Lord of the flies name. Lord of the Flies, an artistic analysis of the novel by William Golding. The meaning of the allegory in the novel "Lord of the Flies"

The child's psyche is a rather difficult structured system that hardly lends itself to logical interpretations. Young imagination, at times, can make up truly paradoxical pictures, and burning events in childhood can leave an indelible scar on the fragile subconscious, and when it comes to war, such an impression can have the effect of an exploding bomb. Probably, it is not in vain that William Golding begins his work "Lord of the Flies" with the war, a terrible nuclear war that literally swept over all living things. It is hardly possible that such a controversial event can cause other emotions besides disgust, anger, despair, revenge, bloodthirstiness ... opposition to humanity and bloodshed. The book was published in 1954, but has anything significantly changed since then ?!

Lord of the Flies is, in a way, the result of the classic English heritage of travel and stay on a tropical island. A similar basis has already been encountered in the novel about "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe, and especially in the book "Coral Island" by Robert Ballantyne. It was this story that became the pro forma for Lord of the Flies, but in its reverse version. While the boys Ralph and Jack arrive on Coral Island, like messengers of Western civilization, to wean the indigenous population from their bloodthirstiness, cannibalism and primitive life, a group of English guys find themselves on a desert island depicted in Lord of the Flies and drown in the swamp of barbarism and the decline of humanity.

The two central characters in Lord of the Flies - Ralph and Jack - are ordinary boys, whose name Golding borrowed from Ballantyne, thereby hinting at similar circumstances in which they found themselves. But Golding goes further, and under the pretext of the outbreak of an atomic war leaves a group of children on an uninhabited island after the plane crash. At this moment, a new civilization is born within a group of ordinary children, but the newly formed society is completely devoid of such rules and foundations as morality, honor, mutual understanding and mutual respect. The story unfolds against the backdrop of a struggle between two principles: the image of human madness is embodied in the form of Jack Meridew and his paramilitary children's choir; they are opposed by an alliance in the person of the already mentioned Ralph, the general laughing stock of Piggy and the innocent Simon.

However, initially the reader observes the idealistic scheme of the social structure. All the kids share a common desire and desire to be rescued from the island, while this desire is abundantly seasoned with friendship and a thirst for adventure in the best traditions of the pioneer squads (or rather the Boy Scout squads in the western way). Setting the rules and laws seems like a kind of fun, which is why a simple seashell receives such important parliamentary status. Using it as a bugle, Ralph calls general meetings to make vital decisions. Only the one who is currently holding this horn in his hands has the right to speak.

Another symbol of maintaining a civilized system in society is a bonfire erected on a hill. And the moment Jack and his hunter friends let him go out, there comes a turning point in the coexistence of multidirectional ideologies. Now Jack is only interested in hunting for pigs, and the primal instincts of all other inhabitants of the island (the desire to be fed and protected), he uses for his own benefit, thereby "biting off" a good part of the supporters of Ralph's ideology under his wing. From now on, for a new social group, murder takes the form of a sacred ritual, in which bloodlust, insatiability and insanity are integral components. The image of Homo sapiens in the person of Jack loses all its connecting elements, and it is replaced by a being, albeit human-like in form, but absolutely formless, greedy and hungry by nature. Freedom in savagery is the main tenet of the group led by Jack.

While the horn and bonfire can be considered symbols of the democracy of Ralph's society, the social neoplasm under the leadership of Jack also has its own symbol - the Lord of the Flies. The head of a slain pig, planted on a stick, is a vivid example of demonism and the embodiment of evil. The apogee of spiritual impoverishment occurs during a terrible ritual in which the innocent Simon, the symbol of Christ, is entangled in devilish races accompanied by shouts of “Beat the beast! Cut your throat! " Thus, the murderous insanity takes on a new, human dimension. Simon is killed in the heat of hatred, the next victim is Piggy - the last stronghold of civilization, after whose death its symbol - the horn of democracy - is destroyed. In the end, human ferocity finds another victim in the face of Ralph and falls upon him with all its might.

Paradoxically, it is at such a moment that salvation comes to meet the boys in the form of a naval officer. But the fact is that the point of no return has already been passed, a person has lost his face, his base features have been revealed to the world, therefore salvation for him is only formal, while his spiritual component has long been melting in a hellish cauldron.

Surely, the experience of working as a school teacher helped William Golding so reliably convey such diverse images of children on paper. In addition, the writer is frankly good at not only describing the island, but also the dynamic development of the plot. His skillful alliteration technique deserves special mention. Undoubtedly, his work occupies a worthy place among the classics of world literature.

This story really strikes fear into the reader with its painfully realistic portrayal of evil as the other side of human nature. Some will probably say that each work has its own place in history, so "Lord of the Flies" was more relevant at the time when it, in fact, was written. In 1954, the world consciousness was still digesting the consequences of the terrible crimes committed by the Nazis; The Cold War was only gaining momentum, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were shrouded in radioactive dust. Is this the end of the list of human crimes on a global scale? I doubt. Every year we witness military escapades of the dominant powers, in which hundreds of thousands of citizens who are unable to defend themselves die. Isn't this a crime against a person ?! Considering the angle from which the modern world is sliding into an abyss of violence, it is hardly worth questioning Golding's pessimism, poured out in the pages of Lord of the Flies.

Lord of the Flies

History

The novel was conceived as an ironic commentary on R. M. Ballantyne's Coral Island, a Robinson-style adventure story that celebrates the optimistic imperial views of Victorian England.

The path to the light of the novel was difficult. The manuscript was rejected by twenty-one publishers before Faber & Faber agreed to publish it, with the condition that the author removed the first few pages describing the horrors of nuclear war. As a result, the novel does not say during which war the action takes place, and also does not indicate the reasons for the plane crash.

Immediately after its release, the novel did not attract attention (less than three thousand copies were sold in the United States during 1955), but a few years later it became a bestseller and by the early 60s was introduced into the curriculum of many colleges and schools. In 1963, a film of the same name was filmed based on the novel (directed by Peter Brook), and in 1990 Harry Hook made another film adaptation. In 2005, Time magazine named the work one of the 100 Best English-Language Novels Since 1923. The novel ranks 68th on the list of the 100 most frequently contested [ clarify] books of the 20th century, compiled by the Association of American Libraries.

The title of the book "Lord of the Flies" is a literal translation from the Hebrew name of the pagan god - Baal sound(בעל זבוב), whose name (Beelzebub) in Christianity has become associated with the devil.

Plot

In wartime, as a result of a plane crash, a group of children evacuated from England appears on an uninhabited island. Among them, two leaders stand out: Ralph and Jack Meridew. (Their names are a reference to the famous book "Coral Island", where the eldest of the three main characters were named Ralph and Jack.) The first on the island managed to get acquainted with Piggy, a fat, asthmatic, but reasonable and quick-witted boy with glasses; the second is the head of the church choir and the indisputable authority among the choristers. After the election, which was won by Ralph, Jack and his choristers proclaim themselves to be hunters.

Ralph suggests building huts and making a fire on the mountain so that they can be noticed and saved. Everyone supports him. The fire is made with Piggy's glasses. Soon there are rumors that a certain "Beast (snake)" lives on the island. Considerable food for the imagination of children is provided by the corpse of the parachutist, stirring due to the wind blowing the parachute.

Jack and the hunters get the meat of wild pigs. He is getting more and more out of the control of Ralph. Finally, Jack separates from the tribe and invites other boys to join his tribe, promising hunting, meat and other, "savage" lifestyle on the island. He goes to live on another part of the island. Some of the boys go after him. This is how the second tribe is formed.

A kind of primitive cult and worship of the Beast appears. Hunters please him with sacrifices and wild dances - dramatized hunting. In the midst of one such dance, having lost control of themselves, the "hunters" kill one boy, Simon.

Gradually, all children move to the "tribe of hunters". Ralph stays with Piggy and the twins Eric and Sam. Only they still remember that the only chance to escape is to make fires in the hope of attracting rescuers. At night, Jack's group attacks Ralph and his friends to take away Piggy's points. They are needed to get fire, to fry meat.

Ralph and the guys go to Jack in the hope of getting his glasses back. The savages kill Piggy by throwing him off a cliff and take the twins prisoner. Ralph is left alone. Soon the hunt begins for him. The hunters, trying to smoke Ralph out of the jungle thickets, set fire to the trees. A fire starts.

Ralph, fleeing the spears that other children throw at him, runs to the shore. At this time, seeing the smoke, military rescuers disembark on the island. After talking with their officer, Ralph begins to cry "over the former innocence, over how dark the human soul is, over how the faithful wise friend nicknamed Piggy then turned over on the fly." Other children are crying too. It is symbolic that it is the adults who are the members of the navy who are saving the children.

Image of the Lord of the Flies

The author calls the lord of the flies the head of a killed pig, impaled by Jack's hunters after one of the successful hunts (Jack himself said that this was a gift to the beast). She is confronted by Simon and subsequently Ralph; and Simon, suffering from a mental illness, talks to her. The head calls itself the Beast and confirms Simon's conjecture that the "Beast" is in the children themselves, predicting the imminent death of Simon.

Reviews from critics

The Lord of the Flies novel is considered one of the most important works of Western literature of the 20th century. On The Times' list of "The Best 60 Books of the Past 60 years," he ranks as the best novel of 1954. It was seen as a key piece by many critics: Lionel Trilling believed that the novel "marked a mutation in [Western] culture: God may have died, but the Devil has blossomed - especially in English public schools."

K.B. Cox wrote about the novel in Critical Quarterly"Its extraordinary strength comes from the fact that Golding believes that every detail of human life has religious importance." In a study titled "The Tragic Past," David Anderson conducted a study of biblical motives in Golding's novel:

Lord of the Flies is a complex version of the story of Cain - a man who - after his signal fire failed to go off, killed his brother. First of all, this is the crushing of the optimistic theology, according to which God created a world in which the moral development of man took place pari passu with his biological evolution and will continue until development reaches a happy end.

The novel, according to Anderson, explores the origins of the moral degradation of humanity. In it “… there is no happy ending. The rescuers taking the boys off the island are from a world where regression has taken place on a gigantic scale - on the scale of an atomic war. Human troubles are shown here in such a way that nothing can either alleviate them or alleviate them. Cain is not just our distant relative: he is a modern man, and his murderous impulses are equipped with an unlimited power of destruction. "

It was noted that Golding's novel was a kind of response to the popular idea in post-war Western society that children are the innocent victims of adult society. “My childhood reading world, as I recall, began with Coral Island, Ballantyne's naive imperialist novel; my innocence died when I opened Lord of the Flies, where Ballantyne's story turned into an allegory about the depravity of the human race and how justly it was expelled from the happy Garden, ”wrote Guardian columnist Peter Conrad.

Golding's Lord of the Flies in Artistic Culture

The novel was filmed twice - in 1963 - by Peter Brook, in 1990 - by Harry Hook.

In honor of the novel, the song of the same name by Iron Maiden, included in the 1995 album "The X-Factor", is named.

"Lord of the Flies" is read by Bobby Garfield, the protagonist of S. King's novel "Low Men in Yellow Raincoats".

see also

Notes (edit)

Links

• "Lord of the Flies" in English in the library of Maxim Moshkov

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Lord of the Flies" is in other dictionaries:

- "LORD OF FLIES", Kazakhstan, KADAM / KAZAKHFILM, 1991, color, 50 min. A documentary parable. A documentary film portrait of a pensioner eccentric obsessed with the idea of ​​breeding flies. He is both the prince of Darkness and a naive utopian. Cast: K. Shpak. Director: Vladimir ... ... Encyclopedia of Cinema

The world has never seen a writer like William Gerald Golding, and hardly ever will. He had a very special view of the world. But, paradoxically, there has never been such a thing as Golding's novel, because each of his works has never been alike. However, the novel Lord of the Flies is considered to be the true gem of his bibliography. It was for him in 1983 that the writer received the Nobel Prize. "Lord of the Flies", which is rightfully considered the pearl of world literature, keeps many interesting facts, which we will tell about in our article.

NOBODY WANTED TO PUBLISH THE NOVEL

Since this was Golding's first novel, "Lord of the Flies" was not met with particular interest from the publishing houses to which he offered his manuscript. It was rejected by twenty-one publishers. The writer's daughter Judy Carver recalled how her penniless father suffered from every refusal letter: “My first recollection was not about the book itself, but about the many packages that were very quickly returned back and again sent somewhere. He must have been heartbroken over every return, but he wasted money on new parcels. "

THE PUBLISHER TAKING INTO THE BOOK TRYED TO HIDE IT FROM T. S. ELIOT

Even the London publishing house Faber and Faber, which ultimately produced the book, was initially skeptical about it. And they only agreed because the new publisher Charles Monteith was very passionate about this story. The publishing house made the book so classified that it was decided not to discuss it in the presence of their literary consultant, the famous poet T.S. Eliot.

Eliot allegedly first heard about Lord of the Flies from a casual remark from a friend at the club. In biography William Golding"The Man Who Wrote Lord of the Flies" John Carey says that Eliot's friend warned him: "Faber has published an unpleasant novel about little boys acting unthinkable on a desert island." In the end, the fears were in vain, as Eliot really liked the novel.

THE BOOK WAS A COMMERCIAL FAILURE

After its release in September 1954 "Lord of the Flies" did not make a splash in bookstores. In the same year, only 4,662 copies were sold, after which the book was completely removed from print. But the novel earned critical acclaim and the respect of the scientific community in the next decade. Lord of the Flies found its audience and by 1962 had sold 65,000 copies.

THE BOOK HAS BEEN CENSORED

The American Library Association ranked Lord of the Flies the eighth most contested "classic" book in American culture. And 68th on the list of the most contested books of all time in the 90s.

GOLDING WAS NOT IMPRESSED BY THE INTERPRETATION OF HIS BOOK

Although he was initially in awe of the text, over time he revisited the intense excitement surrounding his work. After revising The Lord of the Flies in 1972, for the first time since its publication, Golding gave the book a rather lukewarm assessment. According to his biographer Carey, the writer called his book "boring and raw with a language level below 0."

"LORD OF THE FLIES" FAVORITE BOOK OF ANOTHER KNOWN WRITER

Stephen King named Lord of the Flies as one of his favorite books. In the foreword to the 2011 reissue, King wrote: “Of everything I've read, this book was practically the strongest - it grabbed me from the first pages and reached my heart. She literally told me: "This is not just entertainment, this is a matter of life and death." King even paid tribute to the writer in one of his novels. "Lord of the Flies" is read by the protagonist of Stephen King's novel "Low Men in Yellow Cloaks" Bobby Garfield. King also invented the city of Castle Rock in Maine - a non-existent place that appears in many of his novels - in honor of the geologic area from Lord of the Flies.

THE BOOK INSPIRED MANY FAMOUS MUSICIANS

Many bands dedicated their songs to Lord of the Flies by William Golding: U2 - Shadows and Tall Trees (named after chapter 7), The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (after the book's essence) and Iron Maiden - "Lord of the Flies" (in honor of the name itself).

Shot from the movie "Lord of the Flies" (1990)

THE INITIAL VERSION OF ROMN HAS A DIFFERENT BEGINNING AND ENDING

The action in the original Lord of the Flies did not begin on an island, but on board an airplane, on which the boys were flying, right before the disaster that brought them to the island. Moreover, the book began with a specific date and time "6.00, October 2, 1952". Later, the author was asked to remove all clear references to the date, time and war, which was fought along the plot of the book.

SIMON WAS A CHARACTER LIKE CHRIST BEGINNING

One of the most significant edits that the publisher insisted on was that Simon's character should not have the characteristics of Jesus Christ originally attributed to him. Initially, Golding invented Simon as a saint, unearthly character, but, according to the publisher, he was too domineering. Simon, who appeared in the latest version of Lord of the Flies, is actually much more peaceful and conscientious than his peers, but lacks the piety that the publisher found problematic.

THE TITLE OF THE BOOK HAS AN ANCIENT SUBTEXT

Name of the book "Lord of the Flies" is a literal translation from the Hebrew name of the pagan god - Baal sound (בעל זבוב), whose name (Beelzebub) in Christianity has become associated with the Devil.

Shot from the movie "Lord of the Flies" (1963)

Island. Two boys get out of the jungle: one is blonde, the other is fat. They are discussing the disaster. Fat tries to figure out where the adults are, but the blonde (twelve-year-old Ralph) assumes there are no adults on the island. Tolstoy tells about himself: he has asthma, from the age of three he wears glasses, and at school he was teased by Piggy.

Ralph finds a platform of pink granite, followed by a beautiful sandy cove. He swims, Piggy does not know how. Ralph's father is a captain of the second rank; Piggy has no father. He was raised by his aunt - the owner of a pastry shop. Ralph believes that his father will save them. Piggy doubts: during the flight, he heard the pilot talking about the atomic bomb. The fat boy believes that everyone in the world has died and there is no one to save them.

Ralph finds a cream-and-pink sink in the water. Piggy invites him to blow the "horn" in order to arrange a general gathering. At the call of Ralph, six-year-old Johnny comes out of the jungle, then the rest of the boys appear, of all ages and types. The penultimate twins Eric and Sam come running, followed by a slender detachment of choristers, dressed in black caps with silver cockades, from the forest. Choir leader Jack Meridew is disappointed by the lack of adults.

The assembled boys get to know each other. Ralph is chosen in charge. Jack is unhappy. Ralph graciously leaves the choir to him. Jack decides that the choristers will be hunters on the island.

Ralph, Jack and Simon (the boy from the choir who constantly faints) go on an exploration. Ralph apologizes to Piggy for giving everyone his nickname. The boys climb to the top and make sure they are on the island. Ralph is happy. He considers the island to be his own. On the way to the camp, the children stumble upon a piglet. Jack wants to kill him with a knife, but doesn't dare.

Chapter 2. Fire on the mountain

One of the kids asks the elders what they are going to do with the snake-beast. Ralph tries to convince the children that there is no beast. He then calms the boys down, saying that sooner or later they will be rescued. On the advice of Ralph, the children make a fire on the mountain, lighting dry branches through Piggy's glasses. The flame burns brightly but dies out quickly. Fire sparks ignite the nearby forest.

Chapter 3. Huts on the shore

Jack hunts alone. His chorus is swimming. Ralph and Simon are also building huts by themselves. Toddlers and older children prefer to rest and eat fruit. Everyone enjoys attending meetings, but doesn't want to work. Simon finds refuge in the thicket of the forest.

Chapter 4. Long hair, painted faces

The boys are beginning to get used to life on the island. Baby Percival hides in a hut for two days, after which he loses interest in games and begins to cry. The choir maintains a fire giving off a column of smoke. Kids build sand castles by the water. They keep themselves apart from the older boys.

Jack finds clay and paints a bloodthirsty mask on his face. Piggy asks Ralph to make a sundial. Suddenly, the boys notice a ship on the horizon and at the same moment realize that their smoke is barely visible. Climbing to the top, Ralph discovers a bonfire thrown by the choristers.

Jack kills the first pig. Ralph is angry with him. Piggy supports Ralph and is punched in the stomach by Jack. Jack then breaks Piggy's glasses, which breaks one glass.

Jack and the choristers light the fire. The boys are roasting the pig.

Chapter 5. The beast comes out of the waters

Ralph is having a meeting. He offers to talk seriously. The boy demands that the rules developed earlier be strictly observed: the smoke was maintained, they went to the toilet in a strictly designated place, the meat was fried only on the mountain, near the main fire. Then Ralph once again tries to calm the kids, saying that there are no animals on the island, except for the piglets. Piggy is trying to explain fear scientifically. Little Phil tells how he dreamed of "twisted in the trees", and then he woke up and saw something big and terrible in the forest. Simon admits that he went to the forest at night, but baby Percival says that the beast is coming out of the sea. Ralph proposes to decide whether there is a beast or not by voting for it. Jack loses his temper. The meeting falls apart. Everyone runs to the sea to kill the beast. Ralph, Piggy, and Simon discuss the need for adults.

Chapter 6. The beast descends from the sky

An air battle is taking place over the island at night. A parachutist falls from above. In the morning, the twins Eric and Sam make a fire and stumble upon a guest from the sky. Terrified, they run to the huts. Ralph calls a meeting, after which Jack with the hunters and older boys go to kill the beast, and Piggy remains with the kids on the shore. Ralph and Jack explore the isthmus, but find no one.

Chapter 7. Large trees and shadows

Ralph looks at the endless surface of the sea and realizes that this is the end. Simon consoles him, saying that he will definitely return home. On the hunt, Ralph wounds a boar, but he runs away. In a fit of hunting excitement, the boys surround Robert and beat him. The boys get to the mountain in the late afternoon. Simon returns to the shore to tell Piggy that the guys will not be able to return to camp before dark. Jack forces Ralph to climb the mountain at night. There they find a dead parachutist and are terribly frightened.

Chapter 8. Gift of Darkness

Jack calls a meeting. He says that the beast has been found and accuses Ralph of cowardice. Then he offers to remove Ralph from the post of chief, but no one agrees with him. Jack escapes into the jungle. Ralph says that everything is of course: they will not be saved, since the fire has gone out, and the beast interferes with lighting it in a new way. Simon suggests exploring the mountain again. Piggy says that you can make a fire on the shore.

The choristers follow Jack. He invites them to forget the beast and live hunting. On the same day, the guys slaughter a big pig. They decide to impale her head and present it as a gift to the Beast.

Jack invites Ralph's supporters to join the feast and his tribe.

Lord of the Flies - a dead pig's head, on which flies have flocked, talks to Simon. The boy loses consciousness.

Chapter 9. The face of death

A thunderstorm is approaching the island. Simon wakes up. He discovers the dead skydiver and frees his body from the lines. Ralph and Piggy go to Jack's feast. After dinner, the guys, frightened by the thunderstorm, begin to dance frantically. Taking Simon for a beast, they beat him to death. A gust of wind carries the body of the parachutist into the sea.

Chapter 10. Sink and glasses

Ralph tells Piggy that the hunters have committed the murder. Piggy tries to picture it as an accident and invites Ralph to forget about everything.

In his tribe, Jack becomes the Leader. He sets up guards around the rocky Castle, leads the "savages" to hunt.

Ralph and Jack decide not to watch the fire at night - the four boys do not have enough energy to carry firewood and keep the fire going. At night, Jack, Maurice and Roger attack Ralph and Piggy. In the dark, Ralph fights the twins. Jack's tribe gets Piggy's broken glasses.

Chapter 11. Castle

Ralph calls a meeting for four. Piggy decides to go to Jack and demand his glasses back. Ralph and the twins join him. Ralph calls Jack a thief. Boys fight with spears. Jack orders the twins to be tied up. Ralph calls Jack a beast. Roger lowers a huge rock onto the isthmus. The red lump blows the shell to pieces and kills Piggy. The boy's body is licked by the sea waves. Ralph, wounded by the spear, flees.

Chapter 12. The cry of the hunters

Ralph realizes that the savages will not leave him alone. At night, he learns from the twins that they were forced to go over to Jack's side. Eric and Sam tell Ralph that tomorrow the tribe will hunt him instead of a pig. Ralph decides to hide near the camp. The battered twins surrender his hideout. The tribe throws a huge boulder on Ralph, and then begins to smoke it with smoke. The boy breaks ashore, where he stumbles upon a naval officer with two sailors. The children are saved.

William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, at first glance, has little to do with horror. After all, what does by myself This work? Social drama? Dystopia? Adventure novel — Robinsonade? Sure!

But Lord of the Flies is also a book about Horror. The very thing that is hidden in every person and is only waiting for a convenient opportunity to come out ...

As a result of the plane crash, English schoolchildren find themselves on a desert island and, despite the absence of adults, at first live well. However, soon everything goes to hell: civilized boys run wild, worship a disgusting "god", and even go as far as murder. The plot of Lord of the Flies is well known to everyone, which is not surprising: this novel by Golding is recognized as one of the most important literary works of the 20th century.

"Lord of the Flies" is so multifaceted that it is difficult to talk about him. The novel reveals a variety of topics, each of which is interesting and significant in itself. Intertwined in one work, these themes acquire an even deeper, philosophical, almost sacred meaning.

So, "Lord of the Flies" is an allegorical parabolic novel, in other words, a parable about human nature, irrational and prone to fear despite the voice of reason. The work also touches on religious issues, and with the Nietzschean motive "God is dead", because the phrase "Lord of the Flies" is a literal translation of the name of the pagan god Beelzebub, who in Christianity is associated with the devil. And the very mention of the beast refers to the biblical "Revelation of John the Theologian", which tells about the end of the world and the death of mankind. By the way, the original title of the novel "Lord of the Flies" can be translated as "Lord of the Flies", but this version did not take root in Russia.

Lord of the Flies is also a social drama: a strong and intelligent leader gradually becomes an outcast; a weak and clumsy rogue fat man is not only tyrannized, but eventually killed. This is also a dystopia that reveals the true essence of people, which manifests itself even in seemingly innocent children. We see an attempt to build an exemplary society, which turns into collapse, degradation, a real nightmare. It is also an adventure novel, a Robinsonade with an ideal setting - an island with excellent living conditions. Finally, this is a book about childhood, about cooperation and rivalry, about friends and enemies: "The height was spinning, friendship was spinning."; "They are[Ralph and Jack] looked at each other with amazement, love and hatred "; “And also this strange thread between him and Jack; no, Jack will never calm down, he will not leave him alone ".

It must be admitted that "Lord of the Flies" is rarely spoken of as a horror, more often paying attention to the religious and philosophical meaning of the work. Therefore, we will try to restore justice and consider only one aspect - horror.

The beast comes out of the waters, the beast comes out of the sky

And there is a lot of horror in Golding's novel. And above all - the beast, one of the key images of the work and one of the most terrifying monsters in the history of horror literature.

Already in the second chapter, a baby with a birthmark in half his face whispers about a snake beast that "comes out of the waters." Soon, the child dies in a forest fire, caused by an oversight. By the way, this tragic accident also penetrates to the depths of the soul, especially the hysterical Khryushino: “Here is the kid, the one with the mark on his face, I don’t see him. Where is he?"

Further, more and more vague allusions to the beast appear, which comes in dreams and appears in the interweaving of vines. "Something big and terrible is walking under the trees."; “You feel as if you are not the hunt, but you are being hunted; as if someone is hiding behind you in the jungle all the time "... The primal fear of darkness and uncertainty spills over into will, which even Jack recognizes, the embodiment of courageous strength, turning into cruelty. Horror grows chaotically, flickering in the interrupted and often incoherent conversations of the boys, in some omissions, omissions - and this makes it even more tense. And worst of all, neither the heroes of the novel, nor the readers know for sure whether the beast exists or not. Golding deliberately obfuscates the narrative, whipping up the atmosphere.

An attempt to track down the monster is successful. By the will of evil doom, they stumble upon a dead parachutist, stuck on a rock and terribly "bowing" because of the wind. On the other hand, deep down in their hearts, children believe in the beast - which means they will certainly find it in everything they want. At the same time, no one, even the judicious Ralph, listens to the discerning Simon, because he is "with regards". It is Simon who first understands that "the beast is ourselves." And he finds the courage to climb the mountain and find out the secret of the "monster" that has settled there.

Another episode, stunning in terms of the degree of tension and degree of horror, is Simon's meeting with the Lord of the Flies.

The impaled Lord of the Flies grinned directly against Simon. Finally Simon broke down and looked; I saw white teeth, blood, dull eyes - and could no longer take my eyes off these inevitably recognizable eyes from ancient times. Simon's right temple pounded painfully.

“Stupid little boy,” said the Lord of the Flies, “stupid, stupid, and you don’t know anything.

For a few moments, the forest and all other vaguely guessed places shook in response with vile laughter.

“But you knew, right? That I am a part of you? An inseparable part! That it was because of me that you didn’t work out? What happened because of me?

- We will finish you off. It's clear? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. We'll finish you off. It's clear?

Simon was consumed by the mouth. He fell and fainted ".

This moment creates an irrational fear. We know it's just a pig's head on a stick that Jack left as a gift to the beast. We know that the conversation takes place in the fevered brain of "crazy" Simon, overheated in the sun. But we are still afraid, afraid of the Lord of the Flies and his words, even if we read the novel for the tenth time and know what will happen next. After this scene, a nauseating lump remains in the chest, the lips dry up, the tongue sticks to the larynx, as if you yourself are standing hypnotized in front of the vile, all-knowing Lord of the Flies.

Stills from the movie "Lord of the Flies"

(Great Britain, 1963, directed by Peter Brook).

Long hair, painted faces

Simon's guess ("the beast is ourselves") brings us to another nightmare: savagery, rapid degradation awaits those who are cut off from civilization.

From the very beginning, the little Robinsons took the plane crash as an opportunity to play fun on the wonderful island, "like in a book." The boys even mention the novel by Robert Ballantyne "Coral Island" (it is known that Golding originally conceived "Lord of the Flies" as an ironic commentary on this naive work).

“The island is ours! A stunning island. Until the adults come for us, we will have fun! (...) We need rules and we must obey them. We are not any savages. We are English. And the British are always and everywhere the best. So, you have to behave properly ".

The protagonist of the novel, Ralph, is the embodiment of rationality, civilization, "correctness." He is the only one who understands that "apart from the rules, we have nothing", that the fire must always smoke, sending a distress signal. He is the first to notice the dire signs of degradation: “Ralph realized with disgust how dirty he was and sank; he realized how tired he was of always brushing away tangled hair from his forehead and in the evenings, when the sun was hidden, to rustle noisily with dry foliage, going to bed. "; "Suddenly he realized that he was used to all this, got used to it, and his heart skipped a beat.".

The antagonist hero Jack, who leads the hunters, and then “dragged” all the inhabitants of the island into his savage tribe, feels quite differently. He comes up with painting faces - at first it's just a disguise for hunting, but then it turns into something more: "The mask was already living an independent life, and Jack hid behind it, casting aside any shame."... By the end of the novel, all the boys, except for Ralph, lost their faces and names: they became just faceless savages, painted white, green and red.

Another curious detail: Jack and his hunters come up with a kind of ritual, a hunting dance.

“Maurice, screeching, ran into the center of the circle, pretending to be a pig; the hunters, continuing to circle, feigned murder. They danced, they sang.

- Beat the pig! Cut your throat! Finish it off! "

At first it was a funny game, a joke in which even Ralph took part, thereby allowing the hidden, primitive, wild part of his soul to break out. But each time the dance became more and more angry, more and more terrible: “A ring closed around Robert. Robert screamed, first in mock horror, then in real pain. "... It is clear that at some point everything will get out of control.

(Great Britain, 1963, directed by Peter Brook).

Face of death

One of the key scenes in Golding's novel is the evening storm during which Jack's tribe held a feast. Ralph, Piggy and other guys also came to the fire, attracted by grilled meat, which is impossible to resist after a long fruit diet. Darkness, thunderstorm, heated passions - all this led to the next wild dances. And it was at this moment that Simon came running, hurrying to convey to his friends the news that there was no beast.

“The kids screeched from the edge of the forest, one, not remembering himself, broke through the ring of the elders:

- It's him! He!

The circle became a horseshoe. Something vague and dark crept from the forest. A harsh cry rolled ahead of the beast.

The beast tumbled in, almost fell into the center of the horseshoe.

- Beat the beast! Cut your throat! Let the blood out!

The blue scar never left the sky, the crash was unbearable. Simon shouted something about a dead body on the mountain.

- Hit the beast! Cut your throat! Let the blood out! Kill the beast!

The sticks banged, the horseshoe crunched and closed again in a screaming circle.

The beast was on its knees in the center of the circle, the beast covered its face with its hands. Trying to block the screaming disgusting noise, the beast shouted something about the dead man on the mountain. Here the beast made its way, pulled out of the circle and fell from the steep edge of the cliff onto the sand, to the water. The crowd rushed after him, glass from the cliff, hit the beast, beat him, bit, tore. There were no words, and there were no other movements - only tearing claws and teeth ".

Subsequently, Piggy and the Erikisem twins will shamefully deny their involvement in the "dance": “We were standing next to each other. We did nothing, we saw nothing. (...) We left early, we are tired "... And only Ralph will find the strength to admit that it was a murder. The death of Simon is a turning point in history, a point of no return, after which the horror of everything that happens will only grow.

Piggy. Thick and awkward, with asthma-kakassym. We don't even know his name, while we remember the names of the minor characters - Henry, Bill, Percival. However, he is smart, and even Ralph admits it: “Piggy knows how to think. How great he is, he will always turn everything in order in his fat head. But who is Piggy in charge? Piggy is funny, fat-bellied, but his pot is cooking, that's for sure "... In addition, it was thanks to Piggy that the boys were able to kindle a signal fire - with the help of his glasses, which became one of the symbols of rationality, order, and hope of salvation.

It is clear that the boy, nicknamed Piggy, does not expect anything good on the island, where pigs are found to be bled. Hunter Roger, an obvious sadist, a gloomy "double" of the harmless Simon, who at the beginning of the novel simply threw stones at the kids, commits a deliberate murder of a person. He drops a stone block on Piggy.

“The stone went over Piggy from head to knee; the horn shattered into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, without a word, without a sound, flew sideways from the cliff, turning over on the fly. The stone jumped twice and disappeared into the forest. Piggy flew forty feet and fell backwards onto that red, square boulder in the sea. The head snapped open and the contents fell out and turned red. Piggy's arms and legs twitched a little, like a pig's when she's just killed. Then the sea sighed again, slowly, heavily, boiling over a block of white pink foam; and when it drained away again, Piggy was gone ".

Together with Piggy, the seashell also "perishes" - the horn with which Ralph called meetings, another symbol of reason and orderliness. An attempt to create a civilized society failed: a horde of boys turned into a primitive tribe ruled by the leader Jack, which obeys primitive and cruel laws. Ralph is left alone.

Shot from the movie "Lord of the Flies"

(USA, 1990, directed by Harry Hook).

Got it ...

So, a handsome, strong, intelligent leader turns into an outcast. The ending of Golding's novel is steeped in horror: Ralph is not only wounded, alone and confused, but a real hunt begins for him. And worst of all, the Ericisam twins warned that "Roger sharpened his stick at both ends."... At the same time, Ralph is holding the same double-edged spear that he picked up after destroying the sickening idol - Lord of the Flies. This means that his head will be the next "gift to darkness, a gift to the beast."

The narrative is filled with chaos, in which panic and hatred are mixed. The jungle came to life when Ralph was surrounded. Everything around him rumbled as the savages pushed huge boulders at him, hidden. Ralph lost the remnants of common sense, and he was chased away, like hunters chasing a screeching wild boar when the whole island was ablaze with fire.

“Ralph shouted - out of fear, despair, anger. His legs straightened themselves, he screamed and screamed, he could not stop. He darted forward into the thicket, flew into the clearing, he screamed, he growled, and blood dripped. He struck with a stake, the savage rolled; but others were already rushing at him, yelling. He dodged the flying spear and ran on in silence. Suddenly, the lights flickering ahead merged, the roar of the forest became thunder, and the bush in its path crumbled into a huge fan of flame ".

The appearance of a naval officer on the shore sums up everything that happened, puts everything "on the shelves." The adult's intervention is so sudden that it magically cuts off Ralph's tantrum and the blind rage of the hunters.

“- Are there no adults here?

Ralph shook his head as if dumb. He turned. On the shore, in a semicircle, quietly, quietly stood the boys with sharp sticks in their hands, smeared with colored clay.

- Have you finished playing? - said the officer.

The fire reached the coconut trees on the shore and swallowed them with a noise.

Jumping like an acrobat, the flames threw out a separate tongue and licked the tops of the palms on the landing. The sky was black. ".

The sobering reproaches of an adult, his calmness, his white cap and neat uniform, epaulettes, a revolver, golden buttons on his uniform - all this is set off by the nightmare that Ralph has just experienced. And mixed with this are memories of how great everything was in the beginning, how beautiful the island was.

"Dirty, shaggy, with a worn-out nose, Ralph sobbed over his former innocence, over how dark the human soul is, over how his faithful and wise friend nicknamed Piggy was turning over on the fly.".

Stills from the movie "Lord of the Flies"

(USA, 1990, directed by Harry Hook).

* * *

To save themselves, the children lit a signal fire - small, safe, controllable. But it turned out to be useless, the idea was untenable. The adults arrived only after seeing the smoke from the fire that devoured the fabulous island. This is the bitter truth that reads between the lines.

A tribe, a leader, painted faces, feasts after a successful hunt, dancing by the fire ... It was in this way that primitive people went to civilization, to progress. It was the only way to survive, to subdue the uncontrollable and dangerous nature, to overcome the all-consuming irrational fear, to resist the evil forces hidden in souls. And the boys who found themselves in isolation, degraded, descended to the savages ... thereby making a step forward, like their ancestors millions of years ago.

This is where the eerie truth of the Lord of the Flies lies. The worst thing is that this is a book about all people. This book is about you and me.