Lord of the Flies: How WWII and the Holocaust Shaped Literature's Darkest Vision

What Happened: The Dark Genesis of a Literary Classic William Golding wrote “Lord of the Flies” between 1951-1954, drawing directly from his experiences as a Royal Navy officer during World War II and his observations of how the Nazi regime gained mass support. The novel, published in 1954, depicted a group of British schoolboys descending into savagery when stranded on a deserted island—a deliberate allegory for civilization’s fragility. Golding’s inspiration came from a disturbing realization: the Nazis hadn’t simply imposed their murderous regime through force alone.