Lord of the Flies (Casebook Edition Text Notes and Criticism)

Probably my favorite novel: a classic look at good versus evil and the inherent faculty for savagery that lies latently inside all human beings. Cynical and yet profound in tone, Golding attacks the notion of the "perfect savage," the idea that civilization is essentially an artificial and evil social construct, whereas Lord of the Flies argues that it is the only thing keeping us from regressing to the true and feral natures of our primitive ancestors. The central conflict takes place between Ralph, the democratic and civilizing voice of authority, and Jack, the repressed and violent voice of savagery (they can be likened, respectively, to Freud's "ego" and "id"). Meanwhile there is Piggy, a modern Promestheus and intellectual show more pragmatist; Simon, a compassionate "saint" and scapegoat who alone has the insight to identify "mankind's essential illness"; and Roger, a congenital sadist who represents evil in all its entirety. Inside each of these marooned British boys, as distinct as their individual personalities are, is the shared potential for moral degeneration, for violence, bloodlust, and murder. It is Beelzebub's enticing and corrupting cry for "fun" in its most visceral form; it is, quite aptly, the Lord of the Flies. show less