William Golding (Author of Lord of the Flies)

William Golding was born in 1911, and was educated very well. He worked in various professions, including teaching- being a school master, he knew alot about the behavior of children. This experience shows in Lord of The Flies through his deep, complex characters and the way in which they act. In 1940 he joined the navy to participate in World War Two- he experienced some of the atrocities of war. This also influenced his novel as the savagery nearer the end shows the children in an almost war-like state.

He wrote the book for several reasons:

1. To use his knowledge of war and children in a constructive way
2. To make a statement about the way the world works
3. To question basic human instincts
4. To question what would happen if society broke down
5. To convey the point that all us contain evil in some form and have the ability to "turn savage," in a sense
6. To convey the point that under certain pressures people change and their personality adapts
7. To convey the point that fear is to be feared
8. To analyze how fragile the make up of democracy is and the idea of evil within society
9. To compare chaos and order