The Lord of the Flies by William Golding (#94 in 2020)
After their plane crashes on a deserted island and all the adults have perished, a group of young boys realizes that they are they are stranded. When the boys realize that they are unchaperoned and ungoverned, they make attempts to arrange their own set of rules. The prospect of lawlessness, however, is too tempting to ignore for some...
I read this book in freshman year of high school... and I’m old, so I totally forgot what it was that made me like it.
I have to say I really enjoyed this reread, and I don’t reread very often so that’s saying a lot. The symbolism in this story is so bold and deep that it’s no wonder this is a book used in high school curricula.
Initially, the boys recognize the need for boundaries in their new society, but the hunger for power is what creates the division in their new civilization. Golding explores poor political influence as contributing factors to the downfall of morality and the loss of innocence.
As the boys begin to distance themselves from their new community’s structured rules, the reader witnesses how pack mentality leads to savagery. When the loudest voice condones violence, it makes it that much easier for the rest of the pack to side in with their more primal and amoral sides.
Does any of that sound... oddly familiar? Despite this being a classic work of the past, this societal commentary is beyond relevant in the present...
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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