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This is a place for us to discuss openly and honestly the literature we are reading. Here we are all just communicating our thoughts on what we are reading. There are no right and wrong answers. However, you are expected to be polite, mature, and on topic.
6 comments:
The theme I found most interesting throughout the novel is the theme of good vs evil. I find it interesting because although when reading we go for the good guys, deep down we can sympathize with the bad ones. Golding expressed how easy it is to give into evil. Although many themes are stated throughout the novel I learned more about myself and humanity through good vs evil. After all John Steinbeck once stated how every story contains a theme of good vs evil.
The theme that really stuck out to me is that of the belief in hope. Without hope, life is pointless and there is nothing to live for. In the novel, the boys must have hope if they ever want to see something besides the downfall of man. Without that hope, they are doomed to live on an island controlled by evil. A specific scene that helped to reveal the theme is the one where Ralph states that "we ought to die before we let the fire go out." Through this, Golding shows how important hope is. If we can't have hope, then there is not point in living.
I found the theme of loss of innocence most interesting. I learned that everyone must grow up at some point, but the time and way this happens is different for everyone. Ralph lost his innocence when he was put in charge of the island, but he was still very childish. Jack showed that he had still not lost his schoolboy innocence when he said he did not want to play with Ralph anymore. The loss of innocence is something that must happen to everyone, but in some cases it is much more drastic than others.
I liked the theme about the importance of law and order. I like this because many books will emphasize the importance of one facet of society while actually being negative about the influence of law (Farenheit 451). Rarely do we as readers see the theme of the importance of law portrayed so strongly as in this book. Golding uses this theme to show that, just like the little boys, humans will disregard morality and duty without laws that are followed. One of the scenes which really impacted my thoughts on this was when Piggy, representing the intelligent people, and the conch, representing order and civilization, were crushed. Afterwords, the whole group fell apart, acting solely on base instincts of fear and anger and the joy of the hunt. This theme is important to me because, as Ralph said, "The law is all we've got."
I think one that I found the most interesting would certainly be the maturation of Ralph. Near the beginning of the novel, he was a childish boy and often stood on his head and ridiculed Piggy. However, as he began to realize what being chief entailed, he began to mature. At the very end of the book, Jack has such an adult mind, and although he doesn't know what to do in some situations, he certainly acts with the mind of one far more advanced than that of a twelve year old.
The theme of the natural evilness of mankind had the greatest impact on me. Not only does Golding display this evilness throughout the novel, but he also shows the many different ways it can be dealt with. For example, the ravenous dancing and chanting that the boys participate in while Simon is killed shows the unknown savagery, and Ralph's quick thinking escape from the pursuing boys represents the possibilities of handling this evil. I now understand that this natural evil can not be escaped, but it can be controlled and contained with enough desire to do so.
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