wgolding.lordoftheflies-第46章

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　humanity　proposed　by　Rousseau　has　so　infiltrated　every　aspect　of　life　in　the　contemporary　world　that　even　Christ　is　seen　through　the　rose…colored　glasses　of　sentimentality；　which　is　the　logical　and　real　successor　to　romanticism。
　Thus；　the　Christ　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　is　the　〃pale　Galilean〃；　yet　it　is　this　same　weak　Christ　who；　in　the　first　act　he　performs；　forces　a　concession　from　Jack；　and　the　choir　boys　are　allowed　to　rest　The　irony　is　evident：　even　a　weak　Christ　is　more　than　a　strong　dictator。4　Further；　when　Simon　announces　his　name　（and　his　name　has　the　strongest　biblical　overtones）；　Jack　says：　〃We've　got　to　decide　about　being　rescued。〃　Immediately；　Simon　is　linked；　however　vaguely；　with　the　idea　of　salvation。
　
　After　the　boys　have　elected　Ralph　as　leader　by　〃this　toy　of　voting；〃　Jack；　Simon　and　Ralph　begin　exploring　the　mountain。　This　section　of　the　novel　is　crucial；　for　it　is　here　that　Golding　gives　his　abbreviated　ironical　summary　of　the　romantic　view　of　human　progress。　The　passage　needs　analysis　in　depth　（impossible　in　an　article　of　this　length）；　but　it　should　be　pointed　out　that　Golding　has　chosen　as　explorers　those　who　have　dominated　the　history　of　man：　the　totalitarian；　the　parliamentarian　and　the　mystic…poet　And；　as　is　clear　from　the　text；　Simon　is　the　realist　of　the　triumvirate。　When　the　boys　examine　the　bushes　on　the　mountain；　Simon　accepts　them　for　what　they　are。　Ralph　and　Jack　are　concerned　only　with　how　the　buds　can　be　used　That　Golding's　figure　of　religious　faith　accepts　reality　as　it　is　provides　an　interesting　ment　on　the　limited　approaches　of　the　parliamentarian　and　the　dictator。
　As　we　follow　Simon　through　the　novel；　we　discover　that　he　is　the　mystic　who　separates　himself　from　the　others　to　ponder　the　mysteries　of　existence。　Simon　is　the　carpenter　who　continues　building　the　shelters　after　the　other　boys　have　abandoned　the　work；　Simon　feeds　the　〃littluns〃；　Simon　encounters　the　beast　in　all　its　loathsomeness　and　does　not　succumb　to　the　beast's　temptation　to　despair。　This　encounter　is　the　boy's　Gethsemane：　he　es　face　to　face　with　evil；　recognizes　it　for　what　it　is；　and；　despite　the　agony　and　horror　of　the　meeting；　he　is　neither　defeated
　
　4。Simon's　martyrdom；　however；　indicates　that　the　saint　or　Christ…like　personage　（in　spite　of　his　spiritual　strength）　fails　to　rescue　man　from　the　nightmare　of　history。…Eds。
　
　nor　intimidated　by　it。　Immediately　after　he　recovers　consciousness；　he　ascends　the　mountain　to　free　the　dead　pilot；　whose　parachute　lines　have　bee　entangled　in　the　rocks。　In　other　words；　Simon　climbs　the　mountain　to　free　〃fallen　man。〃
　He　returns　then　to　the　boys　to　announce　the　good　news；　they　need　no　longer　fear　the　beast。　But　the　group　will　not　listen　to　him。　Like　the　One　in　whose　place　he　stands　symbolically；　Simon　is　murdered　during　a　religious　festival…　the　diabolical　liturgy　of　the　pig。　His　death　occurs　while　the　island　world　cowers　under　the　lash　of　a　gigantic　storm。　And　it　is　only　after　Simon　has　actually　died　that　the　dead　man　in　the　parachute　is　finally　freed　and　washed　out　to　sea；　the　sea　which　is　Golding's　symbol　of　mystery；　not　chaos。
　Finally；　Simon　has　his　symbolic　hour　of　glorification：　his　body　is　surrounded　by　〃moonbeam…bodied　creatures　with　fiery　eyes〃；　gleaming　in　this　unearthly　phosphorescence；　he　is　carried　gently　out　to　sea。　And　it　is　difficult　not　to　recognize　the　hint　of　a　resurrection　motif　here；　for　the　pattern　is　that　of　the　hero　carried　through　the　waters　to　his　apotheosis。
　Lord　of　the　Flies；　as　I　have　suggested；　is　not　an　optimistic　novel；　but　at　least　it　is　pessimistic　about　the　right　things。　It　states　quite　clearly　that　the　time　has　e　for　the　Western　world　to　abandon　its　fantastic　belief　in　the　Rousseauvian　concept　of　the　natural　goodness　of　the　human　species；　which　goodness　must　lead　inevitably　to　the　total　perfection　of　the　race。　It　shows　what　happens　to　scientific　man；　when　he　trusts　only　in　the　activity　of　his　unaided　reason。　It　castigates　the　Western　democracies　for　their　blind　acceptance　of　salvation　through　militarism。　It　pictures　the　tragic　destruction　of　any　society　which　nourishes　and　exalts　the　dictator。　Ultimately；　it　presents　the　awesome　spectacle　of　a　world　which；　not　satisfied　with　murdering　Simon；　continues　to　neglect　the　significance　of　his　sacrifice。
　But　William　Golding's　world　is　not　merely　pessimistic。　There　is　goodness　in　his　characters；　there　is　order　in　his　universe。5　However；　like　all　authors　who　have　tried　their
　
　5。It　might　well　be　noted；　however；　that　the　goodness　and　the　order　are　overe　in　every　instance。　True；　Ralph　survives　and　he　steps　forward　to　announce　himself　to　the　rescuer〃　as　the　leader；　but　the　rescue　is　decidedly　ironic；　the　boys　are　freed　from　primitive　and　childish　militarism　only　by　sophisticated　adult　militarism。…Eds。
　
　hand　at　the　intellectual　exercise　we　call　fable；　he　wants　to　teach　man　some　hard　truths　about　his　own　。nature。　In　the　plexity　and　ambiguity　of　a　highly　elaborated　symbolism；　he　has　reminded　modern　man　of　the　fact　of　original　sin。　This　is　a　reminder　that　we　all　need　every　so　often。　In　a　later　novel；　The　Inheritors；　Golding　places　the　following　ironic　words　in　the　mouth　of　one　character：　〃People　understand　each　other。〃　Lord　of　the　Flies　answers：　〃Perhaps；　but　not　well　enough。〃
　
　
　
　
　
　〃Men　of　a　Smaller　Growth〃：
　A　Psychological　Analysis
　of　William　Golding's
　Lord　of　the　Flies1
　CLAIRE　ROSENFIELD
　
　When　an　author　consciously　dramatizes　Freudian　theory…　and　dramatizes　it　successfully…only　the　imaginative　recreation　of　human　behavior　rather　than　the　structure　of　ideas　is　apparent。　In　analyzing　William　Golding's　Lord　of　the　Flies；　the　critic　should　assume　that　Golding　knows　psychological　literature；2　and　must　then　attempt　to　show　now　an　author's　knowledge　of　theory　can　vitalize　his　prose　and　characterization。　The　plot　itself　is　unplicated；　so　simple；　indeed；　that　one　wonders　how　it　so　effortlessly　absorbs　the　burden　of　meaning。　During　some　unexplained　man…made　holocaust　a　plane；　evacuating　a　group　of　children；　crashes　on　the　shore　of　a　tropical　island。　All　adults　are　conveniently　killed。　The　narrative　follows　the　children's　gradual　return　to　the　amorality　of　childhood；　a　non…innocence　which　makes　them　small　savages。　Or　we　might　make　the　analogy　to　the　childhood　of　races　and　pare　the　child
　
　1。This　essay　appeared　in　Literature　and　Psychology；　11　（Autumn；　1961）；　93…101；　and　is　reprinted　in　a　revised　version　here　by　permission　of　the　author　and　the　editor；　Leonard　F。　Manheim。
　2。Note　Golding's　ment　that　he　has　read　〃absolutely　no　Freud〃　in　〃Lord　of　the　Campus；〃　Time；　LXXIX　（June　22；　1962）；　64。　Reprinted　in　this　volume；　p。　285。…Eds。
　
　to　the　primitive。　Denied　the　sustaining　and　repressing　authority　of　parents；　church；　and　state；　the　boys　form　a　new　culture；　the　development　of　which　reflects　that　of　the　genuine　primitive　society；　evolving　its　gods　and　demons；　its　rituals　and　taboos；　its　whole　social　structure。　On　the　level　of　pure　narrative；　the　action　proceeds　from　the　gradual　struggle　between　Ralph　and　Jack；　the　two　oldest　boys；　for　precedence。　Consistent　clusters　of　imagery　imply　that　one　boy　is　godlike；　the　other　satanic…thus　making　a　symbolic　level　of　meaning　by　transforming　narrative　events　into　an　allegorical　struggle　between　the　forces　of　Good　and　those　of　Evil。　Ralph　is　the　natural　leader　by　virtue　of　his　superior　height；　his　superior　strength；　his　superior　beauty。　His　mild　expression　proclaims　him　〃no　devil。〃　He　possesses　the　symbol　of　authority；　the　conch；　or　sea　shell；　which　the　children　use　to　assemble　their　miniature　councils。　Golding　writes；　〃The　being　that　had　blown　。　。　。　＇the　conch＇　had　sat　waiting　for　them　on　the　platform　with　the　delicate　thing　balanced　on　his　knees；　was　set　apart。〃　Jack；　on　the　other　hand。　is　described　in　pletely　antithetical　terms；　he　is　distinguished　by　his　ugliness　and　his　red　hair；　a　traditional　demonic　attribute。　He　first　appears　as　the　leader　of　a　church　choir；　which　〃creature…like〃　marches　in　two　columns　behind　him。　All　members　of　the　choir　wear　black；　〃their　bodies；　from　throat　to　ankle；　were　hidden　by　black　cloaks。〃　3　Ralph　initially　blows　the　conch　to　discover　how　many　children　have　escaped　death　in　the　plane　crash。　As　Jack　approaches　with　his　choir　from　the　〃darkness　of　the　forest；〃　he　cannot　see　Ralph；　whose　back　is　to　the　sun。　The　former　is；　symbolically；　sun…blinded。　These　two　are　very　obviously　intended　to　recall　God　and　the　Devil；　whose　confrontation；　in　the　history　of　Western　religions；　establishes　the　moral　basis　for　all　actions。　But；　as　Freud　reminds　us；　〃metaphysics〃　bees　〃metapsychology〃；4　gods　and　devils　are　〃nothing　other　than　processes　projected　into　the　outer　world。〃　5　If　Ralph　is　a　projection　of　man's　good　impulses　from　which　we　derive　the　authority　figures…whether　god；　king；　or　father
　
　3。P。　16。　All　page　references　are　to　this　edition　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　and　will　hereafter　be　noted　in　parentheses　in　the　text。
　4。Sigmund　Freud；　The　Psychopathology　of　Everyday　Life；　as　quoted　by　Ernest　Jones；　The　Life　and　Work　of　Sigmund　Freud　（New　York：　Basic　Books；　1957）；　III；　53。
　5。　Ibid。
　
　…who　establish　the　necessity　for　our　valid　ethical　and　social　action；　then　Jack　bees　an　externalization　of　the　evil　instinctual　forces　of　the　unconscious；　the　allegorical　has　bee　the　psychological。
　The　temptation　is　to　regard　the　island　on　which　the　children　are　marooned　as　a　kind　of　Eden；　uncorrupted　and　Eve…less。　But　the　actions　of　the　children　negate　any　romantic　assumptions　about　childhood　innocence。　Even　though　Golding　himself　momentarily　bees　a　victim　of　his　Western　culture　and　states　at　the　end　that　Ralph　wept　for　the　〃end　of　innocence；〃　events　have　simply　supported　Freud's　conclusion　that　no　child　is　innocent。　On　a　fourth　level；　Ralph　is　every　man…or　every　child…and　his　body　bees　the　battleground　where　reason　and　instinct　struggle；　each　to　assert　itself。　For　to　regard　Ralph　and　Jack　as　Good　and　Evil；　as　I　do　in　the　previous　paragraph；　is　to　ignore　the　role　of　the　child　Piggy；　who　in　the　child's　world　of　make…believe　is　the　outsider。　Piggy's　posite　description　not　only　manifests　his　difference　from　the　other　boys；　it　also　reminds　the　reader　of　the　stereotype　image　of　the　old　man　who　has　more…than…human　wisdom：　he　is　fat；　inactive　because　asthmatic；　and　generally　reveals　a　disinclination　for　physical　labor。　Because　he　is　extremely　near…sighted；　he　wears　thick　glasses…　a　further　mark　of　his　difference。　As　time　passes；　the　hair　of　the　other　boys　grows　with　abandon。　〃He　was　the　only　boy　on　the　island　whose　hair　never　seemed　to　grow。　The　rest　were　shock…headed；　but　Piggy's　hair　still　lay　in　wisps　over　his　head　as　though　baldness　were　his　natural　state；　and　this　imperfect　covering　would　soon　go；　like　the　velvet　on　a　young　stag's　antlers〃　（59）。　In　these　images　of　age　and　authority　we　have　a　figure　reminiscent　of　the　children's　past　…　the　father。　Moreover；　like　the　father　he　counsels　mon　sense；　he　alone　leavens　with　a　reasonable　gravity　the　constant　exuberance　of　the　others　for　play　or　for　play　at　hunting。　When　they　scamper　off　at　every　vague　whim；　he　scornfully　ments；　〃　Like　a　pack　of　kids。　〃　Ungrammatically　but　logically　he　tries　to　allay　the　〃littluns''　fear　of　a　〃beast〃　〃Life　is　scientific；　that's　what　it　is