In both Lord of the Flies, and I’m the King of the Castle, the plots contain messages about the difficulties faced by those who and the consequences of this. Both novels revolve heavily around the behaviour and acts of those who are perceived to be ‘upper class’, and seen by the titles of ‘Lord’ and ‘King’ present in the title, and both authors critique the way in which those who are upper class discriminate against and use those who are lower class, which ‘Lords’ and ‘Kings’, in some cases, may do. Both writers discuss ways in which those who are perceived to be ‘lower class’ are discriminated against, but also how femininity is discriminated against, in a patriarchal society, as well as those who are seen to be more intelligent and more caring, although not upper-class, are also ostracised.
Both writers present how those who are perceived to be ‘lower class’ face difficulties in society. In Hill’s novel, Kingshaw is portrayed as instantly being discriminated against by Hooper, a symbol of the British upper-classes. The fact that Kingshaw describes himself as a ‘misfit’ goes to show how Kingshaw feel that he doesn’t fit into the upper-class setting. In fact, the fact that Kingshaw is said to feel ‘extreme isolation’ further displays this idea that because of Kingshaw’s lower-class upbringing, he does not fit into the upper-class setting, because he is ‘different’. Hooper’s statements of ‘I didn’t want you to come here’ and ‘You do what I say’ goes to show the rejection towards Kingshaw, and the prejudice he faces, because these things are said before Hooper even properly gets to know Kingshaw. Furthermore, this repetition of the pronoun ‘you’ could possibly suggest that Hooper is trying to distance Kingshaw, labelling him as ‘different’, and trying to alienate him. Hill was known to be a critic of the upper classes, and so perhaps, she is trying to illustrate the closed-mindedness of the upper-classes, and to illustrate their negative effects on society. Hill most likely uses her novel as a warning to convey the possible negative effects of the presence of the upper classes. Golding reflects this in his novel, by using the portrayal of Piggy in comparison to the other boys on the island. Golding writes how ‘Piggy was an outsider’, most likely due to the prejudice directed towards to the Piggy, because of the fact that he has an ‘accent’ and is overweight and wears ‘specs’, and also the fact that he is perceived as lower-class, compared to the upper-class boys on this island. The fact that Piggy is forced to ‘raise his hand grudgingly’ portrays how because of the prejudice towards him, he is not entitled to put forward his own opinion or view, and instead, has to conform to the wills of the upper-classes. Golding uses this as a microcosm to reflect the happenings in the real world, where the upper-class or the British Empire have all the power, whereas the ‘normal’ people have no power at all. It is possible that Golding was influenced by the Socialist views of his father, and is trying to illustrate the negative impacts of the upper-classes, and how more power should be relayed onto the ‘normal’ people. Golding possibly uses his novel as a prophecy to foretell the future issues with the upper classes, and both authors use the portrayal of difficulties faced by those who are perceived to be lower class, to highlight the flaws in the upper classes.
