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I decided to read Lord of The Flies By William Golding because I knew it to be a classic in schools in most english-speaking countries. Golding narrates the story of a group of young boys left on their own on a deserted island after a plane crash. They are first led by wise Ralph and impetuous Jack who are the two most charismatic boys in the squad. But after a while, life on the island becomes more complicated as the kids don't get rescued. Conflicts start to rise between Ralph and Jack since they disagree on how to organize the survival. Those dissensions will escalate towards tragic consequences.
At first, I was very surprised that I could read this book so easily and that it was written in such a pleasant style compared to most French classics. Most of the text is articulate and very approchable. Then, very quickly, I got astounded by the dreadful story told by the book, especially as Golding uses children who are supposedly the symbol of innocence to describe the horror of society. What I consider the most brilliant part of it is how the plot seems to be described almost from an anthropological point of view, with a very cold angle, which I thought somehow amplified the tragic of the events by drying out the writing of any emotion. This aspect particularily struck me in the episode of Piggy's death (ndlr Piggy is Ralph's sidekick).
Moreover, there are also more lively bits which are nonetheless as interesting as the rest of the book. It would be awkward to write my favorite part of the book is the final hunting of Ralph because it is not what one would call an enjoyable moment but it is whithout the shadow of a doubt the most anxiety-generating piece of writing I have ever read. Indeed, I really felt for the character as if I was the one hunted down and fearing for my life.
However, I wish sometimes Golding would have gone a tad further in his allegory so as to give a more complex depiction of society. In other words, my slight reproach is that the book is not longer ! However, the rather concise form of the book gives it a parable-like tone which contributed to its effect on me.
To sum up, Lord of the Flies is a captivating mix between a children's tale and a violent testimony on human nature and survival which had a great impact and moved me deeply.
