Lord of the Flies vs Lake at the End of the World

Compare and contrast the two novels you have studied.


There are many differences and similarities between Golding's Lord of the Flies and Macdonald's Lake at the End of the World.

One major similarity is the commonality of theme, fear. Both Lord of the Flies and Lake at the End of the World deal with an element of fear.

In Lord of the Flies, the children are afraid of the 'beast'. The beast is an unknown source of evil which lurks on the island and all the children fear that it will kill them. An example of this is where Jack and his hunters put a pig head on a stick and leave it as an offering to the beast, in hope that it will leave them alone. Jack says to his tribe, "This head is for the beast. It's a gift." (p.170) Also, towards the end, Piggy and Ralph feared Jack and his tribe, because they had turned into savages.

The element of fear also plays a part in the Lake at the End of the World. The survivors underground and the Redfern family live in constant fear...