wgolding.lordoftheflies-第39章

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w　available　in　a　paperback。　The　story　is　simple。　In　a　way　not　clearly　explained；　a　group　of　children；　all　boys；　presumably　evacuees　in　a　future　war；　are　dropped　from　a　plane　just　before　it　is　destroyed；　onto　an　uninhabited　tropical　island。　The　stage　is　thus　set　for　a　reworking　of　a　favorite　subject　in　children's　literature：　castaway　children　assuming　adult　responsibilities　without　adult　supervision。　Golding　expects　his　readers　to　recall　the　classic　example　of　such　a　book；　R。　M。　Ballantyne's　The　Coral　Island　（1857）；2　where　the　boys　rise　to　the　occasion　and　behave　as　admirably　as　would　adults。　But　in　Lord　of　the　Flies　everything　goes　wrong　from　the　beginning。　A　few　boys　representing　sanity　and　mon　sense；　led　by　Ralph　and　Piggy；　see　the　necessity　for　maintaining　a　signal　fire　to　attract　a　rescue。　But　they　are　thwarted　by　the　hunters；　led　by　red…haired　Jack；　whose　lust　for　blood　is　finally　not　to　be　satisfied　by　killing　merely　wild　pigs。　Only　the　timely　arrival　of　a　British　cruiser　saves　us　from　an　ending　almost　literally　too　horrible　to　think　about　Since　Golding　is　using　a　naive　literary　form　to　express　sophisticated　reflections　on　the　nature　of　man　and　society；　and　since　he　refers　obliquely
　
　1。This　article　appeared　in　College　English；　22　（January；　1961）；　241…45；　and　is　reprinted　here　in　slightly　shortened　form　by　permission　of　the　National　Council　of　the　Teachers　of　English　and　the　author。
　2。It　is　worthwhile　to　pare　Frank　Kermode's　discussion　of　The　Coral　Island　with　Niemeyer's。　See　〃The　Novels　of　William　Golding；〃　reprinted　in　this　volume　on　pp。　203…206。　See　also　the　Foreword　to　this　volume。…Eds。
　
　to　Ballantyne　many　times　throughout　the　book；　a　glance　at　The　Coraf　Island　is　appropriate。
　Ballantyne　shipwrecks　his　three　boys…Jack；　eighteen；　Ralph；　the　narrator；　aged　fifteen；　and　Peterkin　Gay；　a　ic　sort　of　boy；　aged　thirteen…somewhere　in　the　South　Seas　on　an　uninhabited　coral　island。　Jack　is　a　natural　leader；　but　both　Ralph　and　Peterkin　have　abilities　valuable　for　survival。　Jack　has　the　most　mon　sense　and　foresight；　but　Peterkin　turns　out　to　be　a　skillful　killer　of　pigs；　and　Ralph；　when　later　in　the　book　he　is　temporarily　separated　from　his　friends　and　alone　on　a　schooner；　coolly　navigates　it　back　to　Coral　Island　by　dead　reckoning；　a　feat　sufficiently　impressive；　if　not　quite　equal　to　Captain　Bligh's。　The　boys'　life　on　the　island　is　idyllic；　and　they　are　themselves　without　malice　or　wickedness；　though　there　are　a　few　curious　episodes　in　which　Ballantyne　seems　to　hint　at　something　he　himself　understands　as　little　as　do　his　characters。　One　is　Peterkin's　wanton　killing　of　an　old　sow；　useless　as　food；　which　the　boy　rationalizes　by　saying　he　needs　leather　for　shoes；　This　and　one　or　two　other　passages　suggest　that　Ballantyne　was　aware　of　some　darker　aspects　of　boyish　nature；　but　for　the　most　part　he　emphasizes　the　paradisiacal　life　of　the　happy　castaways。　Like　Golding's；　however；　Ballantyne's　story　raises　the　problem　of　evil；　but　whereas　Golding　finds　evil　in　the　boys　own　natures；　it　es　to　Ballantyne's　boys　not　from　within　themselves　but　from　the　outside　world。　Tropical　nature；　to　be　sure；　is　kind；　but　the　men　of　this　non…Christian　world　are　bad。　For　example；　the　island　is　visited　by　savage　cannibals；　one　canoeful　pursuing　another；　who　fight　a　cruel　and　bloody　battle；　observed　by　the　horrified　boys；　and　then　go　away。　A　little　later　the　island　is　again　visited；　this　time　by　pirates　（i。e。；　white　men　who　have　renounced　or　scorned　their　Christian　heritage）；　who　succeed　in　capturing　Ralph。　In　due　time　the　pirates　are　deservedly　destroyed；　and　in　the　final　episode　of　the　book　the　natives　undergo　an　unmotivated　conversion　to　Christianity；　which　effects　a　total　change　in　their　nature　just　in　time　to　rescue　the　boys　from　their　clutches。
　Thus　Ballantyne's　view　of　man　is　seen　to　be　optimistic；　like　his　view　of　English　boys'　pluck　and　resourcefulness；　which　subdues　tropical　islands　as　triumphantly　as　England　imposes　empire　and　religion　on　lawless　breeds　of　men。　Colding‘s　naval　officer；　the　deus　ex　machine；　of　Lord　of　theFlies；　is　only　echoing　Ballantyne　when；　perceiving　dimly　that　all　has　not　gone　well　on　the　island；　he　says　（p。　186）：　〃I　should　have　thought　that　a　pack　of　British　boys…you're　all　British；　aren't　you？…would　have　been　able　to　put　up　a　better　show　than　that…I　mean…〃
　This　is　not　the　only　echo　of　the　older　book。　Golding　boldly　calls　his　two　chief　characters　Jack　and　Ralph。　He　reproduces　the　ic　Peterkin　in　the　person　of　Piggy。3　He　has　a　wanton　killing　of　a　wild　pig；　acplished；　as　E。　L。　Epstein　points　out；　〃in　terms　of　sexual　intercourse。〃4　He　uses　a　storm　to　avert　a　quarrel　between　Jack　and　Ralph；　as　Ballantyne　used　a　hurricane　to　rescue　his　boys　from　death　at　the　hands　of　cannibals。　He　emphasizes　physical　cruelty　but　integrates　it　into　his　story；　and　by　making　it　a　real　if　deplorable　part　of　human；　or　at　least　boyish；　nature　improves　on　Ballantyne；　whose　descriptions　of　brutality…never　of　course　performed　by　the　boys…are　usually　introduced　merely　for　their　sensational　effect。　Finally；　on　the　last　page　Golding's　officer　calls　Ralph　mildly　to　task　for　not　having　organized　things　better。
　
　〃It　was　like　that　at　first；〃　said　Ralph；　〃before　things…〃
　He　stopped。
　〃We　were　together　then…〃
　The　officer　nodded　helpfully。
　I　know。　Jolly　good　show。　Like　the　Coral　Island。〃
　
　Golding　invokes　Ballantyne；　so　that　the　kind　but　unprehending　adult；　the　instrument　of　salvation；　may　recall　to　the　child　who　has　just　gone　through　hell　the　naivete　of　the　child's　own　early　innocence；　now　forever　lost；　but　he　suggests　at　the　same　time　the　inadequacy　of　Ballantyne's　picture　of　human　nature　in　primitive　surroundings。
　Golding；　then；　regards　Ballantyne's　book　as　a　badly　falsified　map　of　reality；　yet　the　only　map　of　this　particular　reality　that　many　of　us　have。　Ralph　has　it　and；　through　harrowing　experiences；　replaces　it　with　a　more　accurate　one。　The　naval　officer；　though　he　should　know　better；　since　he　is　on
　
　3。Golding　has　declared　that　Peterkin　of　The　Coral　Island　bees　Simon　in　Lord　of　the　Flies。　See　Frank　Kermode　and　William　Golding；　The　Meaning　of　It　AH；〃　p。　201。…Eds。
　4。E。　L。　Epstein；　〃Notes　on　Lord　of　the　Flies；〃　p。　280　below。…　Eds。
　
　the　scene　and　should　not　have　to　rely　on　memories　of　his　boyhood　reading；　has　it；　and　it　seems　unlikely　that　he　is　ever　going　to　alter　it；　for　his　last　recorded　action　is　to　turn　away　from　the　boys　and　look　at　his　〃trim〃　cruiser；　in　other　words　to　turn　away　from　a　revelation　of　the　untidy　human　heart　to　look　at　something　manufactured；　manageable；　and　solidly　useful。
　Golding；　who　being　a　grammar　school　teacher　should　know　boys　well；　gives　a　corrective　of　Ballantyne's　optimism。　As　he　has　explained；　the　book　is　〃an　attempt　to　trace　the　defects　of　society　back　to　the　defects　of　human　nature。〃　5　These　defects　turn　out；　on　close　examination；　to　result　from　the　evil　of　inadequacy　and　mistakenness。　Evil　is　not　the　positive　and　readily　identifiable　force　it　appears　to　be　when　embodied　in　Ballantyne's　savages　and　pirates。　Golding's　Ralph；　for　example；　has　real　abilities；　most　conspicuous　among　them　the　gift　of　leadership　and　a　sense　of　responsibility　toward　the　〃littluns。〃　Yet　both　are　inplete。　〃By　now；〃　writes　Golding；　〃Ralph　had　no　self…consciousness　in　public　thinking　but　would　treat　the　day's　decisions　as　though　he　were　playing　chess。〃　Such　detachment　is　obviously　an　important　and　valuable　quality　in　a　leader；　but　significantly　the　next　sentence　reads：　〃The　only　trouble　was　that　he　would　never　be　a　very　good　chess　player〃　（p。　108）。　Piggy　on　the　other　hand　no　doubt　would　have　been　a　good　chess　player；　for　with　a　sense　of　responsibility　still　more　acute　than　Ralph's　he　bines　brains　and　mon　sense。　Physically；　however；　he　is　ludicrous…fat；　asthmatic；　and　almost　blind　without　his　specs。　He　is　forever　being　betrayed　by　his　body。　At　his　first　appearance　he　is　suffering　from　diarrhea；　his　last　gesture　is　a　literally　brainless　twitch　of　the　limbs；　'like　a　pig's　after　it　has　been　killed〃　（p。　167）。　His　further　defect　is　that　he　is　powerless；　except　as　he　works　through　Ralph。　Though　Piggy　is　the　first　to　recognize　the　value　of　the　conch　and　even　shows　Ralph　how　to　blow　it　to　summon　the　first　assembly；　he　cannot　sound　it　himself。　And　he　lacks　imagination。　Scientifically　minded　as　he　is；　he　scorns　what　is　intangible　and　he　dismisses　the　possibility　of　ghosts　or　an　imaginary　beast。　〃　'Cos　things　wouldn't　make　sense。　Houses　an'　streets；　an'…TV…　they　wouldn't　work〃　（p。　85）。　Of　course　he　is　quite　right；
　
　5。　Quoted　by　Epstein；　p。　277。…Eds。
　
　save　that　he　forgets　he　is　now　on　an　island　where　the　artifacts　of　the　civilization　he　has　always　known　are　meaningless。
　It　is　another　important　character；　Simon；　who　understands　that　there　may　indeed　be　a　beast；　even　if　not　a　palpable　one…〃maybe　it's　only　us〃　（p。　82）。　The　scientist　Piggy　has　recognized　it　is　possible　to　be　frightened　of　people　（p。　78）；　but　he　finds　this　remark　of　Simon's　dangerous　nonsense。　Still　Simon　is　right；　as　we　see　from　his　interview　with　the　sow's　head　on　a　stake；　which　is　the　lord　of　the　flies。　He　is　right　that　the　beast　is　in　the　boys　themselves；　and　he　alone　discovers　that　what　has　caused　their　terror　is　in　reality　a　dead　parachutist　ironically　stifled　in　the　elaborate　clothing　worn　to　guarantee　survival。　But　Simon's　failure　is　the　inevitable　failure　of　the　mystic…what　he　knows　is　beyond　words；　he　cannot　impart　his　insights　to　others。　Having　an　early　glimpse　of　the　truth；　he　cannot　tell　it。
　
　Simon　became　inarticulate　in　his　effort　to　express　man…kind's　essential　illness。　Inspiration　came　to　him。
　〃What's　the　dirtiest　thing　there　is？〃
　As　an　answer　Jack　dropped　into　the　unprehending　silence　that　followed　it　the　one　crude　expressive　syllable。　Release　was　like　an　orgasm。　Those　littluns　who　had　climbed　back　on　the　twister　fell　off　again　and　did　not　mind。　The　hunters　were　screaming　with　delight。
　Simon's　effort　fell　about　him　in　ruins；　the　laughter　beat　him　cruelly　and　he　shrank　away　defenseless　to　his　seat　（p。　82）。
　
　Mockery　also　greets　Simon　later　when　he　speaks　to　the　lord　of　the　flies；　though　this　time　it　is　sophisticated；　adult　mockery：
　
　〃Fancy　thinking　the　Beast　was　something　you　could　hunt　and　kill！〃　said　the　head。　For　a　moment　or　two　the　forest　and　all　the　other　dimly　appreciated　places　echoed　with　the　parody　of　laughter　（p。　133）。
　
　Tragically；　when　Simon　at　length　achieves　a　vision　so　clear　that　it　is　readily　municable　he　is　killed　by　the　pig　hunters　in　their　insane　belief　that　he　is　the　very　evil　which　he　alone　has　not　only　understood　but　actually　exorcised。　Lake　the　martyr；　he　is　killed　for　being　precisely　what　he　is　not。
　The　inadequacy　of　Jack　is　the　most　serious　of　all；　and　here　perhaps　if　anywhere　in　the　novel　we　have　a　personification　of　absolute　evil。　Though　he　is　the　most　mature　of　the　boys　（he　alone　of　all　the　characters　is　given　a　last　name）；　and　though　as　head　of　the　choir　he　is　the　only　one　with　any　experience　of　leadership；　he　is　arrogant　and　lacking　in　Ralph's　charm　and　warmth。　Obsessed　with　the　idea　of　hunting；　he　organizes　his　choir　members　into　a　band　of　killers。　Ostensibly　they　are　to　kill　pigs；　but　pigs　alone　do　not　satisfy　them；　and　pigs　are　in　any　event　not　needed　for　food。　The　bl