Golding says at the end of his discussion about his novel that all that truly matters is not what an author thought he put in a book, not what a teacher or professor says is in a book, but what a reader gets out of a book. What message did you get from Lord of the Flies? What part of the novel helped you to truly see this theme? (This post closes at midnight on Friday, May 7, 2010.)
4 comments:
The lesson that I got out of Lord of the Flies was that rules need to exist for there to be organization and peace. This was proved through Jack and Roger's character. Jack always wanted to rebel against Ralph and Piggy's wishes and eventually resulted to mass chaos on the island. Two boys were killed, practically murdered, and they were soon on the hunt for the third. Rules and order are required in society in order for everything to work together in one big unit.
-TR
I personally think the most important theme in William Golding's novel LORD OF THE FLIES is that a basic conflict exists within all human beings. Two contrasting facets of humanity, the savage and the civilized, exist both as a whole in society and within each person. Golding illustrates this basic conflict through the characters of Ralph and Jack. Ralph is civilized; he upholds rules, and he cares for others. Jack, on the other hand, illustrates the savagery of humanity through his cruelty and bloodthirsty desires. The characters themselves are openly involved in conflict with one another, and they each deal with the conflicting aspects within themselves. Jack at first resists his savage impulses, and Ralph struggles with his decision to join Jack's meat-eating tribe. It is incredible to think that every person is wired to behave in such contrasting manners.
The most apparent message that I found in Golding’s novel was the significance of having unity among a group. Without the help of every person in a difficult situation, often things will fall apart. The theme of unity is obvious when Jack and his hunters let the fire burn out while they go on a pig hunt. While they are hunting the pig, a ship passes by and the fire is no longer burning. It leads to a huge conflict between Ralph and Jack. If the young boys would have made certain that someone was tending the fire at all times, they would have been rescued. Also, when Jack does not like the way Ralph handles situations, he forms his own tribe. Ultimately, the separation of the two leaders leads to the death of both Piggy and Roger. After reading the novel, I have realized that without everyone working as a team, it is evident that things will go wrong.
GG-0
I have very much enjoyed reading Lord of the Flies. It is an expertly written story with adventure, humor, and several meaningful messages. The message that most stood out to me while reading Lord of the Flies is that people must cooperate to overcome disaster. Without cooperation, situations become perilous for all people involved. When Jack causes a rift in the group, he creates extreme danger on the island because there are no longer enough boys in one place to effectively run the society. The part of the novel that truly drove this theme home for me is the final chapter, in which the boys are hunting Ralph. They no longer cooperated with his leadership, and the safety on the island literally went up in smoke. I will always remember the lesson of cooperation I learned from Lord of the Flies.
JJ-0
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