From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

Start date: September 18, 2016

Finish date: October 18, 2016

Discussion: Children's Classics Buddy Reads

Discussion leader: Rosemarie

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May 30, 2012 midnightfaerie rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, rory-gilmore

Lord of the Flies by William Golding has many underlying themes relating to the human condition within it, but the most prominent seems to be good vs. evil in looking at what would happen when all constraints holding back your savagery are released, would you succumb to evil? Or would you stay true to the good that resides in all people? Each child in this story represents a different outcome of this situation, from Ralph, the one who tries to hold on to his morals to Jack, the one who wants to Lord of the Flies by William Golding has many underlying themes relating to the human condition within it, but the most prominent seems to be good vs. evil in looking at what would happen when all constraints holding back your savagery are released, would you succumb to evil? Or would you stay true to the good that resides in all people? Each child in this story represents a different outcome of this situation, from Ralph, the one who tries to hold on to his morals to Jack, the one who wants to give in to his savage side, to Piggy, the scientific one who uses reasoning to decide his choices. Many have argued that, after having read this book, even though they believed that we were all inherently good, that we too, would give in to our baser instincts once all rules and laws were removed holding our integrity in place. I disagree. I don't think it's as simple as all that, and I think Golding was trying to portray that too. Yes, we see a lot of savage behavior in these boys once they're stranded on the island, and it's easy to focus on the bad, but in some of the others, such as Ralph, Piggy, and Simon, you see the struggle to hold on to hope and goodness. Instead of black and white, you see many flavors of gray in the personalities and that Golding was trying to show not only the different outcomes in behavior but also that when all restraints are gone, that it is still a personal choice and that there will always be someone struggling for the greater good.

Perhaps this is just a silly school girl hope of mine, to believe in the kindness of humans in extreme circumstances. It reminds me of a quote from a movie I saw recently, "Love Actually". It said, "As far as I know, in the phone call recordings from the people on the plane in 911, there were no messages of hate or revenge, they were all messages of hope and love." And I believe, in the end, this is the goal that "most" of us would work toward. I think Golding does a good job of portraying both sides.

Another theme that runs throughout this novel is the "loss of innocence". The children gradually become more adult-like in their bitterness when they realize that others don't care about rescue, or that they probably won't ever be rescued, or when they realize that the others have given into their dark side. These themes are just one example of why this should be deemed a classic.

Another interesting aspect of this book are the religious themes that supposedly run through it. Critics have been stated as saying there are many parallels between this story and the bible, with Simon being similar to Jesus, in being the first to realize what is happening and then gets killed when trying to convey that truth. Also when he speaks to "The Lord of the Flies", it is somewhat reminiscent of Jesus's talk with the devil. For me, these are loosely based and in no way proven to be what Golding actually intended. But this happens often, with controversial books, it's hard not to look at religious symbolism when talking about the conflict between good and evil.

In the end, between Goldings confusing but unique writing style, to the themes, to his huge following, and to all the controversy this novel has produced, it cannot help but be labeled as a classic. Also, even though I didn't necessarily enjoy his writing style (it seemed a bit contrived and was trying too hard to be vague and ended up coming out obtuse) I did enjoy the book and the themes that went along with it. It was a page turner for me as well, I couldn't wait to get to the end. Overall, a good story.
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