How does Golding's fascination with islands contribute to the novel? Does he use inspiration from Ballantyne's Coral Island?
Islands serve as a microcosm for Golding’s story. They are both physically and emotionally separated from society. This allows for the boys to develop on their own. Islands, at least tropical ones, seem to give Golding plenty of room for Biblical allusions (like Eden). William Golding's 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies, was written as a response to this book, which is referenced at the end of Golding's story, when the naval officer says, "I know. Jolly good show. Like The Coral Island." Golding, despite enjoying the book many times as a child, massively disagreed with the views that The Coral Island held, and Lord of the Flies depicts the English boys as savages themselves. The Coral Island is also mentioned in chapter two of Lord of the Flies, when the English school boys discuss the possibilities of the island, "It's like in a book.... Treasure Island... Coral Island."
