EwokPiss t1_j231gyk wrote on December 29, 2022 at 7:44 AM

You should interpret the book as you like.

However, I would point out a few things that I thought about while and after reading. Primates of all sorts regularly kill each other. They aren't necessarily bloodthirsty, but seem to do so to ensure their tribes survival. Resources are probably the main reason why humans go to war. There is a finite amount of them which means everyone cannot have everything. I don't think that aspect (resource scarcity) was well represented, but it's pretty clear that war occurs regularly and that we kill each other in brutal ways.

Lord of the Flies is regularly criticized for its unrealistic depiction and I think it's a good criticism overall, but I don't particularly agree with the idea that humans aren't warlike naturally. It seems clear that we historically are for a variety of reasons and only recently, with society reaching our modern sophistication, that wars are more rare (which isn't meant to imply that this time is better).

Just my thoughts.

AbbyM1968 t1_j27vjc3 wrote on December 30, 2022 at 7:21 AM

One thing I read about lotf was the plane that dropped them off ejected them because it was called to go fight in a war. I had to check whether that was true: it was. The boys weren't on the island very long, I don't think; couple of weeks, maybe? They were a boy's school class returning from something when they were ejected to the island. At the end of the book, when they were retrieved, the captain remarked he expected better of ____ boy's; that they'd be able to organize society. One of the leading boys said, "It started out that way ..."

But, I think it was about how close savagery is to the surface. And how little it takes to bring it out. (Sorry: dim, 35 y.o. memories)

Ultinia OP t1_j2cd8tu wrote on December 31, 2022 at 4:58 AM

The problem with resources is that they really were quite abundant in the book. As for humans being warlike naturally, now that I think about it (and maybe look a little at history) I guess we actually are very prone to war. But in the book, what was the reason for this war? Was Jack the only instigator, simply wanting power for himself? Did the other boys just follow him because he satisfied their needs better?

EwokPiss t1_j2cev9j wrote on December 31, 2022 at 5:13 AM

I think you're thinking about this too logically. It's true that people often think logically, but a lot of people, especially young boys, don't. It isn't what the antagonist provided, but how he made them feel. He satisfied their need to feel a certain way. Plus he did provide the first pig (if memory serves) and he had previous rapport (I think he was one of the choir boys).

Civilization was on the edge and he pushed it over.