It’s the title of a 1954 fiction book by William Golding, regarding a bunch of schoolboys (aged between 10-13 i think) who find themselves stranded on an island. (i think the boys had been sent by their parents during a war to another country, and the plane they were on crashed killing the pilot and crew immediately. That might be inaccurate, though, i don’t really remember). They are the quintessential British schoolboys at the beginning, very proper, disciplined, blah blah blah. Golding narrates their transition from that of being “civilized” to becoming “barbaric”. There are no adults on the island and the boys literally live in isolation; eventually they begin to form groups or cliques of their own and indulge in pretty gruesome activities. (That’s where the book incidentally gets its name). When the book was published, it caused bit of an uproar because of Golding’s pessimistic outlook on humanity - if humans don’t have tangible ties with society, then we will become savage and barbaric, was his basic thesis.
Now i’m wondering… how true is that? Do we need to live as part of a “civilized society” in order to remain ‘civilized’? What about tribal groups like the Masai in southern Africa - they’re not living in pure isolation, but they do have their own exclusivist society (to some extent, although this is gradually breaking down i think). What about monks in monasteries - in Nepal, for example? i’ve heard of some monks going berserk but those were exceptional cases. Can human beings live in isolation without heading towards insanity? Has anyone read Golding’s book - do you think it is overly pessimistic?
read the book...pessimistic, dunno bout that...but it does make u think...about control, and to what degree do u need control...and what happens when its the wrong sort of control (i recall a boy bullyin around the rest makin 'em do whatever)...so even in isolation, the boys had banded together (most of them neways) and followed a certain plan for all the havoc that happens later on...thats what really stood out for me while i was readin the book :) dunno if anyone else saw it the same way...
You wrote precisely what i was trying to say in my rambled-long-tedious way. Yes, one boy became the all-powerful bully on the island - to the extent that they tried, at the very end of the book, almost murdering the other kid (the kid with glasses, i think who always got picked on?). i guess that was another of Golding’s reflections on ‘us’ - that when you have a situation where there is no tangible authority (i.e., no adults on the island), then invariably one member from that group will break out and try to assert his authority in a very powerful, even violent, way.
read the book and saw the movie in highschool. interesting way of looking into society through the reflection of those kids desserted in an island. how one becomes a leader, how they fought for survival. unique perspective of looking into social and individual behaviour. i dont think he was pessimistic, i think the book was practical.
Thanks, Suroor Do you mean the book was practical because it shows us what can happen to a group of human beings if they live in a society without rules & over-riding authority [in the boys’ case, the lack of their teachers, principals or parents] ? Do you think he was trying to say that human beings need companionship, they need to be part of a larger society, whether it’s a family/a country/a tribe, etc? What about people who want to be apart from society deliberately [not being completely cut off, but to some extent sever some ties from ‘civilized’ society]? Would they necessarily go insane ?
to be honest nadia, there r so many themes and interpretation of that story, u can take all the points u have stated and talk about it indivisually. i hope that makes sense?
^ Definitely, of course you make sense. You are right, the book is filled with diverse themes.
The theme i was more interested in, is probably humans and isolation... i disagree that if we live in a more isolated fashion, there is something inherently dangerous about that. Humans ARE social animals, but a little isolation from a society is not a bad thing.
I'm not quite sure if it has to do with living in isolation. I see it more about living without supervision, without a guiding force, in lawlessness which brings out the evil side of mankind.
Read the book, seen the movies, and yes I think it’s quite possible for humans to lean towards insanity while living in isolation. You almost begin to question why Eve was created for Adam to begin with or why having a companion to talk to is so essential to even our health, as physicians and scientists say nowadays. However, I don’t think his book is overly pessimistic. It’s a reflection of one angle of reality, given that a situation was to occur where someone or a group of people had to be isolated for prolonged periods of time, possibly even forever. It leaves you, sitting in the comfort of cozy homes among family and friends, with questions about possibilities never before explored in your mind.
