“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.”
— William Golding, Lord of the Flies
Them kids are crazy! William Golding really does dig deep into the soul of children to extrapolate human nature and all its ugliness. You’d think that children would be safe from all the evil that men are capable of. Let him tell you a story of kids surviving a plane crash and being stranded on a island. You’ll be convinced by the end of this one that there’s nothing pure and innocent in life when your life is at stake. With very little experience and only adults as a reference, these kids can only attempt to reproduce the safety of reason and the comfort of structure. Lord of the Flies is a story that will take these children deep into the wilderness, alongside the lush green trees and wide blue skies, and leave them with the colossal task of finding a way back to their lives, or even a safe path out of their predicament. However, this island has other plans for them. Can these boys come out of it all unscratched or stained by the vile behaviours that resides within us all?
Lord of the Flies follows a group of kids who finds themselves stuck on an island with no adults. Looking to be rescued, Ralph, our main protagonist, with his newfound friend known for his slightly rounder build, create an assembly and succeed in rounding up every other children stuck on this island. As they attempt to find ways to be rescued, they slowly discover a strange beast that seems to be terrorizing the young ones. It is from this moment forward that the story builds up and exposes the struggles of having a coherent and functional group that can work together in order to assure the safety and well-being of everyone. From conflicts in leadership to the understanding of reason, Lord of the Flies offers us a captivating and tragic story that attempts to simulate the very problems that mankind suffers through, whether it comes from kids or adults. It is safe to say that William Golding leaves no stone unturned as he shares his vision of civilization and the plunge into savagery.
I did really enjoy all the symbolism in this book. The conch, the fire or the pig, everything in this book referred to something bigger and much more important. It might convey hope one second, rules another or even power at times. The story makes you reflect beyond its simple first layer and its basic survival story. William Golding does a wonderful job in giving each character their own identity and making them feel alive with their unique voice. It’s not an easy task to create believable young characters like the ones in this story. They’re fascinating in their own rights. I liked how the dialogue was easy to follow and really highlighted their age and inexperience—and also the fact that they’re boys at the end of the day—while the narration gave the book much more depth and brought the darker edge of this novel on the forefront. As the story unfolds, there’s nothing pretty left on this island. Everything will be charred and depressing. Don’t be surprised if you can’t believe what you’re reading. These kids are really nuts.
But is it their fault? I don’t think so. What the author does with this unique premise is deliver a message that should shock ever fiber of your body. However, for readers in our time and age, the impact was far less straggering. The world we live in is messed up and we all know by now that we are capable of insane things. We aren’t just talking about lies and little bruises. Deep down, we’re all capable of dark and dirty things that we’ve grown to know as forbidden. I believe Lord of the Flies was released in a period that needed something shocking and eye-opening. It definitely delivered. However, reading this today, with so many stories and ugly truths that have been unveiled to us, it sort of failed to hit its mark. I felt like the direction this book was going was one that can be foreseen, which sort of took away a little bit of the fun of reading through this classic. However, I am far from saying that this was a bad story. Hell no. Lord of the Flies lives up to its reputation and does wonders in conveying a tragedy about our deepest and darkest impulses.
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MY OVERALL RATING: ★★★☆☆/