Lord of the Flies

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The writer

My book of choice is ”Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding. Golding was born in 1911 in Great Britain, and was educated in Oxford, at Brasenose College. His first literary work was a set of poems that he published in 1934, just before he served his country in WW2. On his return, he settled down as a schoolmaster and began to write what was to become his first novel – The Lord of the Flies. Other appreciated books he has written are “Pincher Martin”, “The Spire” and “The Inheritors”. He was awarded the Nobel Price in literature in 1983, ten years before he died in 1993.
Source: The Swedish National encyclopaedia.

I like the way he writes books. As I haven’t read many books in English, I cannot really distinguish a certain pattern of writing, so I just say that I think it’s written in a smooth and nice way – relatively easy to read. “The Lord of the Flies” is exciting, believable etc. which makes his way of writing suitable for making the novels just that.

William Golding’s “Lord of the flies” is a classic.

You can see it when you read it – even though I thought it to be a bit slow from time to time. The language used is perfectly balanced with dialogue, narrating, metaphors etc. Luckily, the book never gets what I would like to refer to as “really boring” – every time I think that “now there must be a new chapter soon”, “why does he keep on nagging about that?”, “why does he write like that?”, I get the answer relatively soon, in shape of a new chapter, a sentence that totally clear things up, or something like that. I like the ending as well, because it doesn’t tell too much of what’s to happen next. The answer to that question has to be decided be the reader. It’s a happy ending, so what is there to complain about?

Definitely a 7/10, in my opinion.


The novel

Plot outline: A group of English schoolboys crash with their plane on a desert island. At first they seem delighted with their new home – no grown ups to decide for them, exciting environments etc. But…it is a fake appearance. After a while, they realize that it might not be heaven they’ve come to, but h--… They realize that survival should and must be the only thing on their minds. Some of the children become savages as the group of boys are divided into two camps, and the tensions between the tribes passes the line of common sense very early, and eventually goes so far that someone dies…


The four main characters of the book are:

• Ralph - The chief of the island, crowned by voting. Claimed chief at the very beginning of the children’s time on the island. He organizes the so-called assemblies, a kind of meeting where the children decide things, or just get things straight (as Ralph puts it in the book). He is body is described to be “golden”, and he is counted among the “bigguns” – the elder children on the island. I personally think Ralph is surely round, as all the characters in the book. He is the one who has that certain leader instinct (as of Jack, and Ralph gets in the character very well, even though he faces complications in lots of things). He is a man (child) of responsibility. I like Ralph, maybe because I associate with him, and I think that the two of us are pretty much alike. I can definitely relate to Ralph’s situation – the desperation of getting rescued and the anger against the savages.

• Piggy – The fat kid that everyone teases. Also a round character - perhaps the most (and only) intellectual one on the island, a thing that Ralph speculates about in the book. His glasses are used for lightning the fires on the island, the only advantage they get from him. “Piggy” is just a sobriquet - his real name is unknown. At the beginning of the book he’s simply called “the fat boy”. His body’s shaped pretty much like a pig, and he’s grossly overweight, so that’s why he’s called “piggy”. He’s pretty lonely on the island, no one wants to be his mate. Though, Ralph and Piggy get to know each other pretty well after a while. Piggy gets killed by the hunters, a great rock is pushed down on his head, after being blinded by loosing his glasses.

• Jack – The leader of the hunters and the choir from school, all wearing the same kind of uniforms. I think Jack is either badly raised, or is not raised at all. He is the one “leading” the teasing against Piggy. In the middle of the book, the children are divided into two groups – the Ralph group and Jack group. Whenever something happens in the book – Jack has got something to do with it. See analyses as well.

• Simon - A very curious figure in the book. He is the only one who resists becoming a hunter. Called “batty” by the other boys. Simon is the one who comes to aid when the other boys need it, for example he helps Piggy several times, by getting him his lost glasses, giving him meat when he doesn’t get any from Jack, etc. I like Simon, and I can associate with him in most situations.

A funny thing about Simon is that you can find essays about him on the internet, where he’s compared with Jesus Christ himself! He is said to play the “Jesus roll” on the island. Besides, he is the one getting killed by the ones which he wanted to help, just like J.C.


Quotes
Page: Said by: Quote and explanation:
p. 136 Jack Now-? (The first time in the book that Jack shows any humanity at all- this time by hesitating on going for the monster.

p. 134 Jack I’m not going to be part of Ralphs lot. (The opportune moment is used by Jack – the situation in camp is very tensed, and by these words, Jack takes the step of dividing the children into two different groups.
p. 145 Piggy What’s wrong with a fire down here? (The beast is definitely seen, and definitely exists, so they can’t make the vital fire anymore – at least not on top of the mountain. This is a quote that shows of Piggy’s intellectual sides.


Analyses and conclusion

As I said, all the characters in the book are round, in my opinion. Lord of the Flies has become very famous, mostly because of the psychological part of it – how boys about ten years of age react when they get put in a situation like this – a desert island, without any grown-ups, without any certainness of getting rescued etc. If you analysis the book you can see that they all go by instinct – leadership is engaged, and the leaders are the older children, and the leaders are the older children. I guess the whole story is very believable. It’s very interest...