As discussed in the previous paragraph, each character has different beliefs. You can worship scientific laws, or God, but you are still worshipping the same thing. When the bomb exploded everyone had a different interpretation of the same phenomenon. Golding shows this by creating a false dichotomy between science and art. He leads us to believe that they are two completely different beliefs, yet they are both representing the same thing in a different way. When the bomb explodes, it happens off-stage so the audience doesn’t see it, meaning that they can’t have their own interpretation of what happened. When you try to determine who is right and who is wrong, you get conflicts, e.g. between Mamillius and Phanocles, and between science and religion. There are people in the world who believe that the earth was made as a result of the big bang, and there are others who believe God created it. Conflicts occur when these people insist that their interpretation is correct. This is also how a lot of wars are started.
Everyone lives in a different world and your words create the world you live in. Golding shows that by understanding other people’s language, you can see the world they live in. On page 33 Euphrosyne says that the brass butterfly is outside Mamillius’ world, his understanding. She then uses his language to describe what the explosive is so that he can understand – “This is a charm. He has stored the lightning in this metal egg.”
Golding also discusses how the effect of technology depends on who uses it and how they use it. On page 58 the emperor says, “Phanocles, is like a sharp knife in the hands of a child. There is nothing wrong with the knife.” There is nothing wrong with technology; the problem is how we decide to use it. A knife can be used to cut things, such as food, or raw materials, but some people decide to use it to harm others. Phanocles made a weapon to help humanity, but Postumus tries to use it to kill people. On page 55 Phanocles says, “We build on the expectation of man’s goodness and the foundations collapse under us.” His inventions were supposed to be used for good which is what he expected, but Postumus used the brass butterfly for evil.
Throughout the play, Golding shows how the different characters have different views on technology. Phanocles is an inventor and tries to invent new technology to help humanity; however, although the emperor is pragmatic, he does not like the change. On page 74 the emperor says “But I like the old world! What has yours to offer?” This is what technology does to the world, it changes it and some people don’t like change like Caesar. Technology also means that jobs will be lost, which is what the emperor and Phanocles discuss on pages 75-76. These views were expressed strongly by the Luddites in 1811.
