Just finished this book for an out of class assignment and I need some serious help writing my essay. We have set themes we're supposed to connect our essay topic to, but I'm having the hardest time with it. Anyone care to set me on the right track? I think once I've got my theme and essay topic connected it will be much easier for me to write my paper.

Themes:
- Civilised society keeps human beings from reverting to a primitive, more savage state.
- All individuals have a natural capacity for brutality.
- A society can often be judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens.
- Defects in society can be traced to the defects in individuals.

Essay topic:
In your judgment, does Golding end his novel pessimistically or opimistically? Consider the themes [see above] we've discussed in class, including the dual settings of the macrocosm vs. microcosm.

Hm... I'm not sure if I'll be much help, Lar, but I'll try. lol

((There'll probably be spoilers in here, for anyone who hasn't read the book. lol))

I guess first you could decide how you think the novel ends, then use some of those themes to back up your opinion. Y'know, how did the characters' behavior fit in with those themes, and how did that behavior lead up to the ending?

Macrocosm and microcosm were new terms to me, and I couldn't find too much on the internet, so I probably won't be too much help in that area. lol One thing, though, is maybe you could relate the themes from the book to society in general. Ex.- the British officer at the end turned away when the boys started crying. Maybe Golding was inferring that society tends to turn away from people who need help

That's exactly what macrocosm vs. microcosm is! It's like Golding was taking a small sample from society and observing what they do over a period of time. Thanks for your help. The examples you gave fit very well with the last theme I think.. or maybe the third. I think I'll decide between both of those.

Glad I could help!

i really loved this book!
i thought it was so interesting!
It was a nice break, because lately I've been reading all these super serious books..

So all in all, I really liked it =)

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I just had to read this for school. Well, I actually only did the cliff notes with my Mom's permission (great thing about being unschooled) as I didn't really feel a need to read something so unpleasant word for word. I didn't enjoy it very much. Anyone who believes in the basic goodness of man should get a look at this book. *rolls eyes* Take that, Rousseau!

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I am a Shieldmaiden for Christ!

I was Nienor before Nienor was cool. *nods coolly*
Kudos to Kitoky for the fabulous signature set, and art credit to engelszorn.
Who wants to join me in bringing back the lady?

Heh, super serious. I don't think I would classify LotF as a light fairytale you'd read before you go to bed either. Actually I tried that once and had some interesting dreams.

Spoilers may follow.

It wasn't terribly unpleasant, but neither did it present anything surprising. I think that's exactly what would happen, if you strand a group of humans on the same island. Sure, it might not happen within a few weeks. But eventually SOMEONE will go mad, and events will detoriorate from there. Golding did very well with this book's writing style, especially the descriptions of the island. I only wish he'd done something more original with their rescue. A ship suddenly landing and saving Ralph was so cliche that I dismissed the notion as soon as I thought of it, especially since I was expecting an ending as chilling as the rest of the book. But perhaps that's the way Golding intended... the book's middle to be nightmarishly surreal and the ending to be a slap from the "outside world."

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