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Schule > Englisch > Review of Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the flies by William Golding

Type of work: Ideological adventure novel
Setting: A deserted tropical island after a nuclear war

Story overview:
After their plain crashed down, a group of young school-boys find themselves on an island. First of all they recognize their isolation, but also a chance for adventure. Soon they realize they have to elect a leader- Ralph. A conch he finds becomes the symbol of order in the boys’ meetings: holding the conch conferred the right to speak. The boys now need rules that need to be obeyed by everyone. But Jack, who is power- hungry, insists on his choir fellows to be the hunters to search for food. Nearly all boys belong to the choir and that’s why Ralph keeps loosing his control over the boys, while Jack’s words and deeds become more primitive and savage. Ralph; with Piggy and Simon as his only friends, feels more and more isolated and things seem to brake up. Rumours about a beast living on the island get more and more interesting for everyone and one day Simon, who had never believed in the beat himself wandered off in the forest to search for it.
Piggy and Jack painfully decide to join the hunters who seem to get absorbed with the orgy of killing and even gather around a fire singing: “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” When Simon arrives just at this moment, the tribe closes in on the approaching “beast” with their sharpened sticks and soon Simon’s body lay in a heap on the beach. Simon had been the one who had actually realized the situation at is was when he had a vision: a fly-covered pig’s head, the LORD OF THE FLIES talks to him. Simon wanted to warn the others, that the only evil on the island came from inside themselves.

Main characters:
• Ralph, a likable, sensible boy of twelve
• Jack, a cruel, power hungry redheaded youth
• Simon, a skinny, shy, thoughtful nine-year-old
• Piggy, Ralph’s intelligent friend; a fat boy with thick glasses
What makes the book attractive to read?
I found it very interesting to read, because it was easy for me to identify with Ralph who seemed to become the main character at the beginning of the novel. Ralph is the sensible one out of the boys and as the reader sees the action objective, he noticed that things get out of order. It is obvious that William Golding criticizes unshackled freedom. He explains his opinion through the book: civilisation is needed, as well as rules, laws and expectations. While Ralph personifies law and cooperation, it is Jack’s reliance on charisma and brute force that wins out on the island. I enjoyed reading the book because I loved the way Golding expressed his opinion towards the state and even gave the ones to be criticized (the politicians) the roles of young, callow school-boys in his story. The book tied me to the chair because I couldn’t stop reading sometimes.
What can a potential reader expect?
A potential reader can expect a story, which is cursory just like a typical adventure story, but turns out to be very profound.
What type of reading clientele might find the book rewarding/ entertaining/ special?
I think the book is unsuitable for children, although it is an adventure story; but because of the killing it would be a bit too tough. The book is more appealing to the youths and upwards who can learn a lot of it. I would recommend it to anyone who would ask me for my opinion.

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