Carla5

     Could there be a parallel drawn between the British schoolboys in The Lord of the Flies and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? In The Lord of the Flies, which was published in 1954, William Golding attempts to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. Golding combines the duality of savagery and civilization in humanity. British schoolboys, who are fleeing from the war of their land, are stranded on an island to fend for themselves. Adam and Eve are also placed in a faultless environment to act out their natural impulses. This novel is an allegory to the Garden of Eden as Adam and Eve are also faced with the temptation, choice to refrain, and consequences.

      Temptations are offered to both the schoolboys and Adam and Eve.   In the Garden of Eden, the serpent, Satan, proposes the opportunity for Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan informs the couple that their lives will be prosperous and they will have the omniscient power like God. The outward appearance of the fruit is appealing to the eye and Satan constantly offers luscious phrases about the fruit. The temptation is also prevalent in The Lord of the Flies. The schoolboys are tempted by the evil of the beast, through Jack, to follow Jack and his malicious activities.   Jack offers the security from �the beast� and tells his group, �We�ll hunt. I�m going to be chief� (Golding 133).   The boys are faced with the temptation of the beast�s wickedness, but still hold on to the choice of whether or not to surrender.

      The schoolboys and Adam and Eve are offered the temptation to submit to evil. In both cases, they make the choice to concede to the temptation and take a taste of evil. Although God repeatedly warns the couple of the consequences, they ignore and eat of the tree. Satan then rejoices for his victory because God is rejected. The British schoolboys also make the choice to give in to the evil of �the beast.�   After Jack leaves Ralph and Piggy, the other littluns decide to follow behind him. Evil now dwells within the boys.

      As a result of the groups� decisions to follow evil, consequences are bestowed upon the group. Adam and Eve�s sin is revealed to them.   The couple looses the opportunity to dwell in a utopian environment for the rest of their lives. The British schoolboys become as savages. Because of their actions and the evil that dwells within them, the death of Simon and Piggy comes about. The morale and integrity once claimed by Adam and Eve and the boys are lost. Innocence is also lost. Adam and Eve become ashamed of their appearance once they eat of the fruit. The boys are also compelled to paint their faces and therefore are camouflaged from the environment. They dance around the pig and sing, �Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!� (Golding 152). Adam and Eve and the boys loose the purity they once obtained.

      An allegory is shaped between the Garden of Eden and The Lord of the Flies.    Adam and Eve and the schoolboys are offered the temptation of good vs. evil, the choice to remain pure and innocent, and the consequences of their choices. Inadequate choices of the people resulted in the loss of innocence. Both Adam and Eve and the schoolboys had the opportunity to live happily. Their choice to yield to evil caused much destruction, suffering, and ultimately death in both cases. Good should continuously prevail over evil. The eternal happiness will always survive the temporary pleasures. By searching for the good in life, wisdom will enter your heart and will save you from the ways of wicked men.