If you are a firm believer in the innocence of childhood, William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies will lead you to think otherwise. An unusual novel where the main protagonists are all young boys, the story takes drastic turns which leads one to think about their baser instincts. The author skillfully begins his tale in an island where a group of young boys find themselves stranded because of an atomic explosion. The pilot of the plane they are traveling in leaves them in an island that appears like a character by itself. We are slowly introduced to the characters: Ralph the obvious leader, because he is level headed and very much in favour of civilization, Jack, his savage competitor who won’t hesitate to kill, Simon who slowly reveals his visionary traits, Piggy, the object of everyone’s cruelty, who also symbolizes loyalty, and a couple of other boys. The story begins like an ordinary adventure tale about young boys left on their own, but transforms slowly into a tale of horror, mystery and terrifying realisation. Golding uses the boys to introduce the theme of the novel, civilization Vs savagery. While Ralph fights for the former, Jack helps create the latter.
The marooned boys are assigned duties and they conduct regular meetings. It is hard to ignore the symbols that Golding generously offers. The Conch that Ralph uses to call the others is seen as a symbol of authority. Whoever has the conch is the leader, and when the conch is destroyed in a tussle, it signifies Jack’s victory; civilization is out. The scariest part however is the fact that Golding uses this novel to introduce to us our baser instincts that emerge in the absence of civilisation. When the novel begins, Ralph strives towards bringing civilization to the island. Jack, who represents our baser instincts, slowly emerges victorious. He who initially hesitates to kill a pig for meat later becomes responsible for two deaths...
In short, a must read for those who feel that the society we live in stifles our growth with a given set of rules.