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)