Quote:
Original post by Sirisian
No I get that, but I just find it hard to believe they mistook him for the beast. Try to put yourself in their shoes and imagine you see one of your friends walk out from the forest at night. It's hard to kill them especially if they say something. meh.
Actually, that's largely the point. At least it's one of the points. It's a book about the fundamental flaws of human nature, and the little British school boys (it's no accident there were no girls) were chosen by Golding because he believed they would present the most representative microcosm of human society at large. This particular instant illustrates the primal nature of humans that reared its head when the kids were overcome by superstition, artificially manufactured fear, and social pressure.
The last book I read was
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. If you don't already know about it, it's an often cited example of magical realism, a style of writing that has become popular in the last few decades. It's a very fanciful story where the emotions of characters are often closely tied with physical reality. Not everybody will like it, but I do recommend that anyone who's not been exposed to magical realism at least give it a try.
[Edited by - nilkn on July 16, 2009 3:35:29 PM]
