Golding wrote a book for his wife on how boys would really act.
William Golding has some very strong views on World War 2. Most people would say that the German Nazis are evil but I find that he raises a very good point.
“ Golding believed that the capacity for Nazism is universal: there are English people who would have been Nazis; equally, there are Germans who were and are decent”
I totally agree with Golding. He saw that man was evil as well as good. The characters in the book had meaning and separate personalities of their own. Ralph was a very simple boy who believed everything would be all right if you elected someone to lead and take charge. He was an innocent boy with a belief in democracy. Jack is a zestful young boy with a zest for tactics, however he is Ralph’s complete opposite, which can cause problems on the island. Piggy was the closest to an adult in the island. He has “a curious grown up quality”. Golding believed physical difficulties could make people more adult as a result. Simon is a “Christ figure”. He is way ahead of the others in understanding what the beast truly is. According to Golding “he had to suffer, he knew too much”.
Finally, the naval officer is like the Greek dramatic device of a “Deus ex machina” who arrives and seems to settle everything within the end.
I found this interview very useful because it was interesting to view the opinions of the man behind the book. It can help you to understand some of the reasons for writing the book. Small pieces of information like I have stated above can help you to build up your knowledge of this excellent book.
Ralph
Ralph was played by James Aubrey who now has become an actor as a result of the film. Not only has this film given him a career but it has also made him aware of human suffering. He is an idealist and is very much like Ralph to believe human decency is enough to get you by. The film had made him feel important for the first time in his life and he enjoyed the position of leadership in the film and all the attention that he received. Being in the film has made a huge impact on his film and he has been dreaming of that island ever since he left it.
Jack
Jack was played by Tom Chapin who is now a gold prospector in Arizona. H liked the power that he had while playing Jack during the film that is a very powerful character indeed. He always wanted to be nice and well liked but it never seemed to work out that way. As he played Jack he enjoyed the fact that people looked up to him and respected him during filming.
Simon
Played by Tom Gamon who is now a biologist. He was very aware of the wildlife on the island as a boy. He felt that the role of Simon was an exaggeration of who he really is, however, he likens his simplicity to that of Simon.
Piggy
Piggy was played by Hugh Edwards, who works for Mars in Moscow and is developing their manufacturing strategy. He feels that the film has made him more confident. He didn’t think he was anything like Piggy in any way but has found that Piggy didn’t understand what potential and power he had on the island.
Sam’n’Eric
These two were played by David and Simon Surtees. As twins they were very close in both the film and in reality. Simon works as a careers officer and David is a political advisor to the Conservative Party. David states that he was very proud to have worked on the film.
