The backdrop of Lord of the Flies is war, a theme echoed throughout the book. Firstly, the plane the boys are flying on is shot down, presumably by an enemy plane. Later on, the parachuted man clearly came from the sky, or more specifically, a plane. Also, at least two ships pass by the island in the book, one of them definitely military. William Golding also wrote Lord of the Flies in 1954, or shortly after World War II. Jack constantly tries to wage some sort of war. He begins by hunting for pigs, but develops a thirst for blood of any kind when he urges the boys to kill the "beast", which was actually Simon. Golding's message on war is not made explicit in Lord of the Flies, but he clearly believes that war is in human nature. Given that even civilization (adults not on the island) and the rules of society are incapable of preventing war, the raw human nature espousing destruction through war cannot be held back.
Lord of the Flies Quotes about War
"Ralph danced out into the hot air of the beach and then returned as a fighter-plane, with wings swept back, and machine-gunned Piggy.
'Sche-aa-ow!'
He dived in the sand at Piggy's feet and lay there laughing. 'Piggy!'
Piggy grinned reluctantly, pleased despite himself at even this much recognition. " (page 6).
Ralph says 'I could swim when 1 was five. Daddy taught me. He's a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he'll come and rescue us. What's your father?' (page 8).
'Not them. Didn't you hear what the pilot said? About the atom bomb? They're all dead.'
"The creature was a party of boys, marching approximately in step in two parallel lines and dressed in strangely eccentric clothing. Shorts, shirts, and different garments they carried in their hands: but each boy wore a square black cap with a silver badge in it. Their bodies, from throat to ankle, were hidden by black cloaks which bore a long silver cross on the left breast" (page 15).
Just like in war, Jack tries to go by his last name: "'Kids' names,' said Merridew. 'Why should I be Jack? I'm Merridew.'" (page 17).
"'For hunting. Like in the war. You know-dazzle paint. Like things trying to look like something else-'" (page 66).
"He sunned himself in their new respect and felt that hunting was good after all. " (page 124).
"'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!' Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering. " (page 125).
"What have you been doing? Having a war or something?'" (page 223).