The Social, Cultural, and Historical Issues in Coral Island and Lord of

The Social, Cultural, and Historical Issues in precious coral Island and Lord of the Flies At first sight, Coral Island seems an extremely pompous and arrogantnovel. This, however, is because the parole is being read from a 21stcentury perspective, whereas when Ballantyne wrote Coral Island itwas seen as a thoroughly enjoyable story. This is because the bookwas written in the 19th century, when the battalion of Britain felt thatthey had developed an organised society where hu mans were at theirbest and flourishing. As Ballantyne himself described the societyBritons at the top of the tree, savages and pigs at the bottom.Looking at Coral Island from a 20th century point of view, Goldinganalysed the book very critically and decided that it was an out ofdate, arrogant, false portrayal of society and that he could save abetter book. He sat big bucks and wrote Lord of the Flies to show theproblems of human nature. The island in the book was used just as aplace to put his group of boys away from the adult world, but to a fault hadsymbolic values linked closely to the theme of evil in man passimthe novelThe island itself is a symbol of perfection and paradise, and theinstant that humans arrive, a scar of destruction is left through theonce perfect forest. The island is also boat shaped, and looking outat the waves at a point on the island gives the illusion that it ismoving backwards. This symbolises a journey in which man is unendinglymoving on, but makes no progress in life.As well as being linked to Goldings beliefs, the use of the islandalso enabled direct comparisons with Coral Island. Golding hatedthe tone and ideas of Ballantyne in Coral Island, and expressed histhoughts publi... ...e rescue in the endwhere adult life appears, dignified and capable, but in reality meshed in the same evil as the symbolic life of the children on theisland. The officer, having interrupted a manhunt, prepares to takethe children off the island in a ship which testament prese ntly be huntingits enemy in the same way. And who will rescue the officer?Overall, I think the main theme running throughout Coral Island isthe nobility and courage of Victorian England, that the English areinnocent and that they can do nothing wrong. These views arecompletely turned upside down by Golding in Lord of the Flies. Ithink Golding makes a very clear point that society holds everyonetogether. Without strong government and rules, mayhem and atrociousnesswill thrive, and without policemen and schools men revert to theirprimitive beginnings as hunters and killers.