Although he tried to write a novel as early as age twelve, his parents urged him to study the natural sciences. Golding followed his parents' wishes until his second year at Oxford, when he changed his focus to English literature. ... Although he never matched the popular and critical success he enjoyed with "Lord of the Flies," he remained a respected and distinguished author for the rest of his life and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983. ... Much of the novel is allegorical, meaning that the characters and objects in the novel are infused with symbolic significance th...

• Word Count: 11237
• Approx Pages: 45
• Grade Level: High School