Lord of the Flies by William Golding REVIEW

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Started: 16/12/19

Finished: 18/12/19

Spoilers: No

I’m almost not surprised so many kids are made to read this in school.

"Look, children. Look what happens in the absence of rules and order and adults."

I was never given this one in school and I wonder now how I would have interpreted it as a child. As an adult, it’s a pretty scary concept. Even children can devolve to basic instinct and survival mode. It’s what humans are. Strip us of all civilization, and this is what we are. Savage, wild, creatures of instinct. The number one goal of any living creature is survival. Age has nothing to do with it.

I knew the premise of this book so more or less knew what to expect (though I did expect more cannibalism). The children all started out so hopeful, treating the awful incident of the plane crash on a remote island as an adventure. It’s fun to them, a game, a chance to play at being adults. But things quickly get out of hand. The downward decline of the small society built by Ralph is really no surprise to anyone. I think we all know what humans are capable of in extreme conditions.

I think children are used for effect, to show how horrific the situation is. But we all know adults would behave in the exact same way. Because this is the true face of humanity. This book has really made me stop to think about the primal nature of human beings.

Another point that really interested me was what was happening in the outside world. It’s just barely touched upon, but there are a few hints dropped. Something about an atom bomb, and planes quite clearly being shot from the sky. I found myself more eager to learn what was actually going on in the world, than I was about the trials of the boys.

I found the pig slaughter chapters hard to read, as I do with any harm to animals in books, but I went into this fully expecting there to be hunting scenes. I thought there would be a lot more tbh, but that doesn’t make the ones it does have any easier to read.

But with everything in mind, I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It’s a short book but with long chapters, and it’s been a very interesting read. I wouldn’t say the story excited me, but it held my interest throughout and I was keen to see how it ended. Overall, a very engaging story, but not one I’ll ever likely read again. It’s a classic and I’m glad I read it.