I read Lord of the flies by William Golding recently, and I cannot stop thinking about it. The plot was simple, yet compelling. Some of the aspects which struck me were the uncomfortable questions it raises, the symbolisms, characters and the prose.
The prose throughout the book, is vivid yet has deeper meaning in between the lines. The contrast between how it starts in an upbeat manner and as the story progresses, one can almost feel the darkness enveloping the plot. The conch, to me, felt like the depiction of humanity. Once it gets shattered, things start going downhill rapidly. Throughout the book, the less important characters were referred to as little ones or young'uns. I liked how he went a bit further and lumped the twins Sam and Eric as Samneric. Piggy's real name was never revealed. Just felt brutal.
I liked how the three titular characters' personified rationality, order and savagery respectively. It brought to light, the question of, what is humanity and how human are humans really. It felt relevant in today's political landscape where the superpowers are brazen and not afraid to flex their economic or political muscle for their own benefits. Whatever happened to "with great power comes great responsibility". It felt silly just saying that out loud.
I'm curious to hear others thoughts or interpretations about the book, its characters or just any thoughts.
I write this as I eagerly wait to read Coral island by RM Ballantyne next.
by chunky_snick