Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
My Synopsis: A group of British boys (ages 6-12ish) are marooned on an island after their plane is shot down. Two boys (Ralph and Piggy) discover a conch shell and they use it to call an assembly of all the other boys. They decide to elect Ralph as chief over Jack, but Ralph appoints Jack as head of the hunters. Jack, Ralph and another boy Simon explore the island and return to the group saying they need to build a signal fire (using Piggy's glasses to start it). As the story goes on, most of the boys are more concerned with playing and eating than helping build shelters are keep watch over the signal fire. Ralph is furious when he sees a ship pass but finds out the signal fire is out. Jack returns with his first kill (a pig) and begins a wild, savage dance with his hunters. One night, there are military planes overhead in battle and a dead parachutist comes down on the island. The twins, Sam and Eric are watching the fire but have both fallen asleep. When they awake they see the shadow of the parachute and think it is a beast. They run back to the boys and raise the alarm. Both Jack and Ralph go back up the mountain to see the beast but still only see the shadow and believe it a beast. Jack tries to get Ralph voted out of power but eventually leaves the group to start his own tribe. The hunters leave with him and while Ralph tries to start a new signal fire on the beach, many other boys follow Jack.
After killing a pig, Jack and his tribe cut off the head and place it on a stick as an offering. Simon later finds it in the forest (he often goes places by himself to be alone) and has a terrible vision of it speaking to him (he calls it the Lord of the Flies) and he faints. He later climbs the mountain and finds the dead parachutist. Simon realizes that the beast is in each of the boys and is not a real creature. He goes down to tell the boys what he has found, but they are in the middle of a savage dance/feast so they do not recognize him and believe him to be the beast. The boys kill him with their bare hands. Ralph and Piggy witnessed his death and are devastated and unsure of what to do. The boys from Jack's tribe sneak to their camp and steal Piggy's glasses. When Ralph, Piggy (blind but holding the conch), Sam and Eric return to Jack's camp to try and reason with them, one boy, Roger, rolls a boulder down the mountain that hits Piggy and kills him. Ralph runs away but Sam and Eric are forced to join Jack's tribe. Later when they are keeping watch they warn Ralph that Jack and his tribe are going to try and kill him. While Ralph is hiding, Jack's tribe tries to smoke him out by setting the forest on fire. He eventually is forced out onto the beach and collapses in exhaustion. He then sees that a naval officer is standing over him. The officer says his ship noticed their fire and came to investigate. After seeing the boys covered in paint, he first believes the boys to just be playing a war game, but he is horrified to find out some of the boys had been killed. Ralph begins to weep and soon the other boys join him.
After killing a pig, Jack and his tribe cut off the head and place it on a stick as an offering. Simon later finds it in the forest (he often goes places by himself to be alone) and has a terrible vision of it speaking to him (he calls it the Lord of the Flies) and he faints. He later climbs the mountain and finds the dead parachutist. Simon realizes that the beast is in each of the boys and is not a real creature. He goes down to tell the boys what he has found, but they are in the middle of a savage dance/feast so they do not recognize him and believe him to be the beast. The boys kill him with their bare hands. Ralph and Piggy witnessed his death and are devastated and unsure of what to do. The boys from Jack's tribe sneak to their camp and steal Piggy's glasses. When Ralph, Piggy (blind but holding the conch), Sam and Eric return to Jack's camp to try and reason with them, one boy, Roger, rolls a boulder down the mountain that hits Piggy and kills him. Ralph runs away but Sam and Eric are forced to join Jack's tribe. Later when they are keeping watch they warn Ralph that Jack and his tribe are going to try and kill him. While Ralph is hiding, Jack's tribe tries to smoke him out by setting the forest on fire. He eventually is forced out onto the beach and collapses in exhaustion. He then sees that a naval officer is standing over him. The officer says his ship noticed their fire and came to investigate. After seeing the boys covered in paint, he first believes the boys to just be playing a war game, but he is horrified to find out some of the boys had been killed. Ralph begins to weep and soon the other boys join him.
Favorite Character(s): Simon was one of the few boys I actually liked from this book. He was sort of seen as an odd ball because he liked to be alone and he wasn't pulled in to the savage ways of most of the other boys. He was very sweet and took care of some of the little boys who couldn't get food. I felt he was also the bravest one though as he was the one who discovered what the beast really was. He was wise beyond his years as he realized that the beast wasn't an actual monster but was the evil inside of each of the boys. I was devastated when he died. I remembered that Piggy dies in this book, but had forgotten about Simon's horrible death. It was just unthinkable and terrifying.
Least Favorite Character(s): Jack is one of the most disturbing literacy characters I have ever read about. It's terrifying how one person can stir up so much hatred and fear in a group of young boys. Throughout the book he and Ralph are at odds for power. And Jack is obsessed with killing and blood. He gets the boys to chant "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" throughout the story. Just chilling. And although most of the boys are mean to Piggy, Jack is especially cruel.
Favorite Quote(s):
"We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything."
"Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for the fruit they could not reach... passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands."
“The thing is - fear can't hurt you any more than a dream.”
“Maybe," he said hesitantly, "maybe there is a beast...[w]hat I mean is, maybe it's only us.”
"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy."
Should you read this?: If you aren't a fan of dark and depressing books then I would stay away from this one. I really had to force myself to finish. Like I said, it is a beautifully written book and a very captivating story, but the message is so depressing and pessimistic that it's hard to think about anything else.
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