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This novel is really dark. Many people have criticized Golding for being too pessimistic about human nature. Unfortunately I think he is rather accurate. I think back to the simple politics of the playground in any elementary school. Many of the ideas expressed in the novel can be seen on playgrounds in some form, despite the presence of adults. Man has always been killing each other. People must be taught to suppress their primal urges. We have laws to keep people in check. Children learn to be good to each other because, left on their own, their natural impulse is to be the opposite. After the death of Simon, their Christ figure, all is lost. Had the sailor not shown up, the boys would have killed Ralph and killed each other in short order.Still Golding offers hope. Despite all the self destruction, the boys do get saved. I suppose that's something.
This novel is really dark. Many people have criticized Golding for being too pessimistic about human nature. Unfortunately I think he is rather accurate. I think back to the simple politics of the playground in any elementary school. Many of the ideas expressed in the novel can be seen on playgrounds in some form, despite the presence of adults. Man has always been killing each other. People must be taught to suppress their primal urges. We have laws to keep people in check. Children learn to be good to each other because, left on their own, their natural impulse is to be the opposite. After the death of Simon, their Christ figure, all is lost. Had the sailor not shown up, the boys would have killed Ralph and killed each other in short order. Still Golding offers hope. Despite all the self destruction, the boys do get saved. I suppose that's something.
This novel is really dark. Many people have criticized Golding for being too pessimistic about human nature. Unfortunately I think he is rather accurate. I think back to the simple politics of the playground in any elementary school. Many of the ideas expressed in the novel can be seen on playgrounds in some form, despite the presence of adults. Man has always been killing each other. People must be taught to suppress their primal urges. We have laws to keep people in check. Children learn to be good to each other because, left on their own, their natural impulse is to be the opposite. After the death of Simon, their Christ figure, all is lost. Had the sailor not shown up, the boys would have killed Ralph and killed each other in short order. Still Golding offers hope. Despite all the self destruction, the boys do get saved. I suppose that's something.
And killing other people, places, culture, and living things, isn't the type of thing you would want to do. Children learn to be good and get along with each other is good, because then you can make friends easily. Like me. I make friends just by being myself inside of me. The boys do get saved of course. Besides, if they didn't get saved, that wouldn't be good at all because then I might die a sufferable death. Which is called, hunger.
