Lord of the Flies by William Golding

LORD OF THE FLIES

   William Golding 

The story of a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a deserted island. 

Lord of the Flies is an important title for the novel because it is one of the most important symbols in the novel. The Lord of the Flies, or the pig’s head, is symbolic because it embodies the savagery that is the result of Jack’s corruption and lust for blood.  Ralph is a smart and logical leader. He and Jack are strong foils of each other because of the contrasting views each have in how they should run the society in which they live. Piggy is one of the first characters introduced in the book. He is segregated from the group because of his inability to perform physical tasks and because of his obesity. This pattern continues until the culmination of the struggle between civility and savagery, when Ralph battles Jack-which is somewhat ironic because civility is battling with savagery, both embracing the Darwinistic approach to survival of the fittest. Golding makes sure, however, that the reader is reminded that although Piggy is physically blinded, he still holds firm to the characteristics of self-containment and restraint.

Lord of the flies, Golding's experience teaching unruly young boys would later serve as inspiration for his novel Lord of the Flies. Although passionate about teaching from day one, in 1940 Golding temporarily abandoned the profession to join the Royal Navy and fight in World War II. The theme of Lord of the Flies is grief, sheer grief, grief, grief.

The protagonist of Lord of the Flies is Ralph, When Ralph hunts a boar for the first time, however, he experiences the exhilaration and thrill of bloodlust and violence. When he attends Jack's feast, he is swept away by the frenzy, dances on the edge of the group, and participates in the killing of Simon. 

He realizes after Simon and piggy were murdered the savages will keep going further and further. Ralph declares himself the leader of the group of boys to the naval officer. This decision helps resolve the novel's main conflict because his action allows the boys to be rescued at last. 

The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable. One salient lesson that is proven in modern times is that children need guidance and discipline; without adults to establish rules of behavior there are inevitable problems.

Reviewed by:

Neljun Calibo

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