Introduction
The story 'Lord of the Flies' by Golding, sounds like an allegory to many readers from the time of its publishing in 1954. The story can be interpreted in many symbolic ways as an allegory, and one of the ways is by seeing the book as a struggle between the evil and the good in the world. The story characters depict and fit many of the similar societal aspects as well as the symbolic nature of religion. Lord of the Flies has a considerable number of allusion to the Judeo-Christian mythology. Many people have argued that the references made against the novel about Christian mythology qualify it as a biblical allegory. In contrast, others think that it criticizes religion due to its allusion to the New and Old Testaments. The Lord of the Flies refers to the garden of Eden in most of its themes and references. Through the biblical parallels in the content, settings, and overall meaning of the Lord of the Flies, it, in essence, becomes a religious allegory.
The novel invokes the biblical account of good and evil, even though it is not the same. For example, the early chapters of the story present the island, which resembles the Garden of Eden discussed in Genesis. The picture of the scene shows abundant food, good weather, and good water. Again, the boys are a symbol of Adam and Eve before the fall of man. According to Golding, the first act by Ralph when the plane crashed was to remove his clothes and bathe in the water (91). And that is a symbol recalling the nudity of Eve and Adam and the baptism act, which is a Christian rite believed to renew the state of grace of the sinner. In genesis, another essential thing, and in the novel, this is also reflected as the boys give their names. The Edenic allusion is extended by Golding when he presents the satisfaction of the life on the island as soon tainted by fear, which is signified when the boys give an account of which they refer to as a snake-thing. The report of a snake-thing by the boys recalls the presence of Satan in the Garden of Eden.
On other accounts, the story by Simon is that of Jesus Christ or a prophet. Simon is compassionate, non-violent, deeply spirited, and is in harmony with the world's nature. Just like Jesus and many biblical prophets, Simon is hated and mocked as an outsider by the people who perceive his behaviors as strange or unorthodox (Sugg 45). The confrontation of Simon with the Lord of the Flies can also resemble the conversation between Christ and the devil during his forty days fasting in the wilderness, as described in the New Testament gospels. There is also a high degree of similarity between the murder of Simon and Christ's sacrifice on the cross. However, the revelation by Simon is more of a discrediting and a turn to the secular, and not the condemnation of evil in a prophetic manner or a call to the higher things. According to Simon, he reveals that there is nothing like a beast that exists, but rather a dead human.
Additionally, Golding brings out an argument that the constant disagreement between the boys in the novel originates from a more threatening and larger evil living within them. That brings the biblical story of Cain and Abel to mind. Due to Ralph's conviction and charisma, he beats Jack in the race for being the chief (Golding 127). The high indignity of Jack is seen earlier in the book, and this becomes fully evident when he attempts to kill Ralph. Jack ran forward and bent over, saying he is chief, and then hurled his spear at Ralph fiercely and with full intention. What was previously seen as petty jealousy has, in this essence, become an incentive for murder. And it is a resemblance of the idea of the beast, that originated as a small nightmare, and with the mounting fear of the boys intensifies to ravenous darkness covering the island. Moreover, the attempted murder by Jack is after he assumes the position of chief, and this is a revelation that his behavior comes from a personal hatred for Ralph and not a means for achieving the goal of being the chief (Sugg 47). It is in the same manner that Cain kills his brother Abel because of an inherent feeling of jealousy and malice.
Conclusion
The Lord of the Flies refers to the garden of Eden in most of its themes and references. The novel has biblical parallels in the content, settings, and overall meaning. The description of the island by Golding is a resemblance of the biblical Garden of Eden, through its good waters, abundant food, and good weather. The actor Simon in the novel is also a reflection of Jesus Christ and several prophets in the bible through his nature of kindness, compassion, deep spirit, and harmony with the world's nature. Simon is also mocked and rejected by his way, the same encounter Jesus had. Lastly is the relationship between Jack and Ralph, which is a reflection of the biblical Cain and Abel, when Jack kills Ralph out of hatred and malice like Cain did to Abel.
