Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Pages: 230

Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel about a group of schoolboys on an island. The boys aged from six to around twelve are the only survivors of a plane-crash; they eventually group up, elect a Chief, set rules and begin exploring the island. And so starts their new life with the glamour of adventure, freedom from the grownups and from civilization. The boys are hopeful of being rescued and decide to start a fire so that a ship passing by can pick out the smoke.  

However, soon the fragile system that the boys attempted to set in place falls apart. There are instances initially where some of the boys take advantage of being away from the watchful eyes of adults and get into real mischief. This blows up later aided by absolute power in the wrong hands. Fear and ego take over; in the game of survival the boys find themselves against each other.  

The author gives us four main characters – Ralph, Piggy, Jack and Simon. Each different in his way - Jack, ever possessive about his group (the choir) and focused on having fun through hunting. Piggy is the thinker who never manages to convert his thoughts to action, sometimes a grown-up almost when compared with the rest. Ralph treads the middle path in wanting to work hard to a system in place while having fun and he tries to get the rest to do the same – in vain. And Simon who is insightful, an introvert, childlike and who the other boys find ‘batty’.  

The book is extremely descriptive – of the island, the surroundings, etc. the pace is irregular, mostly slow. The story telling, character portrayals, symbolisms take you forward. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed reading this book; it focuses on a disturbing side of human nature - not an incorrect picture, just a disturbing one.  

I’ve wanted to read this book for awhile now mainly due to the innumerable references to it – in other novels (the most recent one being Fraction of the Whole), Iron Maiden’s song, and so I’m glad I finally read it. I liked Golding’s style and will lookout for his other works. 

This is my first (and unplanned) read for the Classics Challenge! Have you read this book, how did you like it?