Historical Context

The Lord of the Flies was written in 1954 by William Golding, an English writer. This book was written and published shortly after the end of WWII, in the beginning of the Cold War. This war was thought to almost be a nuclear war while countries were still suffering from the devistation of WWII. The characters in this novel were evacuating from England because of the war starting and the threat of nuclear war. The book shows a civilized group of people who broke apart because of a few decisions made by their leaders, which reflects the time period that Lord of the Flies was written in.This novel also shows some of the different ways that humans react to stress, change, and tension.