The Use of Gimmick in William Golding's Major Novels

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Published: Jun 28, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14500/kujhss.v3n1y2020.pp145-149
Keywords:
Gimmick, Novel Ending, Shift, Shock, Tricky Gimmick, Novel Ending, Shift, Shock, Tricky

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Hawar H. Sabir
Heviar High school for Boys, Koya Directorate of Education, Ministry of Education, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4569-4109
Safeen N. Arif
Department of English, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Koya University, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4859-5176

Abstract

The problem that this paper deals with is that the unexplained or surprising endings in some of William Golding’s novels can affect the thematic structures of the novels concerned. Furthermore, they influence the nature of the messages desired to be communicated by the author. Unexpected incidents in stories, such as uncalled for discoveries and revelations, can occur at any part of a story, serving the intention of heightening the readers’ suspense. Story endings (especially when they are vaguely unexpected, unprepared for, and unexplained) are influential in turning the direction of events completely. Golding, as a famous modern British writer, is successful in employing special ways or tricks (he calls them “gimmicks”) to conclude the plots of his novels strikingly. Because of this complicated manner of presentation, the endings of the first three of his novels, namely, Lord of the Flies (1954), The Inheritors (1955), and Pincher Martin (1956) all share tricky endings. Gindin, in his study of the gimmick in Golding’s novels (1960: 145-152), tries to relate the shift of emphasis in Golding’s endings to the use of metaphor.  The aim of this paper is to examine how such seemingly unfitting endings are organized in such a way as to fit into the whole thematic structure of the novels. Likewise, it aims at examining the plots and the nature of characters and other elements that twist the course of events in the stories, causing some radical changes in readers’ views. Among the findings of the paper is that Golding, through certain incidents, presents hints that help in preparing for unexpected later results. 

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How to Cite
Sabir, H. H. and Arif, S. N. (2020) “The Use of Gimmick in William Golding’s Major Novels”, Koya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(1), pp. 145-149. doi: 10.14500/kujhss.v3n1y2020.pp145-149.
Issue
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2020): Issue Four
Section
Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Hawar H. Sabir, Heviar High school for Boys, Koya Directorate of Education, Ministry of Education, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Hawar Hama Swar Sabir, she is working as a teacher of English Language at Heviar High school for Boys in Koya. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Department of English, College of Language, Koya University, and an MA. English Literary Studies from Department of English, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Koya University in 2020.

Safeen N. Arif, Department of English, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Koya University, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Saffeen N. Arif, is an academic staff at the Department of English Language, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Koya University in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. He has been teaching at Koya since 2012. He had a teaching experience in both the University of Anbar, College of Arts, Department of English (2006) and the University of Baghdad, College of Languages, Department of English (2011). He obtained his BA degree in English from the University of Baghdad, College of Languages, Department of English (2000), his MA in English literature from the same university and college (2004), and his PhD. degree in English and American literature from the same university, College of Arts, Department of English (2010). He has published several papers in local and international journals. He took part in a conference in Turkey (2017) and in the Fulbright Visiting Scholar in USA. (2014)

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