William Golding on The Fall: An Essay

by Michael Giffin

What is The Fall? Did it happen once? Is it still happening? Does it happen to all of creation or only to humans? These questions were important to literary novelists in the second half of the twentieth century, who were questioning what The Fall means as they reflected on a century of unprecedented man-made horror. The Fall stands at the center of William Golding’s literary vision, which was informed by his experience of World War II, and his memory of the unholy alliance of modernity and evil, which revealed to him the truth of The Fall. This essay gives an overview of Golding’s explorations of The Fall in those three brilliant, economical novels which succeeded his more popular first novel "Lord of the Flies": "The Inheritors", "Pincher Martin", and "Free Fall". In each, Golding presents a fall, physical and metaphysical, located within language, within consciousness, within free will, or within a combination of these (6,200 words).

17 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2013