Why Lord of the Flies speaks volumes about boys

As William Golding's classic novel celebrates its 60th birthday, Jake Wallis
Simons explains why it still offers terrifying insights into the male mind

A scene from the 1963 film version of William Golding's Lord Of The Flies, which starred Hugh
Edwards as Piggy (right) and Tom Gaman as Simon.

By Jake Wallis Simons

11:54AM BST 17 Sep 2014

Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!
Youve guessed it: Lord of the Flies, which was published 60 years ago today.
In the decades since William Goldings classic exploded onto the literary scene, the tale of childhood
brutality has been hailed as a visionary book that unveils the dark heart of human nature with alarming
vividness.
Many times it has been included in lists of the 100 best novels in the English language, including those
produced by TIME magazine and the BBCs Big Read.
But what many commentators seem to overlook is the fact that it is also a profoundly male novel. It
may be about the human condition; but given the fact that there are no female protagonists on the
deserted island, it could more accurately be said to be about the male human condition.
According to Dr Stephanie van Goozen, a professor of developmental psychology at Cardiff
University who has conducted extensive research into aggression in children Goldings
masterpiece could only have been written about boys.
In babies we dont see a lot of emotional differences between the genders, she says. But from the
age of two or three, girls start to control themselves and regulate their emotions a bit more.
They are able to pick up emotional signals, and are sensitive to facial expressions. Boys, on the other
hand, have violent responses much higher up in their repertoire of behaviour, and it emerges more
easily in stress situations.
In other words, you would be less likely to see a group of girls shoving a sharpened stick up a pigs
rear end (unless under extreme provocation).
This might make for a more engaging book. But does this mean that girls are more enlightened than
boys? Not necessarily, says Professor van Goozen. It is not socially acceptable for girls to bite and
fight when they are growing up, so they find more complex ways of expressing indirect aggression.
If Lord of the Flies focused on a group of girls, youd have more gossiping and social exclusion, as
well as sniping and cutting remarks.
Moreover, the saint-like character of Simon, who shuns physical violence and lives a more spiritual
existence, is not simply the stuff of literary imagination.
We do see boys who are just not able to be physically aggressive, who dont have it in their
repertoire, says Professor van Goozen. It is possible to have more high-minded boys whose
behaviour varies in the normal range. Its definitely not all bad about men.
(Let's pass quickly over the fact that Simon is brutally killed by his peers. Ahem.)
But however profound the gender differences may be, when it is survival that is at stake, girls will
resort to violence as intensely as boys.
According to Professor van Goozen, the fairer sex will fight tooth and nail when backed into a corner.
When you have no options, if a big bear is walking towards you and it is about survival, a girl will
attack as well, she says. Thats when all the layers of conditioning fall away and it comes down to
brute instinct.
Girls can be as violent as boys. Its just that they must be pushed more first.