Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
I just finished this and I just gotta talk about it. I’ve always known about the Lord of the Flies allegory: a group of kids are stranded on an island and try to keep order in spite of their tribal inclinations. I think the Simpsons did it in the Camp Krusty episode. That reveal of Bart wearing the tribal head dress to the camera always struck me. So, how could I resist an old, beat-up, smelly, 1950s paperback lying there in the free library?
There’s so much I can say about this book but what’s probably most important to say is that I have a little boy, so it was hard not to read this through what I think he would experience if he were under the same circumstances. I don’t know what he would have done, and I’ m not sure things would have gone down any different than they did in this book. The main takeaway I had is how, from the very beginning, you sense there might be something off about our protagonist Ralph. You’re not sure about his motives, but then again, I’m not sure he doesn’t behave like a 1950s British 12-year old boy in a school yard. He’s got one good idea (keep that fire going!), but at the same time, he recognizes his own weaknesses, which is that he’s not much of a thinker and doesn’t know how to express his thoughts. He has an idea-man with him, who’s loyal to him, but sadly doesn’t do anything to elevate his status among the tribe. Ralph has a lot of growing up he has to do to keep order, and doesn’t have a lot of time to do it in, and you feel for him as he struggles to deal with the challenges that face him and their survival.
Throughout this entire book there’s a feeling of dread and tragedy that fills every page. The stakes are so high, the “heroes” are so limited in their morals and priorities and wits, that you can feel the tension as they maneuver through their daily lives. You just wanna dive in and help them. You’re happy with the team and their successes but you suspect their luck can only last so long. It’s a struggle between idealism and human urges and a delicate balance that tips the scales.
I don’t read too good so I was having a hard time understanding the descriptions of the island, what it looked like, where they were exactly, and what the “mysterious figure” was exactly, so I had to go back and reread some chapters, but that just shows how invested I was.
I now know why Bart behaved the way he did. He’s a Ralph…or a Jack. I suspect Lord of the Flies will stay with me, and I’ll think about its characters for quite some time, and THAT’S how you know you read a good book. This one was brutal.
