Three Attributes Of Humanity And The Losing Game In Lord Of The Flies

William Golding is the 1983 Nobel Prize Laureate and a representative figure of British realistic literature of the 20th century.His novel does not seek the typical depiction of the character,nor the specific description of the setting,but the profound philosophy and implications contained within.Therefore he is called "Fable Composer" by west literary critics.His representative work Lord of the Flies explores the struggle between human beings' inherent barbarity and cultivated rationality,which urges people to introspect into their humanity and accords the novel with a profound realistic meaning.Lord of the Flies,in traditional views,is a novel that reveals the evil of humanity.Without adult supervision,a series of games become the boys' main activities.When the games become all too real,they have long been rushing in the orbit of disorder and losing control.Different from the former comments that considers humanity as a whole,the innovation of this thesis lies in the fact that it analyses the novel and humanity from three levels-the biological attribute,the social attribute and the spiritual attribute,according to the theory of Hominism.The biological attribute possesses the potential evil;this potential evil will be performed as social evil when lacking constraints,but human beings develop pro-social attributes as well during their living and working together,therefore social attribute manifests both good and bad;the spiritual attribute takes form when one experiences something bigger and holier than himself,so human beings tend to be kind,selfless and benevolent on this level.In the novel,biological attribute foreshadows the games' losing control;social attribute is both the game rule's executor and destroyer;spiritual attribute is the savior of the game.These three attributes interact on each other and write the outcome of the game together.In response,Lord of the Flies uses the third person omniscient point of view.The narrator moves back and forth between different scenes,thoughts and viewpoints which manifest the complexity of humanity that cannot be classified simply."Knowing thy self",according to legend,is one of the three proverbs that were carved at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi and is the most famous one.And Golding thinks that it is dangerous that modern people do not see their true nature,and writers have the responsibility to unmask the truth and let people know.Therefore,as a mirror that can help modern people understand themselves,Lord of the Flies is not only a world masterpiece but also a "popular science reading".