Discussion on The Authors' Contrasting Views on Human Nature in Ballantyne's 'The Coral Island' and Golding's 'Lord of The Flies' As Intertextual Texts.

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Universitas Kristen Maranatha

ABSTRACT

Dalam skripsi ini saya membahas dua novel petualangan anak remaja yang berjudul The Coral Island karya R.M. Ballantyne dan Lord of the Flies karya William Golding. Kedua karya ini memiliki hubungan intertekstual karena Lord of the Flies merupakan interpretasi terhadap ide yang tersirat dalam The Coral Island. Dalam kedua novel ini saya menemukan beberapa kesamaan, seperti pada alur cerita maupun setting-nya. Lord of the Flies tidak hanya memberikan suatu interpretasi—namun suatu reinterpretasi—karena pengarang Lord of the Flies memberikan sudut pandang yang berbeda dari ide dalam The Coral Island; keduanya dapat dihubungkan dengan sifat dasar manusia, namun kedua novel ini memunculkan pandangan yang berlawanan mengenai sifat dasar manusia.

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APPENDICES

1.1Synopsis of The Coral Island

Ralph is a teenage boy of sea-traveller descent. He is so eager to travel that at

the age of fifteen, he decides to travel to the South Seas. When the time comes, he

boards the Arrow_{and he makes acquaintances with two other boys named Jack}

Martin and Peterkin. On their journey, a storm hits the Arrow_{and the three boys are}

stranded in an unknown island in the South Seas. The boys manage to find food and

survive; they even build a boat with the tools left from the ship’s wreckage. The boys

live a happy and adventurous life in the island.

One day, the boys watch some boats coming to the island. It turns out that two

tribes are at war and the fight continues in the island. One of the tribes whose chief is

called Tararo is defeated and they are killed mercilessly by their opponents. The boys

quickly fight the vicious natives and save Tararo and his people. Then the boys and

the natives build a good relationship. After the natives leave the island, the boys face

another adventure. A pirate ship comes to the island and Ralph is taken away by the

pirates. In the pirate ship, he meets Bloody Bill, whose disposition is more humane

than the other pirates. The pirate ship then sails to an island called Emo, where Ralph

meets Tararo again. Bloody Bill, who knows the language of the natives, tells Ralph

that Tararo is unhappy because Avatea refuses to marry the man Tararo has chosen

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on being obstinate, her life will be in danger for she will be killed and eaten by the

natives there.

Meanwhile, Ralph and Bloody Bill plan their escape on the pirate schooner

and succeed in their attempt. Unfortunately, Bloody Bill is badly injured and dies on

their way to the Coral Island. Ralph manages to get back to the island and he rejoins

Jack and Peterkin. He informs them of Avatea’s fate and the three boys decide to save

the poor girl. The boys sail to Tararo’s island and when they meet Tararo, they try to

persuade him to release Avatea. However, Tararo does not want to listen to them.

Then the boys secretly try to take Avatea to Christian natives where she will be in a

safe place and she can marry the man she loves. However, they are caught by Tararo

and are put in prison. Fortunately, an English missionary comes and he manages to

convert Tararo and his people to Christianity. Thus, the boys and Avatea are saved.

Avatea is married to the man she loves and the three boys sail back home to England.

1.2Synopsis of Lord of the Flies

An airplane crashes into an unknown island and it leaves no adult survivors.

All the boys who survive meet up and gather together quickly. Among the boys,

Ralph is chosen as the chief because he gathers all the other boys by blowing a conch

which he and Piggy find on the beach. Then, Ralph and two other boys search the

island to make sure that there are no other survivors. Left on their own, the boys try

to behave like adults and set down rules. Ralph decides that they should have a signal

fire for their rescue and also shelters to live in. At first, all the boys help Ralph build

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themselves in the island. Ralph complains about the boys’ behaviour s but he is

opposed by another boy named Jack Merridew. According to Jack, hunting is the

most important thing to do because they need food. As time goes by, the boys start to

break the rules and Jack becomes preoccupied with hunting so that he does not care

about the signal fire.

Chaos begins to spread with the rumors of a Beast living in the island. Jack

tries to control the situation and becomes the chief. Two boys called Simon and Piggy

die when attempting to make things normal again. Jack finally takes control of all the

boys and he tries to hunt and kill Ralph. He sets the forest on fire to force Ralph to

get out of his hiding place. Fortunately, the smoke from the fire attracts a ship passing

by and all the boys are rescued from the island.

2.1 Biography of Robert Michael Ballantyne

Robert Michael Ballantyne is a writer of children literature. He was born in

1825 in Edinburgh. His father was a newspaper editor. At the age of sixteen

Ballantyne became an apprentice clerk in Hudson Bay Company in Canada. He

traded with the local Indians in the remote areas. When he returned to Britain, he

wrote The Young Fur Traders based on his memories in Canada. His most famous

work is The Coral Island. Ballantyne mostly writes adventure novels for boys. His

other works include The Lighthouse and Fighting the Flames. Ballantyne died in

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2.2 Biography of William Golding

Sir William Gerald Golding is a novelist. He was born in St. Columb Minor in

Cornwall in 1911. He had many experiences as a writer, an actor, a producer, and he

was once a schoolteacher. He also joined the Royal Navy during World War II. He

published a volume of Poems but it was not very famous. His best-known work is

with the publication of his first novel called Lord of the Flies. His other works

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A piece of writing is usually connected with its author. The works of an

author may be influenced by the author’s personal experience and the social or

political condition of the time. Thus, the works of an author can give the readers some

insight concerning the author, his experience and what has happened in his life. This

can also be applied to Ballantyne’s The Coral Island and Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

These novels can give the readers the indications of the times when the authors live

and they also make the readers understand the authors well. Intertextuality also exists

between these two novels. Intertextuality is a term coined by Julia Kristeva in 1966 to

denote that every text is tied to another text.

The term ‘intertextuality’ was coined by Julia Kristeva to indicate that a text (such as a novel, poem or historical document) is not a self-contained or autonomous entity, but is produced from other texts…Intertextuality may be understood as the thesis that no text exists outside its continuing interpretation and reinterpretation. There can never be definitive reading of a text, for each reading generates a new text, that itself becomes part of the frame within which the original text is interpreted.

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The reason why I choose Ballantyne’s The Coral Island and Golding’s Lord of

the Flies is because I can see the connection between both texts. Lord of the Flies,

written about a century after the first publication of The Coral Island, is created as a

reaction to the latter. Both these novels focus on some teenage boys as the major

characters of the novels, and it is the development of these characters that is

emphasized in the two novels. The novels are set in unknown islands and some of the

characters’ names are the same in both novels. Although there is intertextuality

between the novels which can be seen through the connection between both texts,

such as the similarities in the story lines and the settings, the message in each novel is

different. The Coral Island implies that men are naturally civilized and good-natured,

while Lord of the Flies implies that men are naturally evil and civilization is the only

thing that represses savagery. In the novels, the authors give their messages through

various literary elements, such as characters, setting, conflict, symbol, and

foreshadowing.

The difference between these two novels is caused by the authors’ different

personal views on human nature which they present in their novels. Ballantyne lived

in the nineteenth century or in the Victorian period when Britain was still a great

empire in the reign of Queen Victoria. Like most British people at the time, I believe

Ballantyne took pride in his nationality and his country. Ballantyne is described as

‘…hero of Victorian youth…With his books, Ballantyne made his contributions to

the success of missionaries, soldiers, trail-blazers, the exploiters of great British

empire,’ ( http://www.kirjasto.sci-fi/ballant.htm). Ballantyne’s novel, The Coral

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in the twentieth century when Britain was no longer the greatest empire and it had

lost many of its colonies. The optimistic view in The Coral Island is substituted by a

more realistic or even a pessimistic view on human nature. Golding himself also

believes in the concept of original sin which influences his view on human nature.

This is the main difference between both novels.

I would like to discuss the causes of the difference based on some historical

backgrounds and the authors’ biographies. The biographies of the authors reflect the ir

lives and the times when they live. The historical backgrounds concern with the

historical events which occur during the time when the authors live. Then the

discussion continues with the analysis of the authors’ views on human nature through

various literary elements such as characters, setting, conflict, symbol, and

foreshadowing. The purpose of analysing these two intertextual novels is to gain

deeper understanding of both novels through the authors’ perspectives as well as the

novels.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

I would like to state the problems as follows:

1. Why do Ballantyne’s The Coral Island and Golding’s Lord of the Flies as

intertextual texts present such different views on human nature?

2. How does each author imply his view on human nature in his novel?

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

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1. To give the explanation of why Ballantyne’s The Coral Island and Golding’s

Lord of the Flies as intertextual texts present such different views on human

nature.

2. To show how each author implies his view on human nature in his novel.

METHOD OF RESEARCH

The method of research used is the library research. I begin my research by

reading the primary texts The Coral Island by Robert Michael Ballantyne and Lord of

the Flies by William Golding. Then I read several books and works of critics which

can be used to support my research. I also gather some information from the Internet.

Finally, I choose the important data that have been gathered and I use them to help

me complete my thesis.

ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS

I divide this thesis into three Chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction, which

contains the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of

the Study, the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. In Chapter

Two, I present the The Authors’ C ontrasting Views on Human Nature in Ballantyne’s

The Coral Island and Golding’s Lord of the Flies as Intertextual Texts. Chapter Three

is the Conclusion of what I have discussed in the previous chapter. This thesis ends

with the Bibliography, which consists of the list of references and various sources

which have been used in the writing of the thesis, and the Appendices, which present

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CHAPTER III

CONCLUSION

In this Chapter, I would like to draw some conclusions from my analysis. I have analyzed the authors’ contrasting views on human nature in Ballantyne’s The Coral Island and Golding’s Lord of the Flies as intertextual texts. First of all, there is intertextuality between both novels. Intertextuality is the idea that every text is tied to another text. Both novels suggest a view on human nature, but Lord of the Flies gives a contrasting point of view on human nature. In other words, Lord of the Flies gives a reinterpretation to The Coral Island; therefore Lord of the Flies is tied to the latter.

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R. M. Ballantyne lived in the nineteenth century when Britain was still a great empire. It became a prosperous country under the reign of Queen Victoria. The rapid improvement of the empire gave a sense of confidence and optimism to its people. This can be seen in the literary works such as romantic works. The Coral Island is a romantic story about a group of teenage boys who experiences fun and exciting adventures after being stranded on an unknown island. I conclude that the glory of the empire as well as the events that happened in his life influence Ballantyne to write such an optimistic adventure story which also hints at men’s good -nature.

Lord of the Flies has the same story line as The Coral Island, but it is pessimistic compared to The Coral Island. It was written in the twentieth century when Britain began to lose its glory. In this period, Britain suffered from wars and lost many of its colonies. Golding’s childho od and some experiences in his life led him to believe that men were naturally evil. He wrote Lord of the Flies as a reaction to The Coral Island; furthermore, he put his own point of view in this novel.

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mysterious place. The true form of the island refers to the unleashed evil of human which strengthens Golding’s view on human nature.

Both authors also show their views through the different portrayal of both Jack Martin’s and Jack Merridew’s characters. In The Coral Island, Jack Martin is portrayed as a good-natured boy who stays civilized all the time. Jack Merridew is portrayed as a brilliant boy who turns into a savage. Golding shows the effect of being away from the society and all its rules by giving the portrayal of Jack Merridew who is taken away from the society and its civilization. The result is Jack Merridew resorts to savagery, since there is no civilization to restrain it. Golding also shows that every character has the same dark inner side although they may not resort to it in the same time.

The conflicts in both novels also suggest the views on human nature. The conflicts in The Coral Island happen as the cause of the good-will of helping others while the conflicts in Lord of the Flies are based on the character’s personal i mportance or interest. Ballantyne shows the good-nature of these characters through their good actions of helping other people although they are not even related to them and do not bear the responsibility to save them. In Lord of the Flies, I conclude that Golding tries to show how a person can become morally degraded when he is separated from the society and the rules that bind him. Jack is clearly described as a person who is so savage that he even tries to hunt Ralph. Some other boys also behave like Jack; they kill Simon and Piggy, who are their friends, and they even join Jack in his evil doings. This is in contrast with Ballantyne’s characters, who are kind and civilized.

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good things like civilization and order. In Lord of the Flies, the main symbol is a severed head of a sow or known as lord of the flies. Lord of the flies is a reference to something evil like Beelzebub or prince of evil. This symbol helps to strengthen Golding’s view that men are naturally evil. Another symbol which presents order and its practice is the conch. The breaking of the conch at the exact moment of Piggy dies symbolizes the complete destruction of order and civilization.

The last element is foreshadowing. The foreshadowing in both novels suggests a later event or even an idea the author tried to give. The foreshadowing in The Coral Island shows that the boys hoped to bring civilization to the island and they succeed. The foreshadowing in Lord of the Flies suggests an idea that an evil force exists in the island among the boys, but they do not realize that they cause the horror to themselves.

I conclude that The Coral Island suggests that men are naturally good-natured and civilized while Lord of the Flies suggests that men are naturally evil—evil comes within oneself. These views can be seen through the literary elements of both novels. These intertextual texts bear different views on human nature because the authors have completely different belief and experiences in their lives. The conditions of the periods they lived in are also different from one another, and it helps build the authors’ different point of views.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary texts

Ballantyne, R.M., The Coral Island. London: Penguin Group, 1982.

Golding, William, Lord of the Flies. London: Faber & Faber Ltd, 1962.

References

Cambridge International Dictionary of English. New York: Cambridge

University Press, 1995

Cuddon, J. A., A Dictionary of Literary Terms. London: Penguin Books Ltd.,

1979.

Edgar, Andrew, Key Concepts in Cultural Theory. London: Routledge, 1999.

Medcalf, Stephen, William Golding. Essex: Longman Inc., 1975.

Ousby, Ian, The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, 1988.

Thornley, G.C., An Outline of English Literature. London: Longman Inc.,

1984.

Internet sites

Associated Content Search Library. 2 March 2006. Associated Content. 5

July 2006.

<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/20425/foreshadowing_

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Original sin. 12 June 2006. Wkipedia. 13 June 2006.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_sin>.

Golding, William. Educational Paperback Association. 13 June 2006.