Resource Archive

posted on 19 Feb 2026

Lord of the Flies and the Social Construction of Childhood by Nureen Kauser

The Letterpress Project is always delighted to publish the work of students who have written about or used books as a key part of their assignments. Here we showcase an essay from Newman University student,  Nureen Kauser.

As part of Newman University’s early childhood studies undergraduate degree, I took part in a module called ‘Constructs of Childhood’. During this module I wrote an essay reflecting upon the everchanging views of children’s childhoods from the 17th century to the modern day while understanding how they align with the romantic and puritanical discourses. Through this I evaluated the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

I chose the book due to Golding’s perspective of children being evil, Golding’s personal connections to war and violence and the juxtaposition of the protagonists.

You can read the full essay by clicking on the link below:

Lord_of_the_flies_and_the_social_con.pdf