Lord of the Flies

Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
Rating: 3 stars

Lord of the Flies is one of those classic lit books I was never required to read in high school or in college. Needless to say, I looked forward to reading it.

The book is about a group of British schoolboys who are stranded on an uninhabited island. They try to be civilized and elect a chief. Jack takes control of the hunters, while Ralph and the other concern themselves with the fire and making shelters. However, it appears that nobody, save Ralph and Simon, takes their responsibilities seriously. "Next time," Jack repeats every time the hunters come back without a pig. The "littluns" just want to play all the time. Eventually Jack rebels from the group and takes most of the boys to start a new tribe, a savage tribe.

When I started reading it, I had some idea what happened in the end. That being said, I knew there was some creepy, animalistic vibes to the whole adventure. What I didn't know what how dark the whole thing was.

I'll have to say that I actually enjoyed it. The novel showed what could happen without the structure and civility of modern society. Utter chaos plagues the island. My favorite part was when the boys split into groups. Jack and his followers donned face paint, giving themselves a savage appearance. Ralph, Piggy and the Twins try a more diplomatic approach, trying to remain civil; they are concerned about the fire and keeping the smoke signal alive so they can be rescued.

The one thing that surprised me was that even more than half-way through the book, the boys still thought this was a game. This was all "fun" for them despite all that had already happened to them.

There was something that came to mind while I was reading. When you're a kid, everything is bright, new and calm, but it's when you grow up do you realize how horrible situations are. Ralph was able to see this.

I definitely recommend this it everyone. It isn't a very long novel, so it can easily be read in a weekend.