Oh, boy. Wow.
Let me just start my saying that if a bunch of girls were stranded on an island, I think things would've been very different.
I mean, the first things the boys do is strip and go swimming! The most logical one was Piggy (which is obviously not his real name) and then later Ralph.
Things start off well enough for the boys. They have a lazy system working. But as days pass, everything falls apart. No one listens to the rules, everyone forgets about keeping the fire that will get them rescued except a small few, and hunting becomes the preferred activity.
I'm not going to go through each plot point with you. Partly because I don't remember them (the book was kind of confusing) and partly because I don't want to relive it. LORD OF THE FLIES disturbed me.
Three boys died in this book (at least, as far as we know). Two were murdered. My favorite character, Simon, was the first to be killed by his comrades. Or, rather, beaten to death shall we say. And he was running to inform everyone about the "monster."
And they killed him.
More than anything about the book, Simon's death bothered me most. I can't get it out of my head.
It makes me so angry!
Ugh!
Suffice to say, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a good classic. In fact, I'd advise you to stay very, very far away!
Let me just ask you, why is LORD OF THE FLIES a classic?
I'm serious, why? This book just tells us what we already know: human nature is a dirty dark creature. Left unchecked, the monster rears it's ugly head.
Now for another question, why did I put this on my list?
I've done a pretty lousy job of picking books, haven't I? But this one is short, which definitely means that I will finish it.
LORD OF THE FLIES is a little confusing at the start. It opens with two boys wandering down a "scar" (a path made by a crashing plane in the jungle). It's not clear how these boys managed to escape a plane crash uninjured (or the numerous other boys who survive, for that matter).
This isn't the type of book you can immerse yourself in. Furthermore, it's difficult to explain to someone else what's happening. The plot points are so random and blur together. Probably because not much happens...until something happens. It's hard to explain.
Either way, I'm vaguely aware of how this book is going to end, courtesy of popular culture.
I will be honest and say that, a few nights ago, when I was sitting in bed reading, I got very creeped out. The boys talk about this unseen "monster"...
And, yeah. I had to put the book down.
Because I got scared. So there's that.
"The greatest ideas are the simplest." ~William Golding
For the month of July, we have another British author! William Golding was a self-proclaimed bully. At the age of twelve he attempted to write his first novel, but was unsuccessful. He took his frustrations out on other children. Golding is even quoted to say, regarding himself, "I enjoyed hurting people."
Rather than study science in college like his father wanted, Golding opted for literature. He published his first book, a book of poetry, titled Poems (rather original, don't you think?) in 1934. Unfortunately, Poems didn't garner much interest.
Golding abandoned writing for a time, choosing to teach at a boy's school. It was here, teaching unruly boys, that he would draw inspiration for his most acclaimed work, Lord of the Flies. In 1940, like many other men during his time, Golding left his post as teacher and enlisted to fight in World War II.
Soon after, Golding penned Lord of the Flies. After Lord of the Flies' success, Golding went on to publish numerous other works such as Rites of Passage, Free Fall, and The Pyramid.
Golding even had the Nobel Prize for Literature to his credit!
He passed away from a heart attack in his home in 1993.
Writerly Things to Learn from William Golding:
1. Who we are in our childhood doesn't dictate our future. Though Golding was a self-proclaimed bully, he went on to do wonderful things with his life, including serving in WWII. Don't base your future on failures of the past. Learn and grow!
2. Everyone gets rejected at some point. Before Lord of the Flies was published, Golding fielded 21 rejections (which I think is a pretty big number for the time period. Hello, postage!). Don't give up on your own work. Who knows? Maybe one day it too will be a classic!
