Lord of the Flies in The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club

Apr 15, 2018 Roland Clarke rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Review 4.5 stars

It’s hard to review a classic that has been around in many ways all my life from novel to screen. My first reaction was that it’s a gritty and a difficult read that may be literary in style, but the messages are there. The beast lives so why should kids be immune to its power? Yes, it could be written in other ways, – and it has been. But I understand the author’s intent (as does Stephen King).

In Lord of the Flies, symbolism is everywhere, from the moment a group of schoolboys ar ...more

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Mar 03, 2018 Toi Thomas rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, rated, classics, children-teen, historical-fiction

This book is a re-read for me. Like many teens in the US, I was assigned Lord of the Flies in school for reading. At the time of me having to read this in order to pass the class, I really didn't like the book. I was on the verge of hating the book and hate is a strong word I don't like to use a lot. This time around, it was a book club read, based on a vote. Needless to say, I was disappointed when this book won; however, I thought this would be a good opportunity to re-read it. I was willing t This book is a re-read for me. Like many teens in the US, I was assigned Lord of the Flies in school for reading. At the time of me having to read this in order to pass the class, I really didn't like the book. I was on the verge of hating the book and hate is a strong word I don't like to use a lot. This time around, it was a book club read, based on a vote. Needless to say, I was disappointed when this book won; however, I thought this would be a good opportunity to re-read it. I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps reading it as an adult, after so many years, would provide a new perspective and a greater appreciation. I don't think it really worked.

I'm giving this story an overall rating of 3-stars, for a few basic reasons. 1) I can appreciate the cultural and historical significance of the story. Like I said before, it's been read by millions of American children throughout the generations and I guess that has left an impression on me. It's been esteemed and acclaimed by so many people that you can't just ignore that. 2) I think it's a great concept for a story. The idea of young adolescent children (boys), who haven't yet reached puberty, being put into a situation where they have to become adults- where they have to survive, is an amazing concept for a story. I simply wished I had appreciated the execution more. 3) What I believe the overall point of this story is, is a noble subject matter to touch upon, but again, I just don't like the way this author did it.

So, to further explain why I didn't like this book the second time around, after decades of reading it as a teen, here are my thoughts. 1) I honestly feel like the author was under the influence of something when he wrote this book. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that he was high. I actually feel like maybe he was suffering from PTSD or some other disorder. I just feel like his view of humanity is skewed in such a way that doesn't happen naturally. I'm no expert on this matter; this is just how I felt after reading the book, even while I was reading the book.

2) Some of the symbolism and imagery of the story was a bit too disturbing to me. When you write a work of fiction, you're always going to have people who absolutely love it and people who absolutely hate it. I'm still teetering on the verge of really not liking this story. I'm not sure what it is but I just feel a lot of negativity around this book. I think the fact that everything turned so dark so fast, in a story cast with all children is a message of some-type of human destruction that's right on the cusp. It's a very hard pill to swallow.

3) I'm not the kind of person who looks for a fight, but if I see one coming, I either try to find a way to avoid it or stick around to maybe help afterward. Saying that, I feel like some of the things that this author put into the story would not only be controversial, in this day and age, it would make some people mad enough to want to fight. I feel like the representation of the boys turning savage simply by putting on face paint and covering their bodies in mud was a little bit offensive. It seems as though this author thinks that anyone who would choose to paint their face or cover their body with mud or paint,is automatically a savage without taking into consideration what type of culture they may actually have. I believe the idea of savage is taken completely out of context here. We are talking about young children, all boys, who have been left alone to survive on an island and that is somehow equated with savagery. I feel like there are many civilized cultures out there who use face painting and body paint as part of their culture and they are not savage. However, I might be overthinking this whole scenario because the story isn't something that I'm naturally drawn to. Maybe I'm seeing something that's not really there.

4) I didn't care for the depiction and treatment of the Piggy character. To be perfectly honest, I don't even know if he ever got a chance to say what his real name was. He was called Piggy straight from the start by all the other children. It seems that the only child on the island with a true sense of reason is the only child who also happens to be almost bald, overweight, he has poor eyesight and wears glasses, and he's also an asthmatic. I don't know if this is fat shaming or nerd shaming but it definitely feels like some kind of shaming. Kids are kids, and I know that they can sometimes be cruel, but all of these characteristics lumped into one character seems a bit much; it seems totally intentional as if the author is trying to make a statement. It seems as though the author is trying to say that anyone who is overweight or wears glasses or has asthma or some other chronic affliction, is somehow less than the rest of society no matter how smart they are. It's like saying that, if you're not beautiful and charismatic no one's going to listen to you. And in this day and age, I don't think that’s a good message to be spreading. Perhaps that’s the point the author wants to make, but since he never addresses it in the book, it doesn’t come off very enlightening to me.

The first time I read the story it never occurred to me that there were no female characters. I mean, obviously, it's a story about little boys, but it just didn't hit home. This time around, however, the complete and utter lack of female characters was definitely an indication that something's not quite right here. Considering what happened in the story, I don't know if adding a female presence would be a good idea what this author penning the pages. Considering the only female presence in the story is a mother pig who is slaughtered in a very disturbing way, I'm thinking that this author doesn't have a high opinion of women either. Although, there is another side to that. Perhaps, maybe, the author feels that women are part of what helps make the world civilized and thus left them out to show his idea of savagery. Again, none of this is ever addressed in the book so we really don’t know what point the author was trying to make.

If there had been a scene or statement of a lesson learned, by one or all of the remaining children at the end, perhaps it all would have been worth it. If something positive, other than a lackluster rescue hinting at a return to war, had been offered, perhaps I would have appreciated the story more. I simply feel like this author told a horrific story without offering any kind of moral, understanding, or hope.

In the grand scheme of things, I guess I can see why this book has been taught in so many schools, but I don’t remember learning any lessons dealing with the issues I’ve mentioned here. I could see this being a good learning tool, but I guess it all depends on the message the teacher is trying to teach and the demographics of the audience.

Recommended for anyone wanting to read a classic story, perhaps for their bucket list, and recommended to fans of survivalist stories. ...more

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