THE LORD OF THE FLIES
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
This book was first published September 17, 1954. It is about a group of boys that land on an uninhabited island in the midst of a war. They attempt to govern themselves, and soon they form factions and start attacking each other. Soon people in the factions start to die, but the kids don't care; they want more power. After what seems like an eternity, a man on a ship comes and rescues the kids. The kids reflect on how good children could easily turn into monsters. This story shows how human impulse can create a hunger for power, and how a morally correct person could become immoral.
impossible. Although this book is generally good, I thought that the gruesome descriptions and the horrifying things that the characters do to each other is a little over the top. I think that the method used by Golding is a fear based contemplation where the unsettling style of the book compels the reader to continue reading. I generally enjoy reading dystopian novels, but after reading this book, I couldn't forget it for a while. I think that this book is sophisticated and has a complex way of communicating with the reader.
-- Ryan
A variation of the book cover [Image source]
I like how you gave enough information about the book to give us the general idea of what goes on, but not so much that we already know what happens. I've personally wanted to read this book, but have never gotten the guts to do it because of what I've heard happens, so kudos to you for stomaching it lol.
ReplyDeleteI read The Lord of the Flies for my banned book project last year. Now that I think about it, the plot is a little bit unrealistic, but it does make it so that the point that the author is trying to make is very clear. Reading your review of the book makes me want to read it again for fun.
ReplyDeleteI have also read the Lord of the Flies before too, and I think you did a good job of describing the main parts of the story, while still not telling the reader enough as to not let them know everything that happens. Great job!
ReplyDeleteSimilar many of my classmates, I too have read Lord of the Flies. I think you did a good job relating this book to real life and showing how it made sense at its time. You tell us a lot of the important ideas present in the book. Good job!
ReplyDeleteDisclaimer: I haven't actually read Lord of the Flies, I've only read plot summaries and such. However, I do now a thing or two about the book, and I was wondering whether you thought it was really realistic given what we're currently learning in World History?
ReplyDeleteWhile I found a few aspects of Lord of the Flies interesting, overall I think the book's plot was incredibly sensationalist and unrealistic. It seemed to be largely a reflection of Golding's cynical and somewhat bizarre view of human nature. A similar situation involving boys stranded on a tropical island actually occurred in real life, and instead of descending into savagery and murdering each other, they actually managed to cooperate and survive. Here's a link to an article about that: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/13/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-mano-totau-survivor-story-shipwreck-tonga-boys-ata-island-peter-warner
ReplyDeleteI think you did a good job giving a basic overview and not spoiling the plot, which can be very difficult. You also didn't force your opinion while still getting it across.
ReplyDeleteI have also read The Lord of the Flies, but it didn't hit me this hard, perhaps because it was a school assignment. Now that you mention it, though, it is pretty messed up. I agree that some scenes were a bit unsettling, and I'm pretty sure the movie is rated R (probably because of that). I like how you gave like a brief summary of the book and identified the theme.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read The Lord of the Flies, but I read a modern book written in a similar fashion. I like that you summarized the concept of this book without spoiling anything that happens throughout the book. I remember thinking to myself while reading this other book, "oh, me and my friends could do better than this". It's a scary thought how good people can turn against each other in a bad situation, and alth0ugh I don't fully agree with this idea, I am willing to read a classic book that uses this idea. I'll have to check it out. My reading list is getting pretty full!
ReplyDelete