“There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast. . . . Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! . . . You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are the way they are?”
Imagine how terrified I must have been when I first read those words.
In the year 2004, on the 26th of December, my father (probably the greatest influence in my life when it comes to reading), decided that I was beyond reading children's books such as the Harry Potter series and The Chronicles of Narnia. He selected books from his own collection, and insisted that these were wonderful books all people should grow up reading.
William Golding's 'Lord Of The Flies' is indeed a book that no bookworm should miss out on. I do however, question the appropriateness of giving an 11 year old such a novel filled with dark allegorical content.
Luckily for me and my un-moulded 11 year old mind, I did not completely understand the novel in the first read. The premise did initially intrigue me - a bunch of boys, stuck on island- as it held the promise of adventure and fun. However, after three chapters, the stuffy, heavy-handed writing bore me, and the book laid in a corner, gathering dust.
I picked it up again in secondary school, two years later. By then, my mind was developed enough to understand the novel. I probably wouldn't have been able to coherently point out what exactly about the novel creeped me out, but nevertheless, I found it creepy.
And since then, Lord Of The Flies has remained one of my favourites. It serves as a grim reminder of how evil is inherent in every single of us, and if it is not kept under control, we fall back into the savagery that mankind has spent millenia trying to curb in the process of civilisation.
(Spoilers shall be revealed from this point onward, if you haven't read the book, GO READ IT NOW)
It is generally agreed that Golding's central point or theme in the novel is that a conflict between the impulse towards civilisation and an impulse towards savagery rages within each individual. Each of the character represents an idea or aspect of this spectrum between civilisation and savagery.
For instance,
Ralph
Who embodies civilizing impulse, and strives to create order among the boys on the island.
He became the chief of the boys, not by any harsh, overt or physical action, but by being elected. His strive to maintain order is shown especially when he tries to establish ground rules for the boys. Among the tasks that he set the boys out to do, the most important was maintaining the fire on the mountain, the reason being "if a ship comes near the island they may not notice [the boys]". However, towards the end, even Ralph forgets the initial reason for maintaining the fire. This shows that the signal fire itself, symbolises as a kind of measurement of strength of civilised instinct remaining on the island. The fire blazing at the end of the novel ironically summons a ship to the island, but this fire was born out of savagery, not the signal fire that Ralph had tried so hard to maintain. It seems as though even Ralph loses his sense of civilising impulse, out of fear from Jack and his hunters, who seem hell bent on killing him.
And of course, Jack,
who is basically the antithesis of Ralph.
Jack is the novel's primary representative of the instinct of savagery, violence and the desire of power. He submits into savagery as he becomes increasingly obsessed with hunting and killing pigs. Eventually, his blood lust overrules him, and his kills extend beyond dumb creatures and to actual human beings, like Ralph at the end of the novel. The more savage Jack becomes, the more control he has over the others, even resorting using the boys' fear of the beast as means of controlling their behaviour - a reminder of how powerful religion and superstition can be manipulated into instruments of power.
What disturbed me greatly was the fact that the characters portrayed in the novel were only about twelve years old. I KNOW that the entire tale is allegorical, and the likelihood of twelve year olds harbouring such dark thoughts were uncommon. But as Golding subtly points out, savagery and violence is innate in everyone, kids included. Society at large seems to be wary of this fact, whether or not they have read Lord of The Flies.
For example, violent computer games. They are generally disapproved by adults with children (unless you have my dad - then hahaha). Adults live in fear that their children, who play games, will eventually submit to the savagery which exists within them, and unleash it to the world.
And this view is also implemented on music, TV shows and books, yes, including 'Lord Of The Flies'. It earned a spot on the ALA's 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-1999. To me, the problem lies not in the content of the matter, but the lack of understanding in the matter.
Put it this way, I listen to modern music, play violent computer games, and I happen to LOVE watching action and horror flicks, as well as have read 'Lord of the flies'. You don't see me wielding guns going on a rampant shooting do you?
In fact, I applaud William Golding, and other books of such calibre, of making me aware of the darker sides of human nature, thus ensuring I will not try to descend into savagery myself. I guess my dad was right in giving me 'Lord Of The Flies' to read after all.
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| My copy of the book: Dat island lookz amazing lolz |
