School Books Week: Lord of the Flies

Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
Artist: Faber & Faber


The Text Inside
From my least favorite 8th grade book to the one I liked the best. I've always liked the "survive on a deserted island" genre of books. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I barely noticed the heavy allegory, and what I did notice seemed well done.


Goodreads Book Review: 
At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. 


His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition.


The Actual Cover Picture:
The cover at the beginning, as with all the future posts, is the original edition, published in 1954 in England. It does a fairly good job of explaining with a glance the general idea of the book. The palm trees and fronds indicate that the book takes place in a tropical area, in the wilderness. The small boys which seem to blend into the background are easy to overlook at first, demonstrating that they are lost. It gives you the general idea of the setting and characters.


However, there is nothing particularly eye-catching about this image. The title, dark red on a yellow background, certainly stands out, but the rest of the image is difficult to see. This could be a good thing, as indicated above because of the connection to being lost, but it could also be difficult for people to look at and understand. Additionally, it does nothing to convey the tone of the story - this seems like a young boy's adventure story, when it is in reality much darker than that. 


Edition Differences
The image below is only one of several covers used on later releases in the US.
















I personally prefer this cover to the first. The fronds and twisted plants still give the impression of the jungle wilderness, and the boy on the cover has a youthful face with a piercing stare. This indicates both the setting (a deserted island) and the characters (innocent on the outside, soon haunted on the inside). It also gives a much darker impression than the original cover. 


Original Cover Rating:
Creativity: 4
Information: 4
Aesthetics: 3


OVERALL: 4 out of 5