Honestly when I finished "Lord of the Flies" I felt as if I had been hit in the chest with a pillow case having been filled to the seams with sand. And I find myself reaching for the words to describe the book in a just light, and don't worry, I promise not to spoil any of the plot for those reading the book the first time. So here goes my detailed review of this book without using many detailed examples. By far my favorite line was on page 29 which reads as follows:
"The coral was scribbled in the sea as though a giant had bent down to reproduce the shape of the island in a flowing chalk line but tired before he had finished."
Sentences such as this one lurk within the pages of this book, waiting for readers to stumble upon the images, which appear in the minds eye seconds after reading. I will tell you this however, after Jack and his hunters killed their first pig, I no longer found myself chanting for the animal's demise, rather I found myself recoiling and deeply disturbed by the happenings which followed. The second to last line of the book made me press my hands into my chest and cry. I can only urge everyone who reads this blog to tell at least seven people to read "Lord of the Flies." I implore you to give it as graduation, birthday and as holiday presents. Golding did receive, in my opinion, due recognition for his book in 1983 by winning the Nobel Prize "for his novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today." The subtle overlaying of the themes of: free will, the epic battle of civilization and order against the forces of primitive chaos, the loss of innocence, as well as a strong motif of biblical parallels make "Lord of the Flies" a book which feels contemporary to the issues of today.
A thought for the evening:
A watched pot never boils, and it would be stupid to boil a book.
- BookBender
References:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1983/
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