Review by katy_heath - Lord of the Flies

katy_heath 's review for:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

4.0

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Lord of the Flies conveys the message that we teach boys (although I would argue the point is universal) from a young age to care only for themselves. In the early phases of the story we see a disinterested Ralph shouting “sucks to your aunty” at a kid he never throughout the entire story learns the actual name of.

He almost immediately betrays this other boy’s trust by telling all the other boys the one name this boy doesn’t wish to be called by.

and this is the protagonist. Throughout the narrative a tension breaks out over what is more important, gratifying the need to master nature,

because it’s not really about needing to eat meat

or getting rescued. This speaks to the ways that we put individual needs above those of the collective.
Overall, the observation that after a few weeks all structures fall away and children or adults alike begin acting wild and selfishly is a poignant reminder that it is not always easy to act selflessly and that building community takes sacrifice.

Content Warnings