Lord of the Flies -- Book Review

The only reason that I could attribute for picking this book are: I saw the name of this book in the 'Top 100' most read books list and that I got a copy of this book for a price of Rs.60!!! A cursory glance at the plot summary was enough to pique my interest and here I am, writing the review having completed the book in a week's time (which is fast enough considering the work load at office these days)

The novel starts in a remote island where a group of school boys (12 year olds & some 6-7 year olds) are left stranded after the crash of the plane in which they were traveling. With no adult survivors, they are left with no adults to supervise and regulate them. They feel elated and start enjoying their freedom. Like any society with abundant freedom and power but no rules/laws, confusion soon ensues leaving the boys in a world of chaos. When a mysterious beast starts making its appearance, the lethal combination of fear & lawlessness evokes complete disintegration of the moral fabric of those young minds. Whether the boys realize their folly and return to their homes forms the rest of the plot.

The author, William Golding, asserts through this novel that violence is inbuilt in the nature of human beings and age is no factor on when this monster would get unleashed. Like the waves that wash ashore the dirt that we throw into the sea, Golding brings the extremely poisonous dirt called violence from the innermost corners of our maze-like heart. The clinical precision and methodical writing creates an uneasy feeling in our minds that refuses to go away easily. If the description of the forest, the lagoon and the sea are natural & free-flowing, the description of the violence and the moral disintegration is depraving and disturbing. I would attribute the deep impact that this novel creates to the fact that the protagonists are children of age 12 and below. A set of adults performing these heinous crimes would not have created such a ripple among the readers. Choosing children to highlight the darkness that lies within each other is a class act by the author.

This novel is a truly amazing psychological journey into regions hitherto unexplored revealing the true colors of human nature. It goes on to show that every human has grey areas that could get transformed into unimaginable blackness/darkness at any point of time.

Bottom Line: A classic & a MUST READ.

(The UBSPD edition of this novel has chapter-wise summaries & comments at the end of the novel. The comments section elaborates on the hidden meaning of some of the references in the story. The ‘List of Characters’ at the beginning of the novel needs to be avoided as it contains spoilers which can reduce the impact of some of the incidents in the novel)

Idleness as an 'ideal'ness

"Idling always has been my strong point. I take no credit to myself in the matter—-it is a gift. Few possess it. There are plenty of lazy people and plenty of slow-coaches, but a genuine idler is a rarity. He is not a man who slouches about with his hands in his pockets. On the contrary, his most startling characteristic is that he is always intensely busy. It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do. Wasting time is merely an occupation then, and a most exhausting one. Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen."

The following lines are taken verbatim from the book "The idle thoughts of an idle fellow" by Jerome.K.Jerome. Is there a need to mention that I perfectly fit into the above description?

Acacia & Ants -- A complex story

I am a great admirer of the biological world and nothing fascinates me more than the interaction between the various elements that make up the biological world. I came across this news sometime back but never got the time to blog on this. It is almost unbelievable to think about the complexities of nature. To consider that some plants start dying soon when they are kept in a protected environment is indeed amazing. The nature of nature is so unpredictable that this mysterious nature seems to be the prime reason to be so much attracted towards it.

On a related philosophical note, are humans also similar to this? Will they become ineffective & wither away if the challenges that are posed to them are removed? Are problems and complexities that we face in our life someway related to our sustained growth?

The Present -- Book Review

இன்று -1
நேற்று நினைவு,
நாளை கனவு,
இன்று நிஜம்.
நிஜங்கள் ரசிப்போம்.

இன்று -2
நேற்று நெருடாமல்,
நாளை நெருக்காமல்.
இன்றை இன்றே வாழ்ந்துவிடு.

The Present

Today morning I was shaving infront of the mirror. My thoughts, instead of concentrating on what I was doing at that moment, were still with something that happened in the office on Friday and I ended up cutting myself with the blade.

Moral of the story: When we don't bury our pasts and start concentrating on our 'Present', we have every chance of hurting ourselves.

The two tamil verses (Incidentally these were NOT written after reading the book) and what happened to me in the morning pretty much summarizes what this book is all about. It highlights the importance of learning from the past, planning for the future but ALWAYS living in the 'Present' by using a simple parable.

Bottom Line: A small book that is worth a read.

யார் யார் சிவம்......

உயிர்களெல்லாம் தெய்வமன்றிப் பிறவொன் றில்லை;

ஊர்வனவும் பறப்பனவும் நேரே தெய்வம்;

பயிலுமுயிர் வகைமட்டு மன்றி யிங்குப்

பார்க்கின்ற பொருளெல்லாம் தெய்வம் கண்டீர்;

வெயிலளிக்கும் இரவி, மதி, விண்மீன், மேகம்

மேலுமிங்குப் பலபலவாம் தோற்றம் கொண்டே

இயலுகின்ற ஜடப்பொருள்கள் அனைத்தும் தெய்வம்;

எழுதுகோல் தெய்வமிந்த எழுத்தும் தெய்வம்!

(பாரதியார் கவிதை)