Title: Lord of the FliesAuthor: William Golding
Publisher: Perigee Books
Reading Level: Young Adult/Adult
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition.
Review:
What an incredible first novel, a story of civilization, how humans create it and how easily it can be destroyed. It deals with fear, and the atrocities it can make people commit. Golding wrote often about the connection between humanity and civilization. Does civilization make us human? This story can mean many things to many people, making it wonderful fodder for literature classes and idle pondering. What did You think of it?
Want to know why it was banned/challenged?
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I read Lord of the Files a couple of years ago and found it kind of disturbing. The whole Simon incident and poor piggy. I guess the novel makes you confront how easy it is for humanity to descend back into an animal state. This one is definitly not for me.
ReplyDeleteA book you might like is Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Superb. It, too, deals with history/civilization...but I agree with Becky, Lord of the Flies is a little disturbing. Poisonwood is not. It is the best book I have ever read. It's riveting and beautifully written. Read it! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is high on my list to read--I've always been intrigued by the premise, and I'm not surprised it is a contentious novel.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that this book was a banned book and now some of us are required to read it in high school. It was a required book for me in high school. I enjoyed it, though.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I'm in situations where events unfold and I think that is so Lord of the Flies. It's human nature, unfortunately.
ReplyDelete