Lord of the Flies

This was a re-read. Enjoyed it more than ever. Perhaps 'enjoyed' isn't the right word. I appreciated its wisdom and its status as a masterpiece more than ever. Especially now that I'm a parent, I was deeply disturbed by this narrative and its assertions about humanity and the nature of evil. So chilling. So plausible. This isn't to say that I think William Golding accurately portrayed how boys would act when abandoned on a desert island. Many people hate this book because they don't find it plausible. They miss the point. This story is valuable because it adds to the debate about the nature of good and evil within humankind. It's a vehicle for exploring a theory about human nature, not an attempt to forecast actual behavior at such a small resolution. 10 groups of boys would act 10 different ways if they were actually left to themselves in such a scenario. I'm sure Golding would concede this point. Those who fault this novel at that level have completely failed to recognize its power.

I could write volumes about this book. Indeed, many people have. I'll leave my thoughts at this surface level, for now; I couldn't possibly do this story justice with the small amount of time and brain space I can afford it presently. I'm sure my own writing reflects my views on this story better than I can articulate them in an essay; THE ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, is, after all, a story about a society suddenly isolated and abandoned.

I'll attempt to sum up my praise very succinctly by imploring: if you only read ten books in your life, please make this one of them; we should all be exposed to and aware of Golding's perspective on human nature in this masterful work, regardless of if we are ultimately inclined to support or reject his assertions.

Personally I love this book. I love the whole concept of it and I stongly recommend it!

I love the part where they say piggy

Reader reviewed by Mrs. B.

The Lord of the Flies portrays an interesting look into the mind of the lost. These boys, moving from civilized young men to a savage people, force readers to take a deeper look at what is inside themselves.

Characters are well-defined, pulling readers in and twisting them around with each event. The deaths of some of the characters makes the reader feel both sympathy and anger- sympathy that these children have endured so much, anger that they would commit such horrific acts.

Reader reviewed by gabby

Lord of the Flies is a powerful, controversial story of rivalry, hunger for power, and stark truths about man. A plane of boys of different ages and schools crashes on a deserted island and they learn to survive... but barely. When leadership changer hands, the idea of rescue is just a shadow in the distance, and the lust for killing surfaces. Without adults, basic bullying gets out of hand and things turn rather scary.

Reader reviewed by Jen

This classic novel is about a group of boys deserted on an uncharted island in a tropical location. Showing survival of the fittest first hand makes this book hard to put down. In this novel you will be shocked at some of the actions these boys resort to. Never once will Lord of the Flies bore you. It is action packed and very well-written. Hope you like it!

Reader reviewed by FlooCrookshanks

I remember nabbing this book from school because it looked interesting but my English class weren't studying it. I read it in one night, it was that compelling!

As the title of my review suggests, I didn't like the ending much. The author built up the suspense so fantasically and it seemed to be gearing towards a dramatic ending, but to me it seemed to sort of... fizzle out. Just my opinion though, obviously; I know many who have enjoyed the entire book thoroughly.

Anyway, a group of schoolboys find themselves stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere when their plane crashes. Immediately one of the oldest boys, Ralph, is established as the leader of the group and he wisely has everyone gathering food, constructing shelters, and building fires.

Soon many of the boys become bored and restless with this 'work', and decide they would rather play and hunt for wild boar than try to catch fish and keep the fires going. Despite Ralph's attempts to get everyone to work together, another of the older boys, Jack, convinces most of the boys to rebel against Ralph and eventually they split, forming two groups.

Jack's group become wild and obsessed with hunting while Ralph's group is tranquil and logical. Eventually though, Ralph's group dwindles to only a couple of boys and Jack's group get more and more out of control. The friction between the two boys Jack and Ralph escalates, resulting in horrendous (and shocking) consequences.

Rather than using typical monsters and villains as the catalyst for the story, the author uses the animosity of the boys themselves. The idea of ordinary people - young boys, no less - being capable of becoming so ferocious really is a frightful concept.

You can't start reading this book and NOT want to know what happens to the boys in the end. Despite the ending, this book deserves nothing less than a rating of five.

Reader reviewed by Calamander

Marilyn McDoanald says 'do we want to teach are children that killing is our natural desire?' Obviously she isn't thinking very hard. Do you get mad at wolves for killing animals? No. If we can get over that natural desire to do bad things when there is no punishment (example is the boys on the island with no rules and parents. they could do bad things without getting in trouble), we can have a much better world if we have a conscience and, work together. This book is about these boys who must find a way to survive being stranded on a deserted island. Read it, don't listen to those people who aren't thinking about it very much. Think about YOUR opinion, that's the one who really matters in the end.

Reader reviewed by Emily

ALERT: This is a great novel and very much worth your time to read. However, it has a definite age limit in terms of theme comprehension. That's not to say that Lord of the Flies is inappropriate in any way, it simply has complex underlying themes that wouldn't be understood without a basic knowledge of government and authority. This is a high school level book, and should not be taught in junior high.

That said, the story of Lord of the Flies begins with a group of boys that get stranded on an uninhabited island with no adults and no means of communicating for help. Their decisions ring bells of democracy, anarchy, and dictatorship, showing the raw nature of human kind in the race for survival. Effective if read in conjunction with a government class or unit. The movie is also worth watching.

Reader reviewed by evan

I thought this bookwas amazing. This book really shows what life stranded on a island would really be like. This book shows concerns, thoughts, needs, feelings and nightmares really well; i think the author did a good job.