Religious Parallels Lord of the Flies Essay Example

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel from numerous perspectives. It draws societal parallels to a post-war world, political parallels to different methods of government, and even psychoanalytical parallels to the psychological models of Freud. One of the most prominent allegories contained in the story is its parallel to the Bible. William Golding creates these parallels in many different ways, through both settings, and the actions of characters. Interestingly, every religious allegory in Lord of the Flies is incomplete; they are similar to events in the Bible, but none of them are completely synonymous. Golding's creates a unique stance on Christianity by his flawed allegories to the Garden of Eden and Jesus’ teachings and death; he shows that he favors some Christian values and some of the Bible’s messages, but is opposed to others. The first connection between Lord of the Flies and the Bible is located at the very beginning of both books: the setting of the island reminds one of the Garden of Eden. Golding describes the island: “Beyond the platform there was more enchantment. Some act of God […] had banked sand inside the lagoon so that there was a long, deep pool in the beach with a high ledge of pink granite at the further end” (10). He also notes that the “shore was fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light […]” (9). This is eerily similar to the Garden of Eden, which “the Lord God planted […] and he placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden […]” (The New American Bible, Gen. 2:8-9). If “the man” in the Bible is taken to be Ralph and the other boys, then another comparison can be drawn. When Ralph strips down and swims in the lagoon, it reminds one of Adam naked in the garden. The water could be seen as a connection to baptism, which is