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Summary: A CLASSIC ADVENTURE FULL OF GUTS
Review: I had to read this book among many others for my sophomore year in highschool. I thought it was rather boring at first, but after a couple of pages, it became enciteful. Ralph was a brilliant leader who tried to keep the group of English boys alive; I liked the idea of Jack being a rebel against Ralph's wishes. He was a cool part of the book; he added spunk to the whole group of boys. It was also pretty awesome to see how the boys changed from the beginning of the book from sissy boys to savages blood thirsty for pork. If you have a chance to read this book I say " Do it!!!"
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Summary: More interesting at the end
Review: This book is a little slow at the beginning, but if you keep reading it gets very intersting. Even if you don't get all the symbolism in it, the story is still exciting even if it is depressing. Although I don't think they needed to describe the bloody pig hunt in as much detail. Give this book a try if you like adventure or symbolism.
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Summary: The most hopeless book I have ever read
Review: I really don't know what kind of criteria this book met to receive as much acclamation over the years as it has, it is the absolute worst book I've ever read. Pessimistic, cynical, jaded and completely blind to the truth of the human condition, Golding uses this book as an opportunity to highlight the worst part of the human condition. Golding's message that mankind is imprisoned by civilization, and once we are freed from it we will return to "savage" roots is baseless and nihilistic. Save yourself the agravation and do not read this book. If you are looking for a cautionary tale of some sort, read 1984 by George Orwell or anything other than this insulting piece of overrated literature.
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Summary: The First Classic I Simply Hated
Review: In my severe dislike of this book, I do not challenge the quality of the writing (though it was not particularly moving to me), the theme, or any other quality of the book. I did find the book immensely to my disliking, however. I couldn't help but to be annoyed as I read it. I do not care how accurate the children's speech patterns may have been, it was obnoxious to have to deal with. The term "littluns" got under my skin and stayed there like a piece of debris trapped deep around one's eye. Also difficult to bear was that the antagonists were too hateable, which really knows how to irritate. The childish ways of the book were simply annoying. Also annoying was the fact that any grown up reader and likely most child readers had to deal with knowing there was no true "beast" from the beginning.This would probably be a decent book to have elementary school students read, but my having had to read it in 10th grade was ridiculous. If you've over the age of 10 and/or dislike kids as much as I do, pass this one by as a favor to yourself.
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Summary: Morbid and Depressing
Review: I thought that this book focused primarily on the flaws of society through the actions of the stranded young men. I thought that was a unique an interesting way to show people how awfully crude our society can be, but the rest of the book was horrid. The killings of some of the boys, and the fact that you are just reading about boys, did not appeal to me. If you like books in the adventure genre, this a book for you. Otherwise, steer clear.
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Summary: A literary classic with overt political theme
Review: I read this book a long time ago and saw the movie when I was in a grade school. I didn't draw quite as a deep a meaning from it back then, but in retrospect I think it's theme is one of Justice, Freedom and Order* versus Nihilistic Tribalism. When the boys failed to establish a lawful authority that sought to preserve justice and the rights of the individual, they quickly wound up in a violent dog-eat-dog nihilist world. Jack led and marshaled the forces of authority eventually rebeling against justice, freedom and order. He opted for tyranny and the island became a place where the strong and wicked rule by brute force. Ralph had a deep desire for unrestrained freedom, though he later reluctantly saw the need for justice and order to preserve it and he stood by Piggy. This book serves as a vivid illustration of how unchecked democracy, yes I said democracy, leds to chaotic mob rule where anything goes... What is popular, isn't always right. Something, the American founding fathers correctly understood when laying the constitutional framework for the American Republic with its checks and balances. *Justice that protect rights of individual, Freedom which recognizes inalienable natural rights, and Order represented by the rule of law which protects freedom and justice (if not corrupted.)
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Summary: A terrifying book about the loss of innocence
Review: I read every book my sister would bring home for a highschool report. I read this when I was thirteen, thinking I knew what I was doing. I did, of course realize later I did know what I was doing but reading it, my mouth fell open in sheer horror. The ending is classic and I knew the ending from the start. This book is really amazing. It's SO simple, yet the real meaning behind it is complexed and shows how our own mortal sin looks beautiful but leads to destruction. The fears of the island are their own fears. They each describe it to what THAT individual person fears. This book is a stark image of the loss of morality and innocence.
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Summary: The Seeds of Our Own Destruction
Review: While the outside world is destroying itself in World War III, a group of pre-teen boys mimics the destruction of civilization in microcosm. They have a leader who can't get people to cooperate, they prove to be a people who are ultimately more interested in sport (hunting) and religion/superstition (the beast) than rescue, and who hate, torment, and eventually kill the only intellectual among them. They reject the law (symbolized by the beautiful conch the leader sounded to call meetings) in favor of rule by violence, and they take a blood-thirsty new leader -- who used to be head boy in a choir! So who's the Lord of the Flies? One of the boys sees him in the decaying, flyblown head of a dead hog. He sees a god of death, destruction, and decay who lives in all of us and who, given the opportunity, breaks free and destroys much of what makes life beautiful. It lives in us all -- great and small -- and we all contain the seeds of our own destruction.
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Summary: A Thought provoking story......a picture of reality
Review: This was the text book when i was in 12th grade. i didn't read it fully until after my exams.guess what i read the book at least 5 times after that. The story shows how the human society evolves and gets the shades of the good and the evil. Golding makes it a point that it does not depend whether the humans were superior or inferior (he chose a group of well behaved English boys.....supposedly the best in good behaviour, oderliness and intelligence) or the sorroundings are good or bad (a tropical island.......lush green vegetation, beautiful beaches.....a heavenly sorrounding). also the group was cut off from outside influence so that the factor of influence from existing society norms is discounted. but even though the givens were the best, what finally the group of boys turned into is startling. certainly a must read if looking for some serious reading.
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Summary: An incredibly driven novel!
Review: The novel THE LORD OF THE FLIES focuses on the defects of society and their relationship with the defects of human nature. The story begins when about fifteen prep shool boys are stranded on a Utopia-like paradise island after their plane crashes. They immediately try to set up a social system like any modern-world people would. Through democracy(a vote) they crown an attractive, intelligent boy named Ralph as leader. They crown a wild, power-hungry boy named Jack and a mellow, calm, an most importantly peaceful boy named Simon as his assistant-leaders. As the novel progresses Jack, who is also the leader of the choir(the group of boys who represent the military) becomes very violent, power-hungry and mutinous and attempts several times to overthrow Ralph before finally leaving the group of boys to form a tribe of his own. This split is what drives the book forward into the amazingly complex and symbolic novel that it is. It is through this split that Golding tries to explain the main theme of his novel. This theme being of course that the defects of society can be traced back only to the defects of human nature and that shape of a society depends upon the ethical nature of the creatures that inhabit it not anything else no matter how perfect or logical it appears. With this theme set in place Golding then begins to use complex symbolism such as the symbol of the sow, who represents the human conciense,and Piggy who's glasses represent the sane, accurate view and who himself represents the sane voice of society. It is through these characterizations that Goldings novel becomes the writing of a genius. If you are a psychologyst who hasn't read this book-READ IT! If you're a person interested in the study of society read this book! Thanks, Nick McCulloch,15
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