WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
"Lord of the Flies" (1963) is a film based on William Golding's 1954 novel, which went by the same name. This film, like its written counterpart, can be taken two different ways. In one aspect, Lord of the Flies is an enjoyable adventure story, with several elements of horror, as well. From another point-of-view, the position William Golding obviously took when he wrote his novel, Lord of the Flies is an paradigm of human nature. The film does its novel justice in discussing both literally and figuratively the primordial nature of man and how the superego plays a major role.
Symbolism is abundant in this film. Ralph, the protagonist, represents democracy and rightness, while Jack, the antagonist, represents totalitarianism and wrongness. Furthermore, the conch Ralph uses to attempt to establish rules represents governmental order and decorum. While Ralph struggles with a small amount of boys to build huts (representing safety and man's dependence on nature), Jack is out with his hunters killing pigs, signifying their fall into savagery.
Piggy, Ralph's "sidekick" of sorts, is asthmatic and unwilling to help with chores, but nonetheless represents intelligence and clearsightedness. The fact that Piggy is mocked, ignored and the object of derision exemplifies the real life fact that true intelligence is usually not paid any attention. When Piggy is killed the conch is shattered into thousands of little fragments. This represents the complete termination of any sense of intelligence, rationality or order the island may have at once had.
Simon, the most introspective of the characters and a true loner, represents Jesus Christ. He faints when the choir boys first meet Ralph and he offers some of his meat to Piggy when no one else would share with the corpulent young boy. Early in the novel a young boy with a mulberry birthmark raises the question of a beast, which he says he saw moving through the foliage one night. Simon says it was him going to meditate but the littlun's (the small children) are still nervous. When Simon finds a dead parachutist atop the island (which Sam and Eric saw and mistakenly believed was the beast) he staggers down the island's mountain to tell the boys that the "beast" is not real. This is reminiscent of Christ staggering under the weight of his own cross.
However, Jack, his men, and even Ralph and Piggy, are caught up in a festive tribal dance. When Simon appears he is mistaken for a beast and beaten to death. When this occurs, wind causes the parachute atop the island to detach from the twigs which snagged it and the dead parachutist's body flies out to sea as Simon is dragged out to sea, as well. This shows that Simon was and forever will be the only one of the boys to truly know where the beast was the entire time: in their hearts.
Roger, an inimical character representing the embodiment of pure evil and sadism, is the one who kills Piggy. He gets sadistic pleasure from torturing pigs, and he enjoyably kicks down sand castles the littlun's build and throws stones at Henry. Roger is the personification of the base stage of the human psyche: evil.
Sam and Eric, twins collectively known as Samneric, represent society. They are naturally good and assist Ralph with collecting fruit and building huts. However, Jack eventually captures them and they are forced to join his tribe. When Jack and his men hunt Ralph near the end of the film, Samneric reluctantly give in and inform Jack of Ralph's hiding place, showing that anarchy caused them to lose all sense of loyalty to others.
Lord of the Flies is truly a masterpiece. It exemplifies Freudian thought, observable human behavioral characteristics, and the incontrovertible reality of the human psyche. The superego, the part of our brain concerned only with our own survival, can take over if rules are not existent. Society keeps humans sane, and lack of civility will inevitably lead to savagery.
Yes, Lord of the Flies is a great adventure story, but it is also the greatest representation of the human spirit ever created. Praise Golding for the invention, and praise Brooks for his wonderful interpretation.
"Lord of the Flies" (1963) is a film based on William Golding's 1954 novel, which went by the same name. This film, like its written counterpart, can be taken two different ways. In one aspect, Lord of the Flies is an enjoyable adventure story, with several elements of horror, as well. From another point-of-view, the position William Golding obviously took when he wrote his novel, Lord of the Flies is an paradigm of human nature. The film does its novel justice in discussing both literally and figuratively the primordial nature of man and how the superego plays a major role.
Symbolism is abundant in this film. Ralph, the protagonist, represents democracy and rightness, while Jack, the antagonist, represents totalitarianism and wrongness. Furthermore, the conch Ralph uses to attempt to establish rules represents governmental order and decorum. While Ralph struggles with a small amount of boys to build huts (representing safety and man's dependence on nature), Jack is out with his hunters killing pigs, signifying their fall into savagery.
Piggy, Ralph's "sidekick" of sorts, is asthmatic and unwilling to help with chores, but nonetheless represents intelligence and clearsightedness. The fact that Piggy is mocked, ignored and the object of derision exemplifies the real life fact that true intelligence is usually not paid any attention. When Piggy is killed the conch is shattered into thousands of little fragments. This represents the complete termination of any sense of intelligence, rationality or order the island may have at once had.
Simon, the most introspective of the characters and a true loner, represents Jesus Christ. He faints when the choir boys first meet Ralph and he offers some of his meat to Piggy when no one else would share with the corpulent young boy. Early in the novel a young boy with a mulberry birthmark raises the question of a beast, which he says he saw moving through the foliage one night. Simon says it was him going to meditate but the littlun's (the small children) are still nervous. When Simon finds a dead parachutist atop the island (which Sam and Eric saw and mistakenly believed was the beast) he staggers down the island's mountain to tell the boys that the "beast" is not real. This is reminiscent of Christ staggering under the weight of his own cross.
However, Jack, his men, and even Ralph and Piggy, are caught up in a festive tribal dance. When Simon appears he is mistaken for a beast and beaten to death. When this occurs, wind causes the parachute atop the island to detach from the twigs which snagged it and the dead parachutist's body flies out to sea as Simon is dragged out to sea, as well. This shows that Simon was and forever will be the only one of the boys to truly know where the beast was the entire time: in their hearts.
Roger, an inimical character representing the embodiment of pure evil and sadism, is the one who kills Piggy. He gets sadistic pleasure from torturing pigs, and he enjoyably kicks down sand castles the littlun's build and throws stones at Henry. Roger is the personification of the base stage of the human psyche: evil.
Sam and Eric, twins collectively known as Samneric, represent society. They are naturally good and assist Ralph with collecting fruit and building huts. However, Jack eventually captures them and they are forced to join his tribe. When Jack and his men hunt Ralph near the end of the film, Samneric reluctantly give in and inform Jack of Ralph's hiding place, showing that anarchy caused them to lose all sense of loyalty to others.
Lord of the Flies is truly a masterpiece. It exemplifies Freudian thought, observable human behavioral characteristics, and the incontrovertible reality of the human psyche. The superego, the part of our brain concerned only with our own survival, can take over if rules are not existent. Society keeps humans sane, and lack of civility will inevitably lead to savagery.
Yes, Lord of the Flies is a great adventure story, but it is also the greatest representation of the human spirit ever created. Praise Golding for the invention, and praise Brooks for his wonderful interpretation.