Review for Lord of the Flies by William Golding!
Quick Review:
Characters: ***** (5/5)
Plot: ***** (5/5)
Writing Quality: ***** (5/5)
Amazon Rating: **** (4.5/5)
Full Review:
A bunch of British schoolboys in an airplane crash on a deserted island. This story is about their time on the island with no adult supervision or the rules of society to keep these boys in line. The author, William Golding, touches everyone’s worst nightmare: the monsters not being under our beds, but inside of us. Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack, every character, really, has an allegory (which is basically symbolizing something like a group of people in society).
I had to read this book for school, so like most people, I was very skeptical to begin with. Also a lot of people who read this book before had drastically different opinions (It was so boring, it was absolutely stunning, etc.). This is no romance book, something I am very, very fond of, so if you only read cheesy romance, I would recommend another book. If you like soul-searching, classical novels, Lord of the Flies is a very good choice. This book made me think a lot, about myself, humanity, and the flaws of society. In order to really enjoy this book, you have to appreciate the allegories and the message it is trying to tell. Basically, now this is not a spoiler (at least I don’t think it is), one theme I got out of it is that humanity is built with a natural tendency towards evil, whether they are outwardly good or not. If you view the characters as stereotypes of people, like the leader, the bully, the goody-goody, the nerd, and put them in this situation, you will understand more of what I’m talking about.
I gave the characters a 5/5 because they are super complex and have so much depth. They show so much humanity, and I love when characters have flaws and I can see myself in them. Their actions can be so innocent yet sometimes filled with so much evil, you have to question your own morals. This novel really made me think: Does society control us that much? WIthout rules would humanity really crumble in the hands of sin? I can have a discussion about this novel for a very long time, but it always ends with more questions than answers. That’s probably why it is chosen for school (ugh, school).
The writing style was amazing, I love the way he weaved in the dialogue. I am also slightly obsessed with British accents, so the dialect was pretty spot on to me. Anyways, the plot, much like the characters, is very simple at first glance, yet is complex underneath the surface. There are a few plot twists, but even so, I wasn’t exactly surprised. Does this mean humanity is really that evil naturally? (You’ll find out what I just meant if you read it, ha). Everything leads up to something, and every action and thing that happens, happens for a reason. You will be sad, and maybe this novel burns out every hope you have for humanity, but it surely does give you a different perspective on the world in general.
Most of you guys will have to read this for school later, so hopefully I made the burden less exhausting and boring. If you are not going to read it for school, then I urge you (like please, please) to read it. This is one of those books where everyone says you should read it because it’s a good book and it’s just worth it, not because it’s a John Green book, but just because it’s a quality book, well, yeah, they mean it. It is definitely a quality book that you should read. (For all you romance lovers like me, even though this book doesn’t have romance in it, I could imagine Ralph later in his life as eighteen, golden skin, messy blond hair, at boarding school in England, with Jack still as his archenemy, except at school. *sighs*). So don’t put aside this book because it’s for schools to read. It’s worth it.
Have a fun December and make sure to come back next Wednesday for a new review!
Happy reading!
XOXO,
Zoe
