Pros: adventurous, realistic to a certain degree, not too long
Cons: gory and can be confusing
The Bottom Line: William Golding does an excellent job of portraying the lives of many little children who are lost on a deserted island somewhere outside of Great Britain.
nikabud's Full Review: William Golding - Lord of the Flies: Kit
The title alone cannot persuade a reader to pick up this book right away. Lord of the Flies means practically nothing to the person who's never heard of it. But to those who have read and understood the unusual plot and concept of the book, they will remember this book forever for its violence, climax, and resolution at the end.
William Golding, the author, starts the book out by having a plane crash onto a deserted island. The plane is full of children, but none are older than 12 approximately. They attempt to organize a group where they can all get work done by working together. So, the story continues on with a disagreement between leaders, Jack and Ralph. Ralph represents the original group of those who wish to devote their time to escape the island and send for help. On the other hand, Jack creates a savage group who wish to hunt all the time.
Throughout the book, an assumption can be made by the reader. There is a character who represents a "Jesus" figure by all of his actions. He constantly gives to everyone before himself, he lays his life on the line, and eventually he dies for his group. Then there is a satanic figure, known as Jack. His motive in the entire book is too kill, raise hunters, and then become a god to them. Then, a slightly mediocre figure is the intelligence behind the operations of the groups. Unfortunately, he is a "mamma's boy" and is quite afraid of whatever goes on. His name is Piggy and he is universally liked by both groups, but constantly teased about his obesity.
As Jack's group becomes more ravenous for something new to pursue, Jack brings up the idea to hunt for the protagonist, Ralph, and kill him. Not only does his group want to kill him, but they also want to cut off his head and put it on a stick. Now, this book has become very gory up to this point but there are some who do actually enjoy this type of literature. The killing and hunting is disturbing but it does not affect the way I have rated this book. The content was explicit, but when many little boys are in the wild, it is necessary to receive the feeling as though you are actually there.
Overall, I thought William Golding captured the essence of what it could mean for small children to be left unguarded by the evils by adults. It shows what would happen if perhaps kids were left to govern themselves without law. This book covers such topics as anarchy, gory hunting, survival, and conflicts between good and evil. I hope you'll enjoy this book, but if you are disturbed by killing and gore, I suggest you read something easier on the imagination.
Originally published in 1954, William Golding's Lord of the Flies is one of the most disturbing and celebrated novels of modern times.A plane crashes ...More at HotBookSale
The story that never grows old... Lord of the Flies remains as provocative today as when it was first published in 1954, igniting passionate debate wi...More at Buy.com
The classic tale of a group of English school boys who are left stranded on an unpopulated island, and who must confront not only the defects of their...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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