Oliver escapes in a similar manner.
“He [Oliver] only cried bitterly all day; and when the long, dismal night came on, spread his little hands before his eyes to shut out the darkness, and crouching in the corner, tried to sleep.” This gives the impression of the inescapable evil that surrounds Oliver, which tries to get into his wholly good spirit, and corrupt it. Dickens uses the language to personify the darkness as a creature, that tries to penetrate the cracks in Oliver’s defences – represented by his fingers.
Dickens has made Oliver a character that contradicts the title statement. The idea that the environment reflects Oliver’s feelings is very prominent, but in some instances it actually shapes Oliver’s behaviour, too. One example is where Fagin locks Oliver in a room to convince him to become a pickpocket.
The link between Simon and Oliver is probably the biggest crossover point between the two books, because there is so much alike between them. The way that they react to the evil around them – by creating their own space – is but one example.
Evil is represented in both books, far more often, and with much more intensity than good, as if goodness is a dying quality in a decaying world. In Golding’s scenario, this is especially relevant, as the civilized world is being decimated by nuclear war, which is the heart of evil.
Roger is the ‘evil’ character in Lord of the Flies. He is always described as dark and sinister.
“When Roger opened his eyes and saw him, a darker shadow crept beneath the swarthiness of his skin; but Jack noticed nothing.” This suggests that the evil that Roger permeates into the group is unnoticeable at first, but slowly increases, culminating in more and more horrific acts; most notably, the death of Piggy.
The parallel of Roger in Dickens’ novel is Sikes. He is the man who is responsible for Nancy’s death. In Lord of the Flies, it is Roger who causes the death of Piggy. Sikes is described as a “Terribly evil man,” who is the root of the evil in the circle of thieves that he is the co-ordinator of.
“’You can’t do it without me, I know; but it’s best to be on the safe side when one deals with you.’” When Sikes is talking to Fagin at this point, he is discussing the robbery of the country house, which they involve Oliver in. This is a key point in the book, because Oliver is taken away from Sikes and into the hands of the Maylies. The key words in this phrase are, “You can’t do it without me.” This is obviously important, because it highlights the dependence of Fagin and Bill on each other. It is clear that the coalition of Fagin and Sikes is based not on trust, but on mutual benefit, which disintegrates as Oliver is taken away from them. This is how Dickens reflects the lack of trust between the two, using the environment.
The first major instance where the environment affects the characters in Lord of the Flies is when the fire is built. The intention of the fire is to maintain contact with the outside world. The old world, in which the boys used to live, was such a great part of their lives, that they needed it back. This is shown by the breakdown of civilization, the longer they are away, culminating in the destruction of the conch, which is the symbol of democracy, and how much the environment has changed them from civilization to savagery.
“We want to have fun. And we want to be rescued.” The structure of the language in the extract is more important than the actual words. The first sentence shows that they are still boys, with the ideal situation of Coral Island on their minds, but this is followed by an after-thought, which has been deliberately put on the end of the preceding sentence to show that the need of structure in the boy’s lives is subconscious.
The good intentions with which the boys start, quickly gets out of control. Although fire is the symbol of their rescue, it is a clearly destructive force, which gets out of control. This reflects the nature of the boys – the symbol of the old world is also their downfall (the conch) – and is another way in which the book contradicts the title statement.
“Life became a race against the fire and the boys scattered through the upper forest.” This again contradicts the title statement. At first, it seems that the environment is the evil that affects the boys. The beast, the dark side of the mountain and nighttime, all show this, but as time goes by, it seems that the environment is just an amplifier for the evil that the boys bring to the island. (The beast exemplifies this.) The fire is the first real example, as it is the boys who introduce this destructive element to the isolated world. This event seems to overtly contradict the title statement.
In Oliver Twist, the first key moment in the story is where Oliver ‘asks for more.’ This famous section of the novel shows how Oliver is breaking away from the controlling world in which he lives. At first, this passage seems to agree with the title statement. Oliver “Suffered the slow tortures of starvation for 3 months” and wanted to have more food. Although he was scared of the idea of asking for more, the environment reflects his true feelings by the onset of fate choosing him to ask for more.
“A council was held; lots were cast who should walk up to the master after supper that evening, and ask for more; and it fell to Oliver Twist.” The language Dickens uses in this phrase implies a certain reluctance to do this. He does this by highlighting the task Oliver has before him, even though the reader already knows what Oliver has to do. The last few words are structured in a way that implies destiny. The way they are added onto the end of the sentence shows the reflections of Oliver’s true feelings. After a slightly more detailed analysis of this event, it seems that it contradicts the title statement more than it supports it.
“For a week after the impious and profane offence of asking for more, Oliver remained a close prisoner in the dark and solitary room…” The descriptive language used in the sentence, which is clearly not needed, shows that Dickens thought the way children were treated in his time was awful. Although Oliver tries to break free from the constraints that surround him, the authority eventually beats him down. This idea is repeated throughout the book, and is a clear contradiction of the title statement. Although he may be reluctant to ask for more, Oliver does not refuse to do it, or even complain, which shows that he is happy, if not eager, to try to make the best of what he has. This is clearly his poor lifestyle (environment) affecting him.
Another key event in Lord of the Flies is Simon’s death. Here, Golding
uses language to build up tension in the atmosphere. He uses the weather to do this, and throughout the previous chapter, he describes the building of a storm. As Simon crawls out of the undergrowth, before he is killed, the storm breaks. The weather is obviously a metaphor for the evil continuously growing inside the boys that has to be released.
“Then the clouds opened and let down the rain like a water-fall…it’s blood was already staining the sand.” Simon’s death came after his realisation of the truth of what the beast was. He had understood what the beast was – “The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the other as soon as possible.”
It is obvious that the build up of the storm has represented and affected, in the boys, a build-up of evil. This natural tension affected the physical tension in the children’s hearts, and as the storm broke, the evil was released. This clearly supports the title statement, because of how seriously the environment has affected the boys.
Oliver’s injury when trying to break into the country house with Sikes is a direct parallel of this. As they approach the house to do the evil deed, the weather is awful. It is rainy, and the mood of people as the pass through pubs and inns was “suspicious and unfriendly.” After the job failed, and Sikes left Oliver lying in a ditch, “Morning drew on apace. The air became more sharp and piercing, as its first dull hue…glimmered faintly in the sky.” This language implies that only now is the violence realised. However, at this point, the weather has cleared up. As Oliver is rescued, and begins to heal, the weather becomes increasingly bright and sunny. Despite the evil act that Oliver has tried to commit, the Maylies believe him absolutely, as his goodness and innocence shine through the “Mask of evil” that surrounds him.
Returning to the original question, it appears that, although the two books generally adhere to the title statement, after analysing the two texts in detail, it is apparent that the environment is used in these two books to both shape and reflect feelings. Although the two writers come from different historical periods and had different aims in writing their novels, they both, in different ways, create an environment within their stories that is able to both shape the feelings of their characters, and have similar themes
For civilization to exist, we must first pass through a transitional stage of savagery. Golding shows this base evil feelings that humanity feels in his book, where as Dickens exemplifies a different sort of savagery, in what we would call a civilized world. Both however have a strong link, and this was the writers’ intention to bring the evil of man’s heart to light, whatever the historical circumstance.
Word Count: 2193.