Lord of the Flies in 100 books to read before you die

Nov 04, 2012 Vicky Thomasson rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm in two minds about how I feel about this book. I couldn't put it down and I found it quite disturbing in places but at the same time I kind of feel that a bunch of little boys under the age of 12 would be a bit more homesick and wouldn't be able to cook, hunt and build shelters as well as they managed to. However, it was an interesting concept and utterly terrifying in places. The story shows how powerful the human mind is, especially when it comes down to fear. I'm glad I've read it but I'm ...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Raine rated it really liked it

Shelves: bbc-2012-list, bbc-2011-list, 100-books-to-read-before-you-die, best-books-of-the-20th-century, raine-s-2013-personal-challenge, bbc-2013-list

Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel by Nobel Prize-winning English author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on an uninhabited island who try to govern themselves with disastrous results. Its stances on the already controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it position 68 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990–1999.

The book indicates that it takes place in the midst of an Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel by Nobel Prize-winning English author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on an uninhabited island who try to govern themselves with disastrous results. Its stances on the already controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it position 68 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990–1999.

The book indicates that it takes place in the midst of an unspecified nuclear war. Some of the marooned characters are ordinary students, while others arrive as a musical choir under an established leader. Most (with the exception of the choirboys) appear never to have encountered one another before. The book portrays their descent into savagery; left to themselves in a paradisaical country, far from modern civilization, the well-educated children regress to a primitive state.

At an allegorical level, the central theme is the conflicting human impulses toward civilization (living by rules, peacefully and in harmony) and toward the will to power. Themes include the tension between groupthink and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality. How these play out, and how different people feel the influences of these, form a major subtext of Lord of the Flies.

The representation of the individual characters is important in reflection of society as a whole. When he and the others arrive on the island, Ralph quickly becomes the chief of the group, not by any harsh, overt or physical action, but by being elected. After determining that they were marooned on an island, Ralph focuses on maintaining a signal fire in case that a ship or a plane should pass within sight, but, as the story comes to a close, he forgets the original reason for the fire. Perhaps this is evidence of the debilitating effects corruption has even on the brightest mind? No matter how tense things were on the island, Ralph always maintained the tendency to be polite and logical. Ralph embodies good intentions in the implementation of reason, but ultimately fails to execute these plans soundly, perhaps due to immaturity. He refused to resort to violence throughout the novel and is frequently counterpoised by Jack's inherent love of violence, but beginning with his self-nomination as hunter, Jack eventually degenerates into the beast he is consumed with slaying. Jack epitomizes the worst aspects of human nature when unrepressed or un-tempered by society. Like Ralph, Jack is a natural leader. Unlike Ralph, Jack appeals to more primal desires in the children and relies on his status as leader of the choirboys to justify his authority. Although his way of behaving is neither disruptive nor violent at the beginning of the book, he does, at that time, express an unquenchable desire to hunt and kill a pig and spends hours in solitude traversing the island. Towards the end of the story, Jack abandons the tribe and forms one of his own. His darkly irresistible nature, along with the lure of meat, immediately sways the majority of the island dwellers to his tribe, which is a much more violent group. Jack's insurrection begins a chain of events that drives the island further into chaos, initially resulting in the frenzied mob murdering Simon during a primal dance, and then culminating with the murder of Piggy by Roger before the group attempts to hunt down Ralph. Roger kills Piggy with the boulder, and becomes the executioner and torturer of Jack's tribe. He represents the person who enjoys hurting others, and is only restrained by the rules of society.

Piggy has been described as "the only adult-type figure on the island". His intellect benefits the group only through Ralph as he acts as Ralph's adviser. He cannot be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys. Piggy relies on the power of social convention. He believes that holding the conch gives him the right to be heard. The conch symbolizes democracy and, like Ralph, civility and order within the group and because of that belief, Piggy believes that upholding social conventions produces results. Piggy is so intent on preserving some remnant of civilization on the island that, after Jack's tribe attacks Ralph's group, he assumes they "wanted the conch", when, in fact, they have come for Piggy's glasses in order to make fire. Even up to the moment of his death, Piggy's perspective does not shift in response to the reality of their situation. When Piggy is killed, the conch is smashed into pieces, signaling the end of order and the onset of chaos. Originally the conch is portrayed as being very vibrant and colorful, but as the novel progresses, its colors begin to fade, the same way society begins to fade on the island.

Simon, a character who represents peace, tranquility, and positivity, is often seen wandering off by himself in a dreamy state and is prone to fits of fainting and hallucination, likely epileptic in nature. He is in tune with the island, and often experiences extraordinary sensations when listening to its sounds. He loves the nature of the island. He is positive about the future. Simon's death represents the loss of truth, innocence, and common sense. Simon is most commonly interpreted as a Christ figure because of his ability to see through misconception, unlike the rest of the boys, and the events he experiences in the book that parallel those of Jesus' life.

The eponymous Lord of the Flies is a pig's head that has been cut off by Jack, put on a stick sharpened at both ends, stuck in the ground and left as an offering to the "beast". Created out of fear, the Lord of the Flies is the remnant of a mother sow who, though at one time loving, and innocent, has now become a manically smiling, bleeding image of horror. Near the end of the book, while Ralph is being hunted down, he strikes this twice in one moment of blind anger, causing it to crack and fall on the ground with a grin "now six feet across". The name "Lord of the Flies" is a literal translation of Beelzebub.

Published in 1954, Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first novel. Although it was not a great success at the time, selling fewer than 3,000 copies in the United States during 1955 before going out of print, it soon went on to become a best-seller, and by the early 1960s was required reading in many schools and colleges. It has been adapted to film twice in English, once by Peter Brook (1963) and once by Harry Hook (1990), and once in Filipino (1976).

In 2005 the novel was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. It was awarded a place on both lists of Modern Library 100 Best Novels, reaching number 41 on the editor's list, and 25 on the reader's list. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 70 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.
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May 21, 2012 Jon Sindell rated it it was amazing

A superb book.

Golding's language is impeccable.

His ear, pitch-perfect.

His eye, incisive.

His insight, profound.

His theme, disturbing.

His plotting, tight.

The effect, unforgettable.

(It's on my very short list of all-time favorite novels. Scroll down the right margin at this link if interested …
http://jstevensonstories.blogspot.com/ ). ...more

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Mar 09, 2018 Carl rated it liked it · review of another edition

An enjoyable classic that explores the savagery humans can be pushed to when subjected to extreme limits and how society can fall apart without governing and structure. It is a story that holds up well over time and still remains both enjoyable and relevant.

Overall, an enjoyable read with terrifying events surrounding a range of characters.

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