This book is forever trapped in my memory. Back in high school as we finished reading this book my English teacher began class by announcing that he was briefly needed in the office. He laid out our assignments and left. Well the minutes ticked on and we soon thought his meeting would take longer than expected. It didn’t take long for assignments to be forgotten and the chaos to begin. One student even became a scout to announce if he was headed back. He didn’t return until the last minutes of class and we used the following class period to discuss how quickly order can devolve when authority is absent. It really drilled home that we would probably act much like the boys on the island given the opportunity.

One of those books I'll never forget. I throughly enjoyed your thoughts about it, I also thought you'd bring out the parallels to WW2. Absolutely love your channel and continue the good work.

Terrific evaluation of the book...and wonderful thought provoking questions...

Honestly, you are single handedly adding more to my TBR than anyone else. Lord of the Flies is now on the list.

Thanks for coming back on KZfaq!! Happy Holidays 😊

Great review Tristan. I haven't read this book. It's intriguing me. Watching this review made me think what would happen if the human being is really free to act as they like without the laws. I am afraid the world will be a total disaster. Even with laws the world went "crazy". It's scary to think that a person can be capable to do atrocities given the chance. I will save this video for when I read the book. Thanks for sharing 😊

Brilliant! Very much enjoyed this review as I’ve watched a few for this book, and yet you have added your own flair to it. I’ve always found parallels between the characters of this book and the lost boys in Peter Pan. Great work!

This is a great review. I haven’t read this since middle school 25 years ago. You give an interesting perspective

I read the book in English class in a German High School. It disturbed me and I haven’t forgotten how it made me feel to this day. Our teacher took us to the cinema and we watched a movie adaptation and he also advised us to pick up Coral Island by Ballantyne (which I did). I really enjoyed your thoughts and lots of memories came back. I never picked it up again but I might do it now.

Great review, Tristan! We were assigned both Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm in high school, and though I did enjoy them then, it wasn't until I read them years later that I could appreciate the truth found in these 2 deceptively short books. I appreciate your mentioning the connection between Nimrod as well as the myopic view of Piggy. I'd seen the Nimrod connection, but I haven't heard anyone talk about it, and though I recognized the nearsighted view, you're making me think about that a little deeper in the context of science and its role (both positive/negative) today. Thanks so much and hope things are well your way.

I just finished reading. What caught my attention wasn't so much the social or religious significance, but rather what I perceive as a pretty good reflection of human nature and psychology. I don't think it makes sense to describe the characters in this book as purely good or bad, but rather as human beings (specifically and importantly, children) with nuanced experiences and motivations. Jack, Ralph and even Piggy are not guided by pure logic or reason, but by things related to human experience, emotions, fear of death, the unknown and loneliness, the need to belong and not be rejected by others (which is why Ralph himself often bullies or rejects Piggy), the need and ways to protect one's own psyche from the horrific implications of one's own actions (which is why both sides find their own ways to deflect the truth about their responsibility for Simon's murder), the dynamics of mob mentality and how logic fails to prevail when emotions such as fear, the need to belong to the group for comfort and survival, the dangers of loneliness and so on, all come into play in a critical context of danger and survival.

Ahhh YOU are back Tristan! Soooo very grateful for your work and another brilliant upload!! Because of your channel, id love to go back in time and chose English literature as my major 😩 can’t dive into the novel! 🙏 thank you

Yay! I just rewatched your video on annotating last night. Excited for a new video from you!

I m definitely gonna read this book! Thanks for the great analysis!

First! So happy you're back!! I love your videos. You helped me read Resurrection, which I begun almost 40 years ago and never ended... Are you going to go on with the book club? I love it very much. Have a nice day!

Wonderful that you are making videos again~ I do so enjoy your reviews!! Thank you.

A work I've been meaning to reread. I had it in mind to read Ballantyne's Coral Island first, but never made time to do so. Having your video pop up certainly resparks an interest though.

Glad you’re back. We’ve missed you.

Thanks Tristan, Until I watched your review of Lord of the Flies, this book was high up on my never ever going to read it list. Now I'm not so sure!

Hi Tristan ! I read that one a while ago… Loved it then ! Your review as usual made me want to reread it ! With a new perspective. Ahhhh so much to read ! But rereads are actually very gratifying as well. I’m currently enjoying Far From the Madding Crowd for the second time around and what a pleasant journey it is ! Thank you for your valuable work ! Take care 🙂

Great review Tristan. I will certainly re-read it (after I think 46 years) but first have to finish the breaththaking Jane Eyre. And I am taking my time for that... ;-)

Thanks for such an insightful and wonderful analysis. I place Golding at the same level as John Steinbeck in my readings. As I read more of Golding's works, I would not be surprised if I rank him higher since his writing is more allegorical. Two trivial points. First, when Ralph is asked at the end of the story about the number of deaths, he replies two. In fact, there were three since one has to include the boy with the facial birth mark. The second point is that, here in North America, conch is pronounced "konk".

Interestingly, many Native American Tribes used an beautifuly adorned "talking stick" at tribal meetings. They sat in a circle and only when holding the talking stick were you allowed to speak. Makes one wonder where the idea of the talking conch came from.

I read it as a young teen and cried my eyes out for days!

I read this in high school!! I’m 73 today. It’s never left my thoughts!! I bought another copy at ThriftBooks to reread again!!

Was LOTR influenced by High Wind In Jamaica ? Truman Capote thought so. I think he called it a 'complete steal? Richard Hughes is a great novelist.

Would you consider breaking down 'The Spire' (also by Goulding) at any point? I found it even more covert and inbetween-the-lines than LOTF, and not just in terms of deeper meaning, but more-so events in the foreground of the plot, that you can easily miss (which i did lol) if not reading very carefully.

Yes, at school, disturbing but great.

A cracking read!

Tristan, your analysis is far more interesting than my experience of reading this book🤌🏼

_Spoilers here!!!_ Good analysis. I just finished this last night. Who was your favorite character? Mine was Simon. Simon is a mystic who tries to mediate between the two camps. The "conversion" of Jack from Choirmaster to chief savage was an eye-opener. _He_ seemed very myopic to me (even more than Piggy), carefully examining the skills to be a successful hunter, as described by Golding. The _religion_ of the Hunter. Once Jack finds that that _one_ skill is sufficient for control over the other natives, he stops trying to understand or care about other people. In the climatic scene we have the deaths of Simon (mediation) and Piggy (science), and the destruction of the conch (democracy), at the hands of Roger (pulling the lever of the boulder). I was pleased by the character of Ralph. He could have become a bully, but he was kind to Piggy. I don't know if it is meant as (or even is) comic relief (it just seems that way to me) but it seems like every time Piggy gets the conch he says "I've got the conch", and everyone says "Shut up, Piggy." I think it was Golding's intent to have the reader rooting for Ralph in the Ralph/Jack conflict. Could the book have been written the other way around? That is, Ralph the priggish English "stiff upper lip", and Jack the caring individual feeding his people?