Introductory
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel that is known by the stinky flies as well as the allegory it keeps. An allegory is a story within a story. Which means it contains different layers of stories and meanings into it. Apparently, Lord of the Flies looks like a gorey adventure of the little boys who were just "playing games". But on a deep and allegorical level, Lord of the Flies connects itself to the inheritance of the evil in all of mankind, an actual tussle between different governments around the world and lastly, with a mythological touch to it. Let us explore the Allegorical realm of Lord of the Flies below:
Surface Allegory
As mentioned before, an allegory carries different layers of meanings and/or stories inside the outward mask of the actual story. On the surface and symbolic level, Lord of the Flies stands as the growth of evil and anarchy among all human beings. The naked boys carrying spears represent the whole of humanity. The unknown island allegorically stands for the whole world. While the "pig-hunting" can be termed as a general allegory of wars and the evil associated with it.
Political Allegory
The second peculiar layer of allegory in Golding's novel is rather political. Golding wrote this novel at a time when the whole world was struggling to recover from the fatal wounds of the Second World War and the cold war began to pierce its lethal paws around the globe. The war was basically between the Capitalist United States of America and Communist Russia. Political allegory in this novel is made evident through the consistent fight between the league of Jack and Ralph. Ralph and his team (Piggy and Simon) showcase the rule of civilization and democracy. Whereas the league of Jack (and Roger) politically allegorizes for a totalitarian regime where the ruler decides what is best for the public. From the very analysis of the political allegory hidden inside the novel, it becomes clear that the league of Ralph stands for the democratic ruling of the USA while the violent league of Jack may stand for the communist rule of Russia.
Mythological Allegory
The third and rather inobvious layer of allegory in this novel relates to the mythological interpretation of the novel. As mentioned in the Significance of the Title in Lord of the Flies, the title refers to Beelzebub whose name translates to Lord of the Flies. But the conduct of Jack amplifies the significance of mythological allegory as he directly adores Satan who went against the decree of God and attempted to enflame a battlefield against Him. Thereby, Satan is considered a direct symbol of evil and the Good wins against the evil. But the allegorical difference is further made clear by the victory of evil through the means of evil as Ralph falls a victim to the web of savagery Jack knitted for him and the other boys to amplify his power and authority.
Conclusion
Conclusively asserting, Lord of the Flies is an exceptional allegory which not only highlights the darkness of the evil hidden inside human beings, but also demoting to the political crisis of the time when this novel was published.
