"'Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us.'" Chapter 5, pg. 80
This quotation is huge in this story. This is one of the hidden messages that Golding wanted the readers to hear. This is because throughout the book, there have been rumors of the beast and the "beastie" which has gotten everyone afraid and alert as they live on the island at all times. When this line was said, Golding wanted the message to be clear, there is always a beast hidden inside of ever person, as there actually was no beast, the thing that everyone was afraid of in the book, was their own actions.
Once there was a time in my life, when my cousin had told me that there was a monster in the house. During this time I was very small, and I was very wreck less, clumsy and I never cleaned up after myself. So as I remember, I was asleep after a full afternoon of shenanigans and while I was asleep, my uncle and aunt came with my 16 and 14 year old cousins. Since I left a mess in the house, my cousins were responsible, and as a teenager I wouldn't even want to clean up after a child like me(in the past). So they waited for me to wake up, and they told me that there was a monster in the house, and he left a mess, which I would have to clean up, or else he would eat me. Now, as a kid you wouldn't even want to think about being eaten, so while I was cleaning up, I didn't even notice that I had done such a mess. This experience shows that people can do "beastly" things without even knowing it, there is always going to be a rebel in every person, and as the boys tried to create a civilization, they unleashed that beast.
Another connection I can make is of this book I read called "The Enemy" by Charlie Higson. This book is another dystopia, where the world goes bad, as every person over the age of 14 die, or turn into a decayed zombie. So while some remaining kids try to figure out how this epidemic happened, a character, Jack says a similar line "maybe this was meant to happen, maybe it was just waiting to be unleashed, and now anyone who passes the 14 year old time limit will perish..." This also gives a sense that these sorts of beasts are in you, they just need to be released and triggered by the right things at the right time.
Hi Neloy, great reflection and connections.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is the most powerful and largest part of Golding's message in the novel, good choice. Your first paragraph explains the quote very well, it was not until Simon announced this that as the reader you realized that the problem was the boys and they were causing all the trouble on the island.
Your connections were excellent too. I really like your connection to your life as a kid, because just like the boys on the island, you had to be convinced that there was a monster that made the mess rather than noticing that it was you the whole time.
For your text to text connection as you explain it, I don't know if it connects as much as your text to self relation because the kids turning 14 have no choice in becoming zombies while you and the boys in the Lord of the Flies did have control over your actions. Although, I do see how the kids younger than 14 would believing that eventually they would become bad and evil zombies connects to the quote because Simon knew that it was them who eventually would destroy their life on the island, not the beast. Great quote choice and reflection/connections all in all!
P.S: Some spelling errors, there is a "the" in the first paragraph and a "the" in the last paragraph that should be changed to "they"
Thanks Eric, I should have more of your feedback on all of my posts!
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