LORD OF THE FLIES: To Keep A Civilization

Mumu revisits LORD OF THE FLIES and isn’t surprised at how relevant the venerable novel has remained over the years, or are they?

TITLE: Lord Of The Flies

AUTHOR: William Golding

GENRE: Dark Dystopian Literature

PAGES: 208

FORMAT: Kindle/ Paperback/ Hardcover Book

PRICE:  USA $8.99/ $9.40/ $39.50

Lord of the Flies is a classic piece of literature. I had to read this for English in 9th grade and it was the first time I ever read a dystopian novel. It shocked me to the core, expanding my childhood brain to new concepts. It’s easy to keep a civilization going as long as rules can be enforced and followed, such as-speaking in turn, doing assigned tasks (like gathering and hunting), and controlling fire within acceptable means. There is also the matter of teamwork to keep civilization alive. Lord of the Flies poses the question: What if we don’t work together and focus on what we want to do? 

On one hand, it’s a trope to have an adversary plot while trying to survive a plane crash on an island, especially when the main character is a young lad barely out of an all boy’s primary school. On the other hand, by not having any adults around that survived, there is no “authoritative” figure to enforce the rules for these boys. They can be as polite or as brutal as they want to be without any punishment from an adult. I would think that their consciousnesses would have developed a sense of human decency at this point; however, these children are roughly twelve years old, and I haven’t met a twelve year old who wasn’t ready to fight authority. 

I will say that, at first, Ralph did try to keep civilization running- he set up leadership roles, different jobs and he was able to have fire thanks to Piggy’s glasses. When others began to question him, and it’s true that leaders don’t have all the answers, they became dissatisfied with what they had and wanted boar meat. Ralph refused to have them hunt boars, sticking to fishing, foraging and keeping a signal fire for passing ships. 

To me, this represents order and what Ralph was trying to accomplish. He wasn’t leading for authority or power; he was leading to keep everyone alive and sane by following the rules. By also enforcing to not hunt boars, I feel this was stopping some of them from becoming blood thirsty and murderous. In a sense, he was keeping civilization in check.

Then, civilization began to falter. At first, two people turned from Ralph’s leadership, hunting a boar and winning, while letting the signal fire distinguish. Just then, a ship was passing the island and didn’t stop to save them. It began to divide the boys into those who follow Ralph, the one who tried to keep everyone alive, and those who follow Jack, the one who killed the boar.

Jack’s group began to crack the foundation of civilization; stealing fire from Ralph’s camp, torturing others to join Jack’s side, and creating effigies of boar heads to mark Jack’s territory. They began to use body paint, representing how changed they became-they wanted more blood, more savagery, more violence. As a result, one effigy of a boar head became covered in flies, and Simon found it. 

Now, Simon was a bit of an odd one; he would wander around the island, sometimes late at night. Showing us how even the outcasts or the unordinary are also people within civilization and should be treated with respect just as any other. However, when he found that effigy, it spoke to him about all the darkness it could see. Simon ran to tell them about it, to protect civilization, but he was murdered by the boys who thought he was a monster. Having a taste for spilling blood, like Jack and his group, does make it easier to kill; in a group, some bystanders join in, unable to stop in the excitement. A riot, in a small setting.

Ralph and Piggy regret it all the next morning. Even going so far as to speak to Jack about stopping this stupid feud. However, that ended up killing Piggy as a rock was pushed from the cliff and it crushed him to death. Leaving Ralph as the only civilization citizen who did his best to follow the rules. 

This is where civilization collapsed fully. Ralph, who had done his best to keep everyone alive, made a public enemy and the order Jack gave was: kill him on sight. Jack wanted complete power over the boys; he wanted the savagery to run rampant. He decided to set Ralph’s hut on fire, causing it to spread to the trees on the island

Ralph had to run, being chased by murderous boys. Then, finally, since the whole island was basically on fire, a soldier greeted them and asked them how they fell so far from civilization, making them stop and stare at the man wide-eyed. Ralph began to cry. A return to civilization with an authority figure.

Civilization takes a lot to keep alive. It requires teamwork and consistent leadership. Ralph tried to save what little civilization they had left before the plane crash. Civilization began to crack when Jack decided to let the fire go out and to chase a boar. Civilization shattered its legs when Simon was killed. Civilization died when Piggy was murdered by a falling rock. And civilization came back when an authority figure rescued the boys from the island after they fell to savagery. It makes me wonder-if civilization falls without any authority left, how long will it take for the events of Lord of the Flies to happen?

Mumu the Tricked loves to read and write. It’s easier to sit still and work with their eyes and hands than move around some days. They are hoping to become a successful author and book reviews are quite fun, too. Thank you!

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.