Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an apocalyptic, fiction, novel about a group of boys attempting to govern themselves in the hope of rescue. This novel introduces the topics of the harsh reality of mankind and what drives humans to commit such heinous crimes for control. The story begins with a young group of British boys being stranded on a deserted island after the plane carrying them crashed. Two boys, Ralph and Piggy, uncover a conch shell when swimming at the beach of the island. Ralph then blows the conch shell to summon the rest of the boys for an assembly. With no adults around, the boys must learn to govern themselves to survive. Ralph is elected leader and a boy named Jack is elected leader of the hunters. Ralph's ideals of maintaining the fire and being rescued are often challenged by Jack's obsession with hunting and bloodshed, which often leads to clashes between the boys. Amid these clashes, rumors of a mythical “beasty” come up, haunting most of the “littluns”, the younger boys of the group. After having a vision in the forest, Simon discovers that the beasty isn't a creature, but rather an evil that exists inside the human body. He attempts to share this revelation with the group but is then ferociously attacked and murdered by them. This murder leads to the split of their group into two, one group led by Ralph and the other by Jack, causing sides to be drawn and war to ensue. Battles between the groups break out leading to the murder of Piggy, the destruction of the conch, and a mass fire. With no one to turn to, Ralph attempts to hide, until he is found by one of the savages of Jacks tribe. Ralph begins to run until he is found by a naval officer, who is attracted by the smoke of fire. Ralph who witnessed the destruction of humanity and the true characteristics of mankind, is rescued but deeply traumatized and forever changed.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding was very interesting as it had the theme of Civility Vs. Savagery as Ralph and Jack were constantly arguing about how to rule the island. Ralph wanted order, symbolizing being civil while Jack wanted bloodshed, symbolizing tragedy and savagery. It also incorporated the theme of losing innocence. Throughout the book, the readers see many of the character's personality change. For example Jack, in the beginning of the book was sympathetic as he was scared to kill, but at the end of the book he had no problem with morphing into a savage and brutally killing the people he once trusted. This emotional shift resonates with me, as a reader, as it symbolizes the personal transition from child to adult. This book focused on the hastiness and savagery of mankind, splitting the group and picking sides only brought more problems to the island despite the goal being to mend them. This problem is also related to “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, having two parties, fighting over pointless problems, leading to further bloodshed and conflict. But despite its symbolic message, one thing I felt was lacking in the Lord of the Flies was its pacing. I often felt like I had to forcefully read the book just to get it over with as it was quite slow in the beginning which the author may disagree with.
All in All, Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an excellent novel, only struggling with its pacing, that introduces the breakdown of civilization and the transition to savagery. As the boys struggle to survive and coexist with one another, their true personalities and character come afloat.
Comentarios