Pages: 45
Grade Level: High School

7. Genesis and the Story of Noah

The story of the flood ends with Noah sacrificing a burnt offering to the LORD. ... And the Lord had respect unto Abel and unto his offering. ... Verse eight of chapter six says that Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord.... The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden also gives the Bible's first account of sacrifice. ... The gods smelled the savor, the gods smelled the sweet savor, and collected like flies over a (sheep) sacrifice (tablet 11)." ...

Word Count: 1305
Approx Pages: 5
Has Bibliography

8. Ralph Lord Of The Flies

Ralph, the first character introduced to the audience, is probably the most likable character in the entire story. Although he does not ponder such deeply like Piggy, is not as spiritual like Simon, or as energetic as Jack, there is something in him that attracts the audience. Ralph serves as th...

Word Count: 852
Approx Pages: 3
Grade Level: High School

9. Theological Reflections on Work

Here, God drives Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. ... "They should work because the Lord was with them. The Lord would bless the work of the Lord's people". ... The first obligation of a Christian is to please the Lord. ...

Word Count: 3348
Approx Pages: 13
Grade Level: High School

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