William Golding wrote his second novel entitled “The Inheritors” one year after “Lord of the Flies”. The action covers the extinction of the last remaining tribe of Neanderthal Men at the hands of the more sophisticated and malevolent Homo sapiens. What does “malevolent” mean?
The novel is written in such a way that the reader might assume the group to be modern humans as they gesture and speak simply among themselves and bury their dead with heartfelt, solemn rituals.
The plot follows the fate of one Neanderthal called Lok when some of his tribe are killed by a group of Homo sapiens. The Homo sapiens (Humans) are portrayed as strange, godlike beings as the Neanderthals witness their mastery of fire, Neolithic weapons and sailing.
The title of the novel is intriguing and relevant to the action in novel “Lord of the Flies”. What does the word “inherit” mean? It has a religious significance.
At the Sermon on the Mount, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ delivered the Beatitudes. Among these religious statements, he declared “The meek shall inherit the earth”. What does “meek” mean?
- In the story of Lok, who are the meek ones? The Neanderthals? Or Homo sapiens?
- Who are the aggressors?
- Who “inherits the earth” in this novel?
- Are they meek ones?
- What is Golding suggesting about humans in this tale?
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