On Dramatic Features In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

As Golding's first novel, Lord of the Flies was published in 1954. It is an allegorical novel which tells a story about a group of British schoolboys'adventures on an island which ends as a disaster. The boys were stuck on a deserted island because of an air crash during a war and tried to govern themselves. However killings were displayed on this island. The book portrays the well-educated children's descent into savage, primitive state, which indicates the darkness of human hearts.In order to express the motif of human nature better, Golding applies some techniques usually used in plays on purpose in Lord of the Flies and thus there are a lot of dramatic features in the novel. This thesis discusses the dramatic features in Lord of the Flies and tries to interpret their functions in the novel.The thesis is composed of the following three parts:In the first chapter, the narrative language of the novel is discussed. Golding does not present himself in Lord of the Flies. He seldom gives commentary words in the novel. The characters act by themselves and the plot is advanced by their actions. Dialogues fill in the novel, giving the background information of the story, making up the main plots, and bringing forth the theme of the novel. The dialogues are actually the actions of the characters. They reveal the relations between characters and help to advance the plot. This achieves the spot effects which are usually achieved by a play.Chapter Two is mainly concerned about the dramatic plot of the novel. Lord of the Flies is made up of the contrastive actions of the characters. There are two kinds of polarities in the novel----Ralph-Jack polarity and Simon-Piggy polarity. The polarities of the characters'actions reflect the theme of evil human nature directly and clearly. Also the dramatic problem-solving treatment is employed in the novel. It guarantees a great unity in plot and each part of the novel advances the plot and exposes the theme. Thus, intense attention of the audience is needed.In the last chapter, three more kinds of techniques which are usually used in plays are discussed----the dramatic scenery, light and sound, and the dues ex machina ending of the novel. The dramatic scenery means the widely distributed descriptions of scenery in the novel and the strong visual and orientation effects in relatively long descriptions of scenery at the beginning of some chapters in the novel. The dramatic scenery relates the characters to the environment to offer the physical and psychological environment, and to create atmosphere for the novel. It also gives a quick description of the environment and attracts readers'attention, just like when the front curtain on the stage is open. Golding puts light and sound in an important place in his novel. Light is used in the novel to inform the readers the characters' psychologies and their moods, and to help develop the plot and to express the theme of the novel. Sound is also used in the novel to reinforce the atmosphere of scenes in the novel, indicates the development of the plot and reveals the inner feelings of the characters. They are also mixed together to give a shocking and unforgettable scene. A deus ex machina end is employed in Lord of the Flies to express the motif of human nature and to indicate the real chaotic world which Golding is living in.In conclusion, Golding applies the dramatic features intentionally in Lord of the Flies in order to express the theme of the novel better—Evil is part of human nature.