** MS. KALMAR'S BOOK CLUB - LORD OF THE FLIES **

I finished reading the book last night, and the first thing I wanted to say is that I am so sad Piggy died.  I really liked his character; however, in a way I think it had to happen.  I always thought Piggy represented democracy and the understanding that even though people don't look perfect, they can be intelligent and good leaders if they are given the chance. (Ralph's society may have been the one to represent a structure more like our own, but he often required Piggy to keep him on track when his mind started slipping.) Therefore, when he died, he represented the final loss of real democracy and opened up the island to the savagery of Jack's tribe.  With that said, I think the part where Piggy suggests going to the feast held by Jack's tribe shows that human logic is tainted.  Our logic reflects our emotions, beliefs, and desires.  Piggy wanted to go see the feast and eat meat, but logically nothing good could possibly come of their going, and in the end, it results in them committing murder.  It also explains how the adults, which were supposed to be the logical rule-makers, could be at war.  So, while I believe that our society is run by logic, I do admit that it is a tainted logic. 

I think at the end I had two moments of frightening realization.  One was that they were kids.  While I had always pictured them as nine or ten year olds, it never really hit me how young they were until the naval officer showed up and asked them if they were playing.  They had killed two kids, and others had already died, yet they were still only fourth and fifth graders.  The second was when I realized Piggy was still over weight.  At first, I didn't think much of it, but it started to bug me that he didn't lose any weight when stranded on an island for what I felt had been a long period of time; then I realized it probably wasn't as long as I was imagining, so it was frightening that a group of school boys could become so savage so quickly.  The book showed me that no matter how far we think humans have grown away form our animalistic qualities, they're still there. 

I think you pulled out a great quote, Juliana! So much of these boys identity was wrapped up in their civilization & bound by the limitations of society... when that was taken away, their identities became radically different. And yet... we have to assume that the darker, savage side was always there. Even the littluns show signs of it, here and there, like when little Henry is playing with the tiny sea creatures, "absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things" (51). And if those boys had stayed back in Britain instead of winding up on this island, they might have grown up to be the men who waged war and dropped nuclear weapons and killed hundreds of thousands of citizens...

I get what you're saying here, for sure! It does seem a bit like deus ex machina (a literary thing where the author just has something wildly improbable happen to advance the plot... literally it means "god in the machine"). At the same time, I think some very important things happen in that short scene with the naval officer... we're reminded, as Julia pointed out, how young these kids realy are... we see Ralph age years and years in an instant... we see Jack's final cowardice and Ralph's terrible courage... and we have to think about what's going to happen to these kids when they get back to society. Are they really "saved"? Will they ever be the same again? Will they actually fit right back into a society that is (somewhat furtively) built on the same principles of power and aggression?

I've already touched on a few of the things that really stood out to me in these last four chapters in responses to other comments, but I did want to touch on two other things!

#1. Piggy as the Blind Sage. When Piggy lost his glasses, my English teacher senses really started tingling. In world literature, there is a recurring "archetype" or pattern of the "blind sage"... i.e., someone who is physically blind, but mentally/spiritually/morally/intellectually perceptive. These people gained a special wisdom by losing their vision... almost as if they were so distracted by the world around them that when it was taken away from them, they could reach a higher truth. Examples...

In Greek mythology, Tiresias was blinded by the gods and thereafter able to tell the future.



In Norse mythology, the father of the gods, Odin, sacrifices one of his eyes for knowledge.



So, after Piggy lost his specs, I noticed that he starts to really tell it like it is. Until now, he's been intelligent and reasonable, but also scared and clearly craving protection and acceptance. He denied that Simon's death was murder earlier, but after his specs are gone, he speaks the truth:



And he demonstrates his new courage, too... he willingly, proudly even, allows himself to be lead straight to the rock castle, where he speaks up fearlessly, even once Jack and Ralph are fighting with spears, and Samneric are tied up:



Blind to the world, Piggy gains access to a higher truth and the courage to proclaim it... and unfortunately it kills him. Our society has a bad track record with killing people who speak uncomfortable truths (compare: Christ, Jesus).

#2. "I am." I think these two words, uttered by Ralph when the naval officer asks who's in charge, are among the most meaningful in the book. He's far from perfect, but here Ralph shows real leadership... he accepts responsibility at a moment when there's nothing to gain and everything to lose. He could have tried to blame Jack -- a lot of us probably think he should have -- but he doesn't.

What's more, Piggy, Simon, and Ralph each have a critical moment in this book when they take responsibility upon themselves -- which leads to their demise but also, in some way, to their salvation. Simon's critical moment is first, as he's crouching in the forest, hallucinating, and the Lord of the Flies "speaks" to him:



He could have blamed the other boys -- we recognized Simon as the kindest and the gentlest on the island -- but he doesn't. He points a finger at himself.

Piggy's critical moment I mentioned above... once he loses his specs and gains wisdom, he accepts a truth he had been trying to deny... "Young Simon was murdered" (154). He no longer tries to deny responsibility. He points a finger at himself.

And finally, at the end of the book, it's Ralph turn. He's been hailing himself chief since they voted for him in that first assembly, and in the bitter end, he does not back down. He points a finger at himself.

I think these moments are absolutely critical to understanding one of Golding's take away messages of this book. If we look at these boys and think, "Man, these kids are crazy," we've kind of missed the point. There's nothing particularly special about this group of kids -- there is a problem with humankind itself. The problem is with each and every single one of us, and if we want to fix it -- put an end to jealousy and war and poverty and hunger and every other evil that plagues our world -- we have to turn our gaze inwards. It's not "them," it's all of us -- each of us. This isn't anything new for us Catholics -- it's called original sin, and it's serious business. We get in trouble when we try to blame others, even when it seems OBVIOUS that others are to blame... instead, we need to recognize that our own anger, jealousy, hurtful words, exclusion, selfishness, materialism, etc, etc, etc ultimately spring from the same root as the world's other ills. There are a lot of things we can't change around us, but we do have power (in God) to change ourselves, to take responsibility, and to strive to be true and courageous.