The Pyramid

Set in the superficially placid English village of Stillbourne, The Pyramid represents three episodes in the life of Oliver-as a schoolboy, an undergraduate, and a mature young man. A compelling tale about Oliver's increasing awareness of the deeper meanings of the relationships and events of his youth.

William Golding’s Pincher Martin (1956)

Pincher is a selfish man and a thief, greedy fellow. He fanatically keeps asserting his autonomy and resists the power of God, because he himself wants to be the dominant force. His ‘story of life’ is trying to subject others to his will. Martin perseveres in his defiance of God no matter how futile and painful its consequences, thus demonstrating free will at its most perverse. Martin goes on asserting his autonomy even when he is reduced to a pair of claws, even when the claws are  worn away too, and Pincher Martin as a personality is annihilated.

His dogmatic attitude, his ‘enjoyment’ in challenging God; - a risk taking activity which expresses his inner need to demonstrate his strength and masculinity – are very typical for the Aggressive Style of character.

Born in Cornwall, England, William Golding started writing at the age of seven. Though he studied natural sciences at Oxford to please his parents, he also studied English and published his first book, a collection of poems, before finishing college. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II, participating in the Normandy invasion. Golding's other novels include Lord of the Flies, The Inheritors, The Free Fall, The Spire, Rites of Passage (Booker Prize), and The Double Tongue.