Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
Overview
From the Publisher
Lord of the Flies remains as provocative today as when it was first published in 1954, igniting passionate debate with its startling, brutal portrait of human nature. Though critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored upon its initial publication. Yet soon it became a cult favorite among both students and literary critics who compared it to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye in its influence on modern thought and literature.
Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies has established itself as a true classic.
My thoughts
Whoa. Heavy.
My purpose for reading this book is to finally get caught up on all the classics that I've failed to read throughout my life. I didn't buy this particular book for any reason other than it was the first 'classic' I happened to come upon during my most recent visit to Borders Bookstore.
Am I glad I read it? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to others? Probably not. I found it to be quite depressing.
The storyline goes that children are stranded on an island without any adult leadership. It's not Blue Lagoon where the boy and girl fall in love, wonder where the baby came from, and live an idyllic lifestyle for most of their lives. Instead, good vs. evil plays out. The evil is very evil, and since the author is a good writer he is able to paint lively portraits with his words. It sat in my belly like a rock.
I couldn't put the book down, especially towards the end, so as it was I finished it around midnight one evening. What to do at midnight with the weight of that book on my mind before going to bed? I didn't want to risk dreaming about the storyline. I didn't want to ponder the weight of the book that late at night. It had a profound effect on me - I was sad, depressed, a little bit sick.
I pulled a light-hearted, trashy, romantic, bounty hunter novel from the bookshelf. I had to get rid of Lord of the Flies. I didn't want the vision of that pig head on a stick haunting my dreams. I don't want to think about good vs. evil. It's easier not to think about the psychology of the book. It's better to put this book away and pretend that I'd never read it. Yes, that's what I'll do.
Most Vivid Passage
"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"
