The Children of the Flies... Review on Lord of the Flies - William Golding

“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”

Belzebub is known as the Lord of the Flies in Christian mythology; he’s an aid of the Prince of the Underworld, Satan and the title of this great and famous classic by William Golding reeks of a stench, a repugnant resonance of disgust, loathing and aversion. But then isn’t it surprising that the main characters in the book are small children with not so small sensibilities.

This is a story of a group of boys who have survived a plane crash and are now stranded on an island. They are in a new world, an un-colonized world, with no rules or adults, free to be. Yet, in this anarchy, there emerges distinct forms of adult figures. There is Ralph, who being the oldest, rises to take the authority; he is assisted by Piggy, the intellectual, whose spectacles are of great use. But they both prove to be slow in action and reaction as a result of which, Jack rises, who is keen on violence and action, hunting and killing, and soon attracts all the little ones towards himself. The power games between Jack and Ralph, the need for authority for the little ones, the fear of the Beast that attacks and kills is very reminiscent of the adult world and depicts how evils have penetrated into our minds.

As Golding had participated in the World War II he had seen the combat and hostility and the conflicts over power; but it was his years as a school teacher that had aroused him to write Lord of the Flies. He had noticed how violence, cruelty and aggression was omnipresent in all and this was further strengthened by his return to teaching after the war. The only character in the novel to be in a neutral position, staying away from everything is Simon, who understands their following ruin but meets with a harsh end. The chapters in the book are suggestive of the harsh and insensitive locale as well as the human nature, wetted by appetite for control and supremacy… “Gift for the Darkness” “A View to a Death” and so on.

The most chilling scene in the book is Simon’s encounter with the lord of the flies…. “A black blob of flies that buzzed like a saw”… “they were black and iridescent green” which said…. “There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast. ''