Considering watching a movie tonight? Well, you’d do well to avoid these movies! At the very least, call a friend over, stat! The Birds: We start with a classic. Alfred Hitchcock pretty much outdid himself with this scary movie, which … Continue reading
Okay…hands up: how many of you read Lord of the Flies in high school? Okay, cool. Now how many of you have read or re-read Lord of the Flies as an ADULT? Right. That’s what I thought.
Lord of the Flies was written in 1954 and, surprisingly, took well into the 60s before it became a commercial success. Written by William Golding, it has been made into two films, the first version being in 1963 and the second version in 1990.
From 1963 version:
Lord of the Flies is an absolutely scathing and bleak portrayal of what can happen to a society without rules. ANARCHY. You can’t help but read and hold your breath in anticipation of what exactly is going to happen. This is my third go round with the book and each time I read it, it gets better and better.
The book centers around a group of children who are marooned on an island in the middle of nowhere after getting “shot down”. The time the book is set isn’t specified, nor is the reason why the plane they were in was “shot down”.
There are a few central characters that are almost caricatures of the good and bad in society. There’s Ralph, the essential leader. He has charisma, he has good intentions, a good heart. He has priorities and tries to set the upon the others. His ideas are respectable, worthy and worthwhile.
There’s “Piggy”, an overweight young man with health issues and wearing glasses, the essential adviser. He is Ralph’s right hand man, giving wise insight into every decision and move that Ralph makes in attempting to govern the castaways.
Then there’s Jack, the one with the dark heart. He leads the mutiny against Ralph, with disastrous consequences to members of the tribe, including Piggy.
The message in the book is simple: Rules breed society. No rules breed anarchy and lawlessness.
