Lord of the Flies

Why does the desert or the desert island always tell us something essential about ourselves? From the nomadic spirit of religion to fantasy islands to economic and political models. Islands are also Utopian places, spaces where nature is uncorrupted and primordial innocence is regained.

Lord of the Flies. It is the conch that unifies everyone-big ‘uns and little ‘uns alike. Sound as the unifying factor, the shell as a symbolic axis around which people can gather. This is not the simple story of what happens to society when order breaks down, when the rules are relaxed-at least that’s not the most interesting part of it. It is the little things that are equally revealing: The way in which there is a reluctance to shed blood but also how, once this has been done, this violence can be transferred to other ‘objects’. It is the frenzy of the first kill, the sheer thrill of it , the heightened sense of awareness that ensues as a result of the pursuit, the release of energy in the kill that fascinates. It is all these things that make the tearing of flesh such a memorable experience and something that stays with mankind.

But there are other themes as well. ‘Piggy’ is the first storyteller, the unsung hero who is always rejected, but who was there before everyone else. Ridicule and laughter are also something that can unite the tribe. But it is ultimately his stories that help pass the time, that soothe the nerves of all those who fear the onset of darkness. It is Piggy who can hear and relate what cannot be uttered: the presence of the Beast. What would a tribe be without its storytellers? It is he who knows how words acquired their original meaning (Camberly). Is it the storytellers who first learn how to bind men together and initiate us into the first political community? Even if their influence is sporadic and tentative, it still has its functions, and we are still spellbound by its rhythms. It is also his glasses which serve as the key to their survival: fire.

Ralph and Jack are the first estranged brothers. The election of one sows the seeds of resentment that fester in his heart until a break from the original unity is affected. From then on he is to remain a wanderer, an outcast. Ralph is the Socratic King , with his practical wisdom. He understands that the little ones must be cared for. For Jack and his pack of hunters such compassion is of little use. Other children are only important in so far as they need him, the provider, only as long as they affirm his power over them. The hunters were , it must be remembered, first of all the ‘priests’ (the choir). The original split: royal power and the power of the priest-king.

And then there is the final scene, as the elements rageand fire and water are mixed, the crowd forms, swarms, driving itself into a delirious state, into the realm of pre-consciousness; the rhythmic music reinforces this cosmic unity. They all dance around the fire-man’s first stomping grounds. Is the murder intentional or unintentional? This question can never be resolved. But perhaps, as one of the small children hesitatingly says, the true horror, the unfathomable mystery, is that the beast is in us.