Lord of the Flies

"Lord of the Flies" smells really sweet and as a fan of anything that is able to translate complex issues into simple ways I found Golding's work here to be incredibly great! It's really interesting to me about just how great classics like this one have the ability to reach the reader at various maturity levels allowing one to glean treasures through repeated reading over the years with each visit revealing even greater insights that may have been missed during prior visits. This to me is the definition of a literary masterpiece. Although I didn't have the privilege of reading this book in school as the powers that were at the time decided that for my year the books we had to study/read were Orwell's "Animal Farm" and H. G. Wells' "The History of Mr. Polly" I can easily see why for many other students this classic has been selected having just read it decades after my GCE "O" Level Literature paper. I can see many similarities between this book and Orwell's satirical masterpiece as both provide very good lessons about human behaviour under extenuating circumstances and about how the concept of "original sin" as originally described by Augustine in the 4th century B.C. is so close to the surface for humans and how conscious effort has to be made to guard against the ease of descending into animal savagery. Golding shows us why law and order/governance is absolutely necessary while Orwell shows us how the wrong kind of governance can also be undesirable. Just like "Animal Farm" this classic can be read at a number of levels and still be enjoyed from the very superficial adventure tale to the various deeper levels of complexity that you could care to dig into and hence extract the optimal degree of utility from your reading enjoyment. Elements from this novel reminded me of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" as well although I feel Golding's work to be a lot easier read in terms of ability to extract the author's intended message. Golding's ideas live on and continue to capture the imagination in various guises such as in television e.g. "Lost" or even comedy in the movies e.g. "The Simpsons" remember "Emperor" Moe? This 50th Anniversary Edition hardcover version is also a treat coming in an attractive dustcover with raised gold print for the title and a few illustrations scattered within the text at the start of chapters as well as a section: "Notes On Lord of the Flies" comprising of an essay as well as another section: "Lord of the Flies: Selected Highlights of Critical Analysis" with contributions from various critics not forgetting the introduction by E. M. Forster. I also liked the rough-edged pages and the font sized for comfortable reading. An excellent classic that rewards repeated reading regardless of your age group given a worthy 50th Anniversary binding makes this a worthy addition to any library. Highly recommended!

Great book and great service

SPOILERS! Lord of the Flies is a fairly interesting and fast-paced book. It sets a great example of how easy it is for a sophisticated society to become a collection of savage animals and leaves the reader with a lot to think about. First, the characters Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon are introduced and become some of the most important symbols in the book. The characters are all unique and have different effects on each other throughout the plot. Ralph can be counted as the protagonist in this book and is a fair-haired chef representing civility. Jack is a power-hungry antagonist who symbolizes anarchy. Piggy is fat, has asthma, and acts as a scapegoat, but is smarter than anyone else; he symbolizes intelligence. Simon is a boy who volunteers to the point that it gets him killed, he is a symbol of human goodness. These characters become great contributors to the plot and theme. Speaking of the plot and theme, William Golding did an excellent job of reminding people how easily human nature can put society in danger of collapsing. It begins with the male middle school group stranded on an island with no adult supervision, it’s a thing to celebrate at first, but the group under Ralph’s attempts to raise a functioning society becomes more defiant of logic. Made-up creatures from nightmares and increasing arguments led to a downfall in the productivity and unity of the group. They then stop listening to Ralph entirely because they are deprived of fun feelings under Ralph’s logical perspective of island survival. Jack believes that they should have fun hunting pigs and chanting in circles until the day they die, with no hope of rescue in sight. The kids, being the middle school group they are, answer to Jack, except for the smart Piggy and twins Sam and Eric, who are captured or killed even by the other tribe. Simon was one of the few who did his best work under Ralph, even to where his work beat him down. Simon is killed around this time by the group, as they thought he was the fake beast they feared, even when he worked for the good of the group until he died. Ralph is left to survive with the savage group hunting him for the rest of the book until the island is set on fire, catching the attention of a ship that rescues them. When they meet the officer who descended to see what was going on, he asks if they are playing at war, and they agree, even with the mentioned two deaths from this savagery. It becomes clear that the members of a functioning society are ignorant of how easily life becomes a fight for survival when all else is lost. A good theme for the book goes something like the following sentence. Society’s flaws come from the flaws of human nature. This book shows that the human’s nature is to have fun, be lazy, and do what it wants. Society only functions when people mature. Maturing means doing stuff that you don’t want, helping others, and being aware of your mistakes. The middle schoolers in Golding’s book are not mature enough, except for Simon, Ralph, Piggy, and the twins Sam and Eric. They do their part in society but are crushed by the overbearing weight of the savages who let human nature control their every move. These savages blamed others for their mistakes, which led to increasing arguments and aggression towards others. These savages let laziness get the best of their civility, and the group suffered because of it. Other examples clearly show this message as well. In the grand scheme of things, this book is extremely cool and I would recommend it to anyone who wants more than a bad summary of it from me, and anyone who hasn’t read it at all. Just don’t tell them all the spoilers.

Lo compré de segunda mano. Vino en perfecto estado excepto algunas anotaciones a lápiz que fueron fácilmente eliminables con una goma. El libro en sí es una gran lectura. Historia tensa llena de analogías con la vida real y simbolismos que llevan a posarse preguntas desde el ambito político hasta el antropológico. No es un libro infantil o juvenil. Recomiendo su lectura a alguien que quiera leer un libro más serio.

Nice book and excellent edition. I really enjoyed it. Thanks

As expected and advertised

The book was an exercise for the mind, the vocab is way too advanced and made me search for the meaning of every word, got me tired but also taught me many new words. Excellent book but the advanced vocab got me way too tired.

Muito bom o livro. Recomendo!