Lord of the Flies
Written by: William Golding
Summary:
In the novel "Lord of the Flies", William Golding uses irony, imagery and tone to tell the story of a group of boys that are stranded on an island. Two boys who seem to be the main characters, Piggy and Ralph, find each other and begin looking for the others who were on the plane that crashed. These two find a conch shell and use it to call the others. When everyone unites, the decide of calling themselves "The Losties" and name Ralph their leader. The conch shell soon turns into a figurehead and a symbol of civilization. Of course with having one leader, there is naturally an opposer. Ralph opposer is Jack who decides to create his own tribe called "Castle Rock". However, these two groups were not believed to be the only ones on the island. The boys believe there is another tribe of insane people whom they call "The Others". The two groups of boys are afraid of "The Others" and try to stay away from them as they attempt to destroy each other. However the distraction of this feud keeps the boys from signaling a ship that passes by. Jack ends up killing Piggy, leaving only Ralph. "Castle Rock" then decides to light the island on fire, however this results in the attraction of a ship, saving everyone. What is revealed to the leader is the most ironic twist ever. It turns out that "The Others" were just themselves and there were no crazy people on the island with them. Throughout this story there are many examples of imagery, irony and tone. I believe this is a great book and definitely worth the read.
The Dystopian World
This island began as a utopia because of the lack of parents and rules. The kids felt free and happy, however this lack of organization turned south. The boys soon got greedy and had an urge to hunt and kill. This turned the utopia into a dystopia.
Dystopian Characteristics
Conch Shell
Ralph uses a conch shell to gather all the boys ignored to decide what to do to survive. This shell soon turns into a a symbol of civilization and sort of an idol. The dystopian characteristic of a figurehead or concept worshipped by the citizens of the society can describe the conch shell very nicely
The Others
The boys believe that there is another group on the island besides them who they call "the others". The lists live in fear of them and thus all have rules of where they can go and when they can go to remain safe from the others. The dystopian characteristic of citizens having a fear of the outside world because of the boys constantly trying to protect themselves of the others.
Illusions
The boys do believe that their society is perfect and will keep them alive, however it ends up killing them all. This is a perfect example of the dystopian characteristic that society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.
Dystopian Control: Bureaucratic control
The losties were lead by one leader (kind of a group) named Ralph. He was in charge of everyone and m=decided what needed tone done and who had what job. He was assisted by Piggy due to his immense intelligence. Castle rock was also under the bureaucratic control of Jack.
Dystopian Protagonist: Ralph
Ralph is the first leader of the group of boys and he is definitely the protagonist. He knows there is something wrong with the way things are being run and he attempts to change it, except it may be a little late for that after Jack starts a new group.
My Review
I gave this book four out of five stars because I do believe it was a great novel but some parts were a little vague. I believe the imagery and descriptions of everyone's feelings was great but parts about actual conversations should have been more amplified. I believe the conversations were the most important part because this novel was based off of human interaction. All in all, it was a great book and I do recommend it.
About the Author: William Golding
William Golding was born in Cornwall, England in 1911. He became an english and philosopher teacher. He soon decided to join the Royal Navy in World War II. While fighting, he said he was able to see how conditions could change a person and what they're capable of which lead to his first and only novel, Lord of the Flies.
Website: http://www.biography.com/people/william-golding-9314523#death-and-legacy