The Inheritors by William Golding - Essay Example

? The Inheritors Composed and written by the award winning William Golding, the story d ‘The Inheritors’ is one of the most magnificent, and prominent works of the writer himself. The book was released in the year 1955, and revealed the exceptional exploration of the human nature by the perspective of Golding’s imagination. The story line of the book mainly portrays the relationship between ancient or pre-historic men and the Homo sapiens. William Golding has made ‘The Inheritors’ even more conspicuous by creating one of the pre-historic men as the protagonist. Readers acquire a proximity to the various aspects of nature by reading the entire story from the view of the primitive man, who is still unknown to the evil form of the world. The Inheritors has brought into light, the imagination of the author, where he brought together primitive humans and modern Homo sapiens. Throughout the story, William Golding has asked his readers an intricate, but relevant question, i.e. “Is mankind evil?” The entire story has been based on a particular type of pre-historic men, known as the Neanderthals, who lived in a group. One of the adult Neanderthals, named Lok guides us throughout the story according to his knowledge of the world. The story narrates a peaceful and contented life of the Neanderthals, until some modern men interfere into it and creates the sense of fear in them. The last chapter has been described from the human point of view, wherein they run away from the habitation of these men, taking away a baby Neanderthal with them. The creation of this unique book by William Golding has enlightened the readers with the fact that “evil” did not exist in human beings when they belonged to the prehistoric times. But, the introduction of modern men in their serene environment changed their views about life extensively. Inherited Violence William Golding has repeatedly concluded in the book that the Neanderthals did not know the meaning of evil and violence, but they were prone to eating dead meat of animals, which is clearly an act of violence as they were feeding on another natural creature. All types of human beings have evolved from animals that are quite callous about violence, so it has always been in the blood of the Neanderthal Homo sapiens as well. It has also been alleged that the Neanderthals did not kill animals to feed on them, but history says that man has killed animals to feed on them. These ideas of a non-violent mentality have been produced by the author to formulate a gap between the nearly modern men and the pre-historic ones so that modern men can be blamed at every phase of the book. Existence of Knowledge The discovery of producing fire by rubbing stones was also brought about by primitive Homo sapiens. But, the author posed the Neanderthals to be completely unaware about the world and any kind of discoveries. This is an indirect insult as no other human beings were available to teach the primitive men about any discoveries; their individual knowledge was all the help that they got. The author has put the nearly modern Homo sapiens in the shadows, concluding them as the villains and keeping the Neanderthals in the light of innocence. Man has gained knowledge with time, and the Neanderthals have done so as well. Instead, the violence in them has marked the chapters of world history throughout. The partiality of the author towards the primitive men is clearly visible as he has made “Lok” the protagonist, and devoted only one chapter to the modern Homo sapiens. The view of the modern men has not been given importance at all. Ignoring Science The text created by Golding on the pages of The Inheritors is good for imagination, but it does not have true scientific explanation. A portion of the book quotes “Lok’s ears spoke to him”, but just before that it has already been mentioned that Lok had actually been sleeping. The personification of Lok’s ears is impressive through literature, but science concludes that sense organs do not possess the ability to communicate. It is only in the nature of sense organs to communicate with the brain, only when it is active, but sleeping means the brain of a human being is entirely inactive. Therefore, defying the laws of science, the story is based only on mere imagination without any contribution of logical or scientific analysis. Relation with Nature The primitive Homo sapiens were not very close to the human race at that time; hence their senses of smell and hearing were quite strong. These features of the Neanderthals have been exhibited by the author, which are known to have historic evidence. Living in the midst of nature, they prayed to the natural forces, took care of nature and had an intimate relation with nature as well. This habit and practice of the paleoanthropological people have been correctly illustrated in the work of William Golding. The central argument that William Golding has created is between good and evil. He has given us an opportunity to discover the innocent and good spirit inside us, in spite of all the evil in the world. Golding’s motive to create a conflict between good and evil, violence and innocence is quite successful. The use of subtle comparisons with objects, and changes in human behaviors has created an applauding effect in the hearts, and minds of the readers. Work Cited Golding, William (1955) “The Inheritors”. Faber and Faber publishers. Alterman, Peter S. (March 1978). Science Fiction Studies. Aliens in Golding’s The Inheritors. Web: http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/14/alterman14art.htm Read More