Farhad Pakdel

Evil in William Golding's Novels: Darkness and the Route to Leave Darkness Behind Farhad Pakdel

William Gerald Golding (1911?1993) was a British novelist and writer whose major theme centers around the darkness of man. He was a moralist writer who attempted to make us to realize the need for morality by focusing on the theme of evil and its consequences. This book is a study of the theme of evil in William Golding?s novels. In Golding?s recent novels, the focus on darkness (pain and suffering) is more obvious and it becomes something of a revelation, a sign of hope for man to move beyond his self-nature- from darkness to light. After a careful reading of Golding?s novels, we can conclude that according to Golding, this world is made hell because of the darkness of man?s heart. Man lost the notion of his oneness with people when he became self?centered. He lost the purity of his heart when self?centredness developed in him. Man contains states between his true self (god nature) and his self?centeredness (self?nature). According to Golding, this self?centerdness (self?nature) has become very deep and dominant in man and it has made his heart dark. Man does harm to himself and others by being selfish. Golding appealed to human beings to stop their selfishness.