Lord of the Flies

BOOK REVIEW

Book: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Reviewed by: Zainab Islam

Lord of the Flies by William Golding was published in 1954 by Nobel Prize–winning British author William Golding. The book focuses on a group of British schoolboys stranded on an uninhabited jungle island with no adults after their plane is shot down in the middle of a war.

All of a sudden the dreams of being independent for the boys come true. But, sadly, all sorts of bad things were happening to them, and their first concern was to protect themselves from the monsters there which they could not see.

Two of the boys, Ralph and Pigg, find a conch shell. Ralph blows into it like a horn, and all the boys on the island assemble. At the assembly, the boys decide to elect a leader and a boy named Jack runs against Ralph to become chief of the group. Ralph wins the election, and declares Jack the leader of the group’s hunters.

We learn that electing a leader is a good decision, but the greed for power prevents Jack from accepting Ralph as their leader. The boys try to make rules and regulations, but that doesn’t work as they are not united. This book also addresses two very important issues: the importance of electing a leader, and then following the person who is elected. Also, the book describes the disadvantages of not being united.

Soon after, Ralph, Jack and another boy named Simon explore the island and discover wild pigs, and Jack becomes obsessed with hunting them down. That’s when the group starts to go wild. Ralph tries to maintain order, but Jack doesn’t listens to anyone. Without any adult to supervise them, the boys become violent and cruel.

For their hunting expedition, the group splits into two. Jack uses the weapon of fear to control the other boys, and doesn’t hesitate to kill, even. The writer brings out the savageness in human nature, and sheds light on how children can behave when not supervised by adults. Freedom from rules makes some of the kids actually brutal.

The most interesting characters are Ralph, Pigg and Jack, and their interaction keeps the readers glued to the book. It is a gripping story where authority in the hands of kids creates problems for the young people. There are certainly some dark moments, but overall it is a dramatic fairy tale.

Most readers will probably find the plot unrealistic, as this kind of situation is difficult to imagine. But giving a free reign to imagination enabled the writer to produce an incredible work. I strongly recommend it to all of you out there!