The trajectory from naval officer to novelist might seem like an unusual path for someone whose literary legacy has come to define much of the 20th century. However, for William Golding, the journey from the sea to the written word was deeply intertwined with his World War II experiences, which profoundly shaped his worldview and his exploration of human nature in his later works. Among his most famous achievements is the internationally acclaimed novel Lord of the Flies, a dark exploration of humanity’s descent into savagery when removed from the constraints of society.
But the roots of this existential exploration go much deeper than just the pages of a novel. Golding’s service in the Royal Navy during WWII was a pivotal period in his life, one that would directly inform his understanding of the darker aspects of humanity. His observations of human behavior in times of extreme stress, conflict, and survival led him to develop the cynical view that beneath civilization, human beings were driven by primal instincts that could easily break free in moments of crisis.
In this article, we delve into how Golding’s personal experiences as a naval officer during World War II shaped his novels and ultimately gave rise to his famous reflections on human nature.
⚔️ A War-Torn World: Golding’s Early Years and Naval Service
Born in 1911, Golding came of age during a time of significant political and social upheaval. Having been educated at Oxford University, where he studied English literature, Golding’s early life as a writer was influenced by classic texts and philosophical debates about human morality. However, it was his participation in World War II that would leave an indelible mark on his creative consciousness.
Golding enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1940 and served on several ships during the conflict, including participating in the D-Day landings in 1944. His role as a Lieutenant on a destroyer placed him directly in the chaos of naval combat, and the brutality of warfare had a profound impact on his perception of mankind.
As a naval officer, Golding witnessed firsthand the horrors of war—the violence, the survival instincts, and the fragility of civilization in the face of extreme conditions. These formative experiences influenced his later writing, particularly his belief that society was a thin veneer that could easily dissolve under duress, revealing the more primal, self-serving impulses of human beings.
🧠 The Shattering of Innocence: How WWII Transformed Golding’s View of Human Nature
One of the most striking elements of Golding’s writing is his exploration of the loss of innocence and the corruption of the human spirit. The disillusionment that Golding experienced during the war likely played a crucial role in shaping these recurring themes.
Before the war, Golding, like many of his peers, had been raised on the belief in the inherent goodness of human nature. He had been influenced by the Enlightenment idea that humans, when given the right conditions, could build societies based on reason, justice, and mutual respect. However, witnessing the brutality and barbarity of war shattered this idealistic view. For Golding, World War II was the ultimate revelation of the darker sides of human nature—the capacity for violence, cruelty, and self-interest even in the face of overwhelming destruction.
The war forced him to confront the reality that human beings, in the absence of the stabilizing forces of civilization, could quickly descend into chaos. Power, greed, fear, and survival instincts ruled in the trenches and battlefields of war, where men were pitted against each other in conditions that tested their moral fiber and humanity.
In many ways, the premise of Lord of the Flies emerged from these war-time experiences. The novel’s plot revolves around a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island, where their initial cooperation and sense of order devolve into violence and savagery as they struggle for power. The disintegration of societal norms within the novel mirrored Golding’s own observations of how quickly civilized behavior can break down when people are stripped of societal structures and survival becomes the only instinct.
📚 The Birth of Lord of the Flies: From War to Page
By the end of the war, Golding had experienced enough trauma to fuel an entire career of dark, philosophical exploration. He returned to civilian life after the war, but the devastation he had witnessed stayed with him. He returned to teaching, but his heart was set on writing. Lord of the Flies would become his first novel, and it was written out of the same raw experiences and questions about human nature that had haunted him since his time in the Navy.
Golding’s own time in the military provided rich material for his characters and themes. The boys stranded on the island in Lord of the Flies were not simply fictional creations; they were representative of real human behavior in moments of conflict. The tribal violence and the breakdown of order that emerges in the novel is a direct reflection of the chaotic and brutal nature of the world Golding had witnessed during the war.
For instance, Ralph, one of the central characters, symbolizes order and civilization, while Jack, the antagonist, represents the pull of instinct and savagery. In the novel, Ralph’s attempts to establish order on the island eventually collapse, overtaken by Jack’s bloodlust and desire for power. This reflects Golding’s belief that when pushed to the limits, human beings revert to base instincts, much like the soldiers in the trenches of war.
📖 The Criticism and Triumph of Lord of the Flies
When Lord of the Flies was first published in 1954, it was met with mixed reviews. Many readers were disturbed by its unsettling portrayal of children behaving in cruel and violent ways. The novel’s bleak outlook on human nature shocked some, particularly those who believed in the inherent goodness of people. Critics and teachers found the book uncomfortable because it stripped away the comforting idea that people are naturally good and that civilization can protect us from our inner darkness.
However, as time went on, the novel found a devoted audience, particularly among academics. It began to be seen as a brilliant commentary on the fragility of society and the tension between our moral ideals and our primal instincts. It became required reading in schools around the world, not only for its gripping narrative but also for the profound philosophical questions it raised about power, morality, and human nature.
🌍 The Lasting Legacy: Golding’s Influence on Literature and Psychology
Golding’s experiences during World War II had a lasting impact on more than just literature—they also made a significant contribution to the psychological understanding of human nature. In many ways, Golding’s exploration of humanity’s darker side has parallels with the psychological theories of figures like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, who both believed in the existence of an unconscious, primal side of the human psyche.
Golding’s novels, particularly Lord of the Flies, have been discussed in various academic fields, including psychology, sociology, and philosophy, for their insights into human behavior under extreme conditions. The recurring theme of the id (the primitive and instinctual part of the mind) breaking free from the ego (the rational part) in the novel mirrors the tension in Golding’s own life between the civilized man he hoped to be and the savage man he feared could emerge when societal order breaks down.
🏆 Conclusion: William Golding’s Unflinching Look at Human Nature
Golding’s wartime experiences served as the crucible in which his view of human nature was tested and ultimately formed. The violence, fear, and moral breakdown he witnessed during World War II gave him a profound insight into the depths of human cruelty and the fragility of civilization. This worldview became the foundation for his most famous work, Lord of the Flies, which continues to captivate readers with its chilling portrayal of humanity’s darker side.
Through his writing, Golding forced readers to confront the uncomfortable truth that beneath the surface of civilization, there lurks a more primal, chaotic force. This exploration of human nature, powered by Golding’s experiences as a naval officer in WWII, remains one of the most enduring legacies in modern literature.
