What brings a story to life? Better yet, what is it that creates the world within the story that captivates the attention of those who hold the pages open? The reader goes through the lines of text trying to escape the real world; trying to enter a place structured by the fiction and imagination of a distant writer from another era. The innocent public doesn't know much about the subconscious mental diet, which is rich in both history and moral values. While the writer controls the pen he holds, the reader remains powerless. An excellent example of this subconscious integration of elements from the author's era appears in William Golding's Lord of the Flies. By analyzing Golding's book, the reader can discover the correlation between the children's behavior on the island and the historical and personal influences that the author used to bring the characters in the novel to life. Ralph, the first character who appears in Lord of the Flies, represents Golding's vision of democracy. From the beginning, a born leader takes center stage. Before Ralph even utters a single word, Golding describes him as "a fair-haired boy" and mentioning that "there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that distinguished him: there was his height and its attractive appearance; and the most obscure, but the most powerful, there was the conch. (Golding 7, 22) These descriptions may seem few, but they create a character the reader wants to associate with; they represent an image of power and control. As the story progresses, the reader becomes more and more attached to Ralph's personality because of the social concern that this character presents through his interest in maintaining order and the security of all. Obvious choice... middle of paper... get it over with” (Brooks). This activity shows where Golding got his ideas for the separation of the two groups of boys on the island. The children's behavior on the island clearly identifies with various elements of Golding's life, both historical and personal. By using Ralph and Jack to represent two different leadership styles, the author exploits a dilemma that many people faced during much of the Cold War: should one join one side or the other. Although Golding presents two clear choices using the concepts of democracy and dictatorship, he does not emphasize the advantages of one over the other; however, the author highlights the violence that both groups are capable of and draws on his childhood and teaching career. A story can be born from the imagination of an author, but this imagination must come from elsewhere..