’Well then,’ said the Lord of the Flies, ‘you’d better run off and play with the others. They think you’re batty. You don’t want Ralph to think your batty do you?’
Lord of the Flies
Elsewhere there are more examples of Simon’s isolation,
He was kneeling down on one knee, looking down from a higher rock, alone.
Lord of the Flies
This might suggest that Simon is set apart from the others on a different level.
Both Richard’s and Simon’s isolation develops dramatically, with large sections of both books featuring them in complete separation from the others.
In addition, this seclusion influences many key events, such as Simon’s murder in Lord of the Flies,
A thing was crawling out of the forest. It came darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain. The beast stumbled into the horseshoe.
‘Kill the Beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!’
The blue-white scar was constant, the noise unendurable. Simon was crying out something about a dead man on a hill.
Lord of the Flies
This quote is particularly meaningful, as Simon’s fellow friends do not even recognize him, mistaking him for the beast. Instead of listening to him, his isolation and their frenzy lead them to murder him. Had Simon not been separated from the group, this murder would not have taken place. In The Beach, Richard’s isolation causes the group to turn on him, and, at the end of the novel when his fellow residents are against him, he feels very separated from them, and thinks of them as strangers,
Desperately I began to search for a face I knew. I felt I could appeal to someone if I found a face I knew. I could plead a case. But the more cutters that arrived, the more anonymous they became.
The Beach
Moreover, the theme of isolation is linked to many others, such as insanity as both Simon and Richard grow insane in these periods of isolation.
As well as this both islands are literally set in isolation. In Lord of the Flies, the schoolboys are stranded, isolated from the outside world,
‘They’re all dead,’ said Piggy, ‘an’ this is an island. Nobody don’t know we’re here. Your dad don’t know, nobody don’t know –‘
Lord of the Flies
In The Beach too, the inhabitants are isolated from the, “real world,” however this is by choice and the community do not like returning to the rest of the world,
‘There’s two main reasons people don’t like doing the Rice Run. Number One, it’s a complete hassle. Number two it means visiting the world.’
‘The world?’
‘The world. The world is everything outside the beach.’
The Beach
Secondly, a theme common to both novels is things not being what they seem. This is specifically done by both authors with use of imagery, visual deceptions, phrases and words with dark undertones, plot events and tragedies, such as the shark attack in The Beach. Firstly both novels feature much imagery such as, from Lord of the Flies, “The water shimmered like blood,” and, from The Beach,
“They burst apart in two red fountains, spraying like high pressure hoses, soaking me, blinding me, filling my mouth,”
These phrases are common throughout the novels, and are constant hints to the fact all is not as it seems. Most references have a dark edge to them, for example,
The sun gazed down like an angry eye Lord of the Flies
This phrase adds a disconcerting edge to the paragraph and keeps the reader on edge. The imagery in general is particularly alarming, as it does not fit in with the seemingly paradise effect that both novels feature. In addition, this gives the novels another layer, and always reminds one that that things are not as they seem. There are many other clues to things being different, such as visual deceptions. These occur especially in Lord of the Flies, with many illusions described, such as a detailed description of a mirage on the sea.
Furthermore, many plot events which seem minor, are often more significant later on, such as in Lord of the Flies, three littluns have carefully built sandcastles and then two other characters knock them down. Although in the context of the plot, this is very minor, this is a hint as to what is going to come. This might be Golding reflecting society and the world; people usually only care about suffering and destruction if it affects them or is in their interests. Finally, a major pointer as to things being not as they seem is the many tragedies that litter the ‘paradise’ islands. The descriptions at the beginning of the novels are besieged with many phrases of the paradise. However, soon after, many tragedies occur. One example of this is in The Beach, where a food poisoning is followed in quick succession by a shark attack, resulting in deaths. All the above are hints as to things being not what they seem, the main reason being that of all the imagery which is continuous throughout the novels.
A major issue to arise in the novels is insanity, with the two characters Simon and Richard from Lord of the Flies and The Beach respectively turning insane. Simon speaks to The Beast, a talking pigs head,
‘There isn’t anybody to help you. Only me. And I’m the beast.’
Lord of the Flies
Richard similarly speaks at great length to Mister Duck, a man he found dead at the beginning of the book, who gave him a map to the beach. Although the insanity in the characters probably springs from different sources, Simon’s most probably from an illness, as, “He’s always throwing a faint,” (Lord of the Flies) and Richard’s from drug abuse, the authors portray this insanity similarly. They both feature the characters talking to a figment of their imagination, and both Mister Duck and The Beast are similar in character. They are both domineering and The Beast especially is a patronizing figure,
‘You are a silly little boy, ‘ said the Lord of the Flies. ‘Just an ignorant, silly little boy.’
Simon moved his swollen tongue but said nothing.
‘Don’t you agree?’ said the Lord of the Flies. ‘Aren’t you just a silly little boy?’
Lord of the Flies
Both figures can also rule over Richard and Simon’s minds, often making them think things which are not true. This insanity affects the plot and feel to the book.
Many relationships in The Beach and Lord of the Flies are the same. These relationships are often very important and are a key feature of the books. An example of this is the similarity between Jack and Ralph’s relationship in Lord of the Flies, and Bugs’ and Richard’ relationship in The Beach. Neither of these couples get on well, and both grow apart as the plot progresses. In Lord of the Flies, this is due to leadership and the fact both Ralph and Jack wish to fulfil the position of leader. In The Beach, the antagonism between Bugs and Richard is due to a mutual dislike for each other,
Why did Bugs get on my nerves so much? Because he really did. I mean it wasn’t like he’d done anything bad to me yet we both really didn’t like each other.
The Beach
These relationships affect the community in many ways. Not only does it cause tension and arguments, but, it also adds another dimension to the novels. This similar dislike of characters in both novels, leads to another similarity between The Beach and Lord of the Flies, a rift in groups. In Lord of the Flies, an argument between Ralph and Jack sees Jack leaving to form his own tribe. This causes tension and splits the island. Similarly, this is shown in The Beach, with a rift forming over an argument.
To sum up, both books, although written in different periods and by different authors have similar themes. The background they deal with is different, and yet in some respects the same. The main events in both books take place on an island. People fall out with each other, and, as demonstrated above, almost identical themes can be found running through both novels. The isolation of Richard and Simon, the insanity developed through Mister Duck and The Beast, the hints as to things not being as they seem, and the complex relationships which the inhabitants of the islands display, all feature in both novels.