Lord Of The Flies Essay, Research Paper

Lord of the Flies

This was the most interesting book I have ever read. It is sort of a cross

between Alive and Hatchet. Because the book is extremely addictive and

written so superbly, it did not take long for me to get into and finish it.

The characters were probably the most interesting element in Lord of the

Flies. All British and male, the young boys in this story portray the

savagery and sadistic nature to which all but a few succumb. The other boys

are the only symbol of sanity on the island. There is also a very

interesting conflict between Ralph and Jack. In essence, this is the eternal

struggle between good and evil. The ending of the novel concludes in a

gut-wrenching showdown between the two.

The only thing I disliked about this book is that sometimes Golding’s

writing style was a little hard to follow. The main problem was that the

boy’s British accents made it difficult to understand what they meant. This

problem appeared in few spots, however, and for the most part the book was

easy to read.

I think that males would enjoy this book mainly because of the fact that all

the characters were boys. It also appeals to a person with good literary

insight who can understand Golding’s symbolism. This book also made a very

good movie which portrays the story well.

I did have a favorite character in this book. His name is Simon. Simon is

peculiar in that he likes to be alone and take long walks into the jungle

while most of the other boys play. He also discovers the beast that every

one on the island fears. Ultimately, he discovers the true source of evil,

the Lord of the Flies, and is later betrayed by his friends.

Being an enthusiastic and long time book reader, I think Lord of the Flies

is a great book. It is very intriguing and seems to place a terrible spell

over the reader who gets lured into this arousing adventure. I spent four

days reading this book and only put it down during meals. Lord of the Flies

kept my interest with very little slow moving dialogue and lots of vivid

description. For me this book ranks right up there with Clockwork Orange and

The Last Herald Mage. All of these books have incredible story lines with

non-stop adventure. They also all seem to address some of the controversial

subjects facing our society today.

The thing I probably liked the most about Lord of the Flies was the theme of

the story. This topic was very intriguing. It dealt with the many flaws and

desires of human nature, and how devastating these factors can be to a

culture with no directions or order to follow. I enjoyed how the story

showed that even the youngest and most innocent of humans strive for power

over everything and will stop at nothing until he achieves that power. The

theme shows the greed that has been bred into all humans.

There was very little I disliked about this book. The mood was a little dark

and depressing but that just added to the setting. Probably the one thing

that could have been improved upon was William Golding’s writing style. He

tended to skip around sometimes and use difficult dialect and terms that can

confuse the reader, but this happened rarely. I think all serious readers

would like this book. Probably the people who could enjoy this book the most

would be the faithful followers of Science Fiction and Adventure novels who

might enjoy the stranger aspects of life. I also think readers who are

interested in human behavior would relish this book because of the way it

portrays the many sides of human nature, values, and morals.

I will probably read this book again. It was such a good novel it might

possibly end up in my personal library. Lord of the Flies was also made into

a great movie that captured the best aspects of the book. The best lesson I

learned from Lord of the Flies is that people can not let one thing control

their whole life. They can not let greed control their every action and

thought so that it corrupts them into acting on an evil purpose. Lord of the

Flies was a great novel and I know when ever I think about this book, the

scene I see is one of a young boy talking to a bloody pig’s head on a stick

in the middle of a beautiful, sunny little field, scattered with bright

flowers.

Lord of the Flies is an action-packed book which takes place on an

uninhabited island after a plane full of English boys is shot down. Told

from a third-person omniscient point-of-view, this story’s mood is extremely

bleak because it deals so profoundly with the dark side of humanity.

The protagonist in Lord of the Flies is Ralph. At the beginning of the story

he is described as being a playful child, but towards the end he matures

significantly. He is one of the few boys who realizes that the only way to

survive is through peace and order. Because he summons the boys at the

beginning of the novel with the conch he and Piggy find, they look upon him

as the most responsible of the boys and elect him chief over the humiliated

Jack. Jack Merridew, Ralph’s main antagonist, is older than most of the

other boys. He is the leader of a group of choir boys and is dubbed chief of

the hunters by Ralph. He and his hunters become sadistic and detached from

the world of peace Ralph creates. Jack is the prime reason why the island

becomes full of chaos and corruption.

Piggy is a fat little boy who remains close to Ralph’s side throughout the

story. Although he is intellectually insightful, Piggy is weak and endlessly

complains about their troubles. Most of the other boys bully him even though

his glasses are their only hope of rescue. Roger is a young lad who comes on

to the island with hints of evil. He is constantly bullying Piggy and other

small kids. Roger follows Jack, who exploits his dark side, and by the end

of their adventures has committed murder as well as many other sadistic

acts. Simon is like no other boy on the island. Simon’s goodness and caring

are shown by the way he takes care of the “littluns”. He is the only boy who

discovers the beast on the island that everybody fears. Simon’s symbolism in

this story offers a meaning deeper than just a young, bashful boy.

The main conflict in Lord of the Flies is between Ralph and Jack. The

beginning of their struggle stems from the very start of the novel when

Ralph is elected chief over Jack. Jack and his hunters eventually form their

own group apart from the others. Uncivilized to say the least, his savages

are totally stripped of what society has impressed upon them. Ralph demands

peace on the island but to no avail. Their struggle symbolizes that of good

and evil.

Because he is weak and a bit chubby, Piggy is in constant conflict with the

other boys who mock and bully him. Jack is the instigator in this struggle,

belittling Piggy at every chance. This conflict escalates until the end of

the story when Roger kills him.

The turning point of the novel occurs when Jack and his hunters have a feast

to celebrate breaking away from Ralph and forming their own tribe. During

this sadistic event, the boys are invited to join Jack and many accept.

Everyone begins to dance and lose touch with reality and all civilization,

and when Simon crawls out of the forest with his message about the beast, he

himself is mistaken for the for it and is torn apart in by the frenzied

children. At this point Ralph loses most of his control over almost all the

kids, and Jack begins to take over.

After the feast, things only get worse for Ralph and his remaining

followers. Jack and his warriors attack them one night and steal the key to

fire, Piggy’s glasses. The next day Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric journey to

Castle Rock to try to talk some sense into the savages but it was no use.

Piggy, still holding the conch, desperately tries to be heard over the

scuffle but Roger, the most evil of all the hunters, heaves an immense

boulder upon him, crushing both Piggy and the symbol of sanity and order,

the conch. The next day Jack organizes and island-wide manhunt for Ralph.

The leader of the savages sets the bushes on fire in an attempt to flush him

out. The fugitive is chased across most of the blazing island when, with

nowhere to run, he collapses at the foot of a cheerful naval officer who was

attracted by the smoke. When Ralph recalls the atrocities that he and the

other boys had committed, he bursts into tears.

William Golding stated that the theme of Lord of the Flies as “an attempt to

trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature”. In this

novel, he presents some serious warnings about humanity and what is needed

to mature the human race into that of a better civilization. In conclusion,

this story is an excellent portrayal of human nature that is bound to make

an impression on the reader.