Classic Corner is a feature on Books Worth Remembering where I review classic titles to raise awareness for old books which are just as awesome as new ones.
Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
Publication Date: 1954
Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository
William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954.
At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition (Goodreads)
At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition (Goodreads)
Lord of the Flies was the book I had to read for my English literature exam last year, I initially was a little disappointed for other classes were doing To Kill a Mockingbird or Of Mice and Men but I needn’t have been.
Lord of the Flies is an intricately woven tale, tackling huge questions such as are humans inherently evil? Is evil predetermined? Are we destined to do bad things? Is there darkness in every man’s heart? The chilling events that take place really make you look at the nature of the human condition and to seriously question how you would react in this desert island situation.
A common misconception about Lord of the Flies is most people think that it is about cannibalism, it isn’t. It tackles lots of other dark topics instead such as murder (I bet you’re interested now :P)
Another common misconception when it comes to books you have to read and study is that the author never intended his books to be analysed in such a way, this is also not true for Lord of the Flies. William Golding wrote an essay, ‘Fable’ in which he discusses the reasons behind his story. Don’t worry you don’t have to go read that as well, I’ll tell you - he decided to write the book to write his opinion on the conflict in society between savagery and civilisation. Also how we pass on our hatred and intolerances to our children and through the generations. Another top message Golding was trying to send was that there is this darkness that is in humans, he based this on what he had seen and heard of first hand due to the Second World War in which men had done unspeakable things to one another.
Still not convinced about Golding meaning these deep and complex meanings? Well Lord of the Flies is also an allegory, meaning everything means something. And by everything I mean everything. Which was great for me in my exam but also great for reading, I loved finding these meanings and looking at the text more complexly.
Readers also need not worry about how it is written, it is simple and easy to understand and soon you’ll find yourself absorbed into the story even if you aren’t reading it because of an exam or because you’re looking for the answers to the metaphysical questions Lord of the Flies is throwing at you!
I hope more people will read this book, I whole heartedly recommend it. Not only for it’s great plot and characters but because it is a truly interesting topic that will continue to be important in modern society.
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