Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Lord of the Flies

this book is not what i was expecting.

this book is disturbing. it starts out with a few innocent boys ages 4-12 who are stranded on an island, not aware of the war going on around them. as the novel progresses, the boys divide and turn into straight savages. even though the author is not a christian, this book has much biblical allusion. simon is a Christ figure. the very title lord of the flies refers to beelzebub or satan. this book highlights loss of innocence and man’s inherent evil.

this book is so heavy. i can’t help but feel bad for the boys, even jack. they have been so corrupted to the point that death does not phase them. they are desensitized to murder. i genuinely cried while reading this which is crazy because i have to read it for school. the author did a great job of displaying the horrendous things he saw during his time in world war ii and his years of teaching at an all boys boarding school. this book is a parody of sorts on coral island, showing that a bunch of boys being stranded on an island is actually the farthest thing from paradise.

i think this book is so disturbing because it would be a reality. the sweet innocent boys at the beginning turn into complete and total monsters. the author perfectly captured the built in evil of mankind. now i’m going to be sad thinking abt this book for a while.

justice for piggy and simon 🥲

Content Warnings

mela_tonin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

x06_amberx's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

2.5 stars.
Not too bad of a plot, just a little biased from the author as he was a war veteran. And also, he only used boys from ages 6 to 12 I think... so a bit of a stupid conclusion to base your beliefs off a small group of middle and upper class boys and not a more diverse group... just my thoughts.
The only character I did partially like was Piggy (the only lower class boy in the group), and even then, I didn't like him that much as he was kind of a wimp.
Had to read this for GCSE but only just put it on my read list on this app a couple of years later.

Content Warnings

skylermob's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Lord of the Flies has an interesting premise, but I felt that some of the pacing and character development left a little to be desired. For a reader in 2024, I find the vernacular to be a little dated at times. Despite these critiques, I can see why it is considered a classic as the premise alone transcends any one period in time. Its exploration of human nature and the tenuous nature of society/civility through the lens of isolated, deserted children is one that I believe is quite thought-provoking and is deserving of a read.

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lambclown's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings

mskingbean69's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

hdcamp's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

So...this book is just about how people are basically terrible, right?

There was some interesting symbolism, and I think there was some political messaging that went over my head. I think the level of nervous energy (and not that good nervous energy, you know?) I had while reading this was too high for me to glean any enjoyment from it. And I get that maybe enjoyment isn't the purpose of this story, but if the point of literature is to give us some insight into the beauty of God's creation,* then maybe this story isn't "literature" worth reading. I'm sure there's value in shining a light on the darkest parts of humanity, but to what end? If we ignore redemption, mercy, or forgiveness, what is there? Perhaps the

naval officer rescuing them at the end is a kind of mercy, and the tears that Ralph sheds are a kind of healing (although for what I'm not sure, since he didn't really commit any wrong),

but if this is the case, it's glossed over and the spotlight lingers on the young men's violence and animalistic natures. This was disheartening and violent and bleak - just not for me. Good thing I was reading One Piece at the same time, or I'd probably have gotten stuck in a pit of despair somewhere.

*This is a very personal definition, so if you disagree it's probably best to just ignore my super hot takes. I said what I said. You don't have to agree.

24 Classics in '24: 1/24

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