Kid reviews for Lord of the Flies (2023)

FAQs

Is Lord of the Flies appropriate for kids? ›

This coming-of-age book by William Golding is published by Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Group and is written for ages 13 and up.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding has been a staple in high school English classrooms for decades, mainly because of its biting analysis of human nature and the need for society in order to avoid the deadly dangers of chaos.

This book's Lexile measure is 770L and is frequently taught in the 9th and 10th grade.

William Golding's 1954 novel "Lord of the Flies" tells the story of a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a deserted island. They develop rules and a system of organization, but without any adults to serve as a civilizing impulse, the children eventually become violent and brutal.

Lord of the Flies (1963), directed by Peter Brook, was classified X (suitable only for those aged 16 and over) for language and nudity as well as the final scenes in the film, which were considered too strong and alarming for children.

The book overall was so unrealistic not to mention confusing. The end made no sense and the symbolism was just over the top. Everything had to have some deep meaning to it and other random concepts were pulled into it.

The central concern of Lord of the Flies is the conflict between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group against the instinct to gratify one's immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy ...

"The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable."

Lord of the Flies by William Golding was challenged in the Waterloo Iowa schools in 1992 because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled. In 2000, it was challenged, but retained on the ninth-grade accelerated English reading list in Bloomfield, NY.

Let's get the easy part out of the way first: "the Lord of the Flies" is what Simon ends up calling the severed pig's head—presumably because it's covered in flies. So, calling the book Lord of the Flies brings the boys' primitive violence front and center.

Why is Lord of the Flies controversial? ›

Controversy over Content

Much of the disturbing passages from Lord of the Flies involve graphic images of violence. As the boys stay on the island lengthens, Golding gradually exposes the innate, savage nature of human beings. Thus, Golding has the boys resort to hunting and killing animals.

Every change in “Lord of the Flies” (rated R for language and violence) was probably made for commercial considerations. Every change was probably justified as a way to bring “important material” to a wider audience.

The spectacles represent the boys' only means of obtaining fire through reflecting the sun's rays, and fire itself is symbolic of survival and rescue. Jack snatches the glasses off Piggy's face to create the fire, despite Piggy's protestations, and his dependence upon them.

In the final pages of Lord of the Flies , Ralph runs through the jungle fleeing both Jack and his pack of savage boys and the fire Jack set on the mountain. Ralph emerges onto the beach and is discovered by a British Naval officer who has come ashore after seeing the burning island from his ship.

He comes from a lower social class than the others and has been brought up by an auntie. He wears glasses, is fat, has asthma and seems to be a bit lazy. Piggy saw the smile and misinterpreted it as friendliness.

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic literary work that is notably disturbing. The novel is about a group of British boys that land on a deserted island after their plane crashes during World War Two. There are no adults to guide these boys, so they must survive on their own.

Piggy. Piggy is a fat, shy twelve-year-old boy who has asthma; he is the only one who knows how to correctly pronounce asthma. The other boys on the island pronounce it as "ass-mar".

The group is roughly divided into the "littluns," boys around the age of six, and the "biguns," who are between the ages of ten and twelve.

He cannot be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys. Piggy also relies too heavily on the power of social convention. He believes that holding the conch gives him the right to be heard. He believes that upholding social conventions get results.

Dramatic Irony in Lord of the Flies

The irony is that grownups are afraid. They can't discuss and agree on things. That is the reason the boys are trapped on an island. If adults could discuss, there would have been no war, and the boys would be safe at school.

What is so good about Lord of the Flies? ›

The book is an allegory and commentary on morality and society. It talks about the difference of living in an orderly world compared to living a world in chaos, it talks about using reason over emotions in your judgment and living in order and law versus living in savagery.

Three themes in 'Lord of the Flies' are civilization vs. savagery, the impact of humankind on nature, and the nature of humanity.

While Piggy admonishes the boys for becoming savages, Roger releases a huge boulder in Piggy's direction, knocking him off the cliff to his death on the rocks below. A large wave quickly carries off his body.

Golding contends that human nature, when free from the constraints of society, draws people away from common sense to savagery. His fundamental arguments are that human beings are savage by nature, and are moved by urges toward brutality and dominance over others.

In the case of the boys on the island, they lose their sense of what is right and what is wrong when their own remodelling of society crumbles. It seems that Golding considers evil to be part of what is is to be human, and that an evil streak can be found in us all.

Golding himself has said he focused his book on only boys, and not only girls, for two reasons. The first was that he was once a little boy, not a little girl, and the second was that a “a group of little boys are more like scaled down society than a group of little girls will be.

Introduction to Simon's Death

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the character of Simon is also put to death while trying to spread knowledge to the other boys on the island. His death is meaningful because it calls attention to many of the symbolic messages in the book.

Piggy's real name is never revealed. Instead he is treated as though he is one of the pigs on the island - also like one of them, he is brutally killed. Piggy remains an outsider and a victim throughout the novel, though Ralph does come to respect him.

Here, Golding makes clear that the pig's head, which is also referred to as Lord of the Flies, another name for the Devil, is a symbol of the beast, which represents evil. During his hallucination, Simon understands that the beast is not something that can be killed because it exists inside humans.

When Piggy dies in Lord of the Flies? ›

Piggy dies when approaching Jack's camp with Ralph. The two hope to appeal to reason and get the whole group of castaways together again in cooperation. Up above on the rocks, Roger dislodges a boulder that glances off Piggy's front from face to knees and sends him over the cliff to his death on the rocks below.

Introduced as a quiet and intense older boy, Roger eventually becomes a sadistic and brutal terrorist over the course of Lord of the Flies . Midway through the book, Roger's cruelty begins to surface in an episode where he terrorizes the littlun Henry by throwing rocks at him.

Despite challenges, the book has never been banned. Lord of the Flies is currently ranked number eight on American Library Association's (ALA) list of Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century.

One of Golding's main themes is that all mankind has a sinful nature, and it manifests more easily in the absence of societal comfort. In the Lord of the Flies, he used young boys to represent mankind and the adult guardian figure to represent God.

This story never happened. An English schoolmaster, William Golding, made up this story in 1951 – his novel Lord of the Flies would sell tens of millions of copies, be translated into more than 30 languages and hailed as one of the classics of the 20th century.

Lord of the Flies is a classic for a reason. It's well worth a read and really quite readable as classics go. If you're looking for an short classic book to get yourself into reading classics then Lord of the Flies is a great book to start with.

Lord of the Flies

Fire represents rescue and hope to the survivors. At first, the boys struggle to make a fire until Jack suggests that they could use Piggy's 'specs' and the sun's rays. The fire quickly burns out of control and a 'littlun' goes missing.

The Beast. The imaginary beast that frightens all the boys represents the primal instinct of savagery that exists within all human beings. The boys are afraid of the beast, but only Simon reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them.

Piggy represents the scientific and rational side of humanity, supporting Ralph's signal fires and helping to problem solve on the island. However, Piggy's asthma, weight, and poor eyesight make him physically inferior to the others, making him vulnerable to scorn and ostracism.

Much of the irony at the end of the novel stems from Golding's portrayal of the naval officer. Although the naval officer saves Ralph, the ending of Lord of the Flies still is not particularly happy, and the moment in which the officer encounters the boys is not one of untainted joy.

Why did Ralph cry at the end of Lord of the Flies? ›

Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy. These lines from the end of Chapter 12 occur near the close of the novel, after the boys encounter the naval officer, who appears as if out of nowhere to save them.

Right from the start, Jack has a savage nature. He is a cruel bully and picks on those who are weaker than himself. Throughout the novel he gradually turns into a real savage with no sense of justice or what is right. He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling.

Analysis: Chapter 11

Roger, the character least able to understand the civilizing impulse, crushes the conch shell as he looses the boulder and kills Piggy, the character least able to understand the savage impulse.

Ralph is the athletic, charismatic protagonist of Lord of the Flies. Elected the leader of the boys at the beginning of the novel, Ralph is the primary representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership in the novel.

The death of Piggy not only symbolizes the complete destruction of civility and rationality on the island, but means Ralph is on his own to contend with Jack and his barbaric tribe. Piggy was Ralph's biggest supporter throughout the novel because he shared Ralph's passion for a structured civil society.

There are many reviews from parents stating that the book is a nightmare for kids below 16. So you may have to wait a while before reading it as the book is not child friendly. You can watch the movie instead. The book is always better, actually best, but in this case you better watch the movie for now.

Official Challenges

Despite challenges, the book has never been banned. Lord of the Flies is currently ranked number eight on American Library Association's (ALA) list of Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century.

Restricted: R - Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Contains some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more about the film before taking their young children with them.

You is rated TV-MA on Netflix for sex, language, and violence, basically the trifecta of mature content. You is not kid friendly for kids nor most teens.

What is the main problem in Lord of the Flies? ›

The major conflict in Lord of the Flies is the struggle between Jack and Ralph. The fight for who will lead the island represents the clash between a peaceful democracy, as symbolized by Ralph, and a violent dictatorship, as symbolized by Jack.

In the darkness, Simon crawls into the group and tries to tell them what he has seen but it is too late. The boys have lost all control and thinking he is the Beast, they kill Simon - even Ralph and Piggy are involved. That night, Simon's body is carried out to sea.