Banned And Challenged Books I’ve Read: Lord of the Flies

Exercise Your Rights:

Read Banned Books

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

I read this one is HS and it was an eyeopener into human nature. We had some great discussions in class.

At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate; this far from civilization the boys can do anything they want. Anything. They attempt to forge their own society, failing, however, in the face of terror, sin and evil. And as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far from reality as the hope of being rescued. Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies is perhaps our most memorable novel about “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.”

Lord of the Flies is banned and challenged primarily due to its violent and brutal themes, including the depiction of murder and the descent into savagery, as well as its offensive language and “defamatory” comments toward women, minorities, and God, according to critics and school administrators. Some also object to the book’s disturbing portrayal of human nature, seeing it as a negative or racist message about society and civilization.