The plot and storyline revolves around a band of young children who make a striking transition from civilized to barbaric. They arrive on an island, without rules, without inhibitions and they start to formulate their own set of rules and conditions, ideals and values to perpetuate their own sense of basic right and wrong.
The main theme underlying the novel was:
Man v.s. Society - The need for Civilization
A commentary available under google books stated:
"The most obvious of the themes is man's need for civilization. Contrary to the belief that man is innocent and society is evil, the story shows that laws and rules, policemen and schools are necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in line. When these institutions and concepts slip away or are ignored, human beings revert to a more primitive part of nature."
So before I start rambling on about themes and symbolism... the whole purpose of being up Sir Golding was because I witnessed something truly comical the other day.
The hubs and I decided to take a nice stroll out for dinner.
On our way back, we saw this phenomenon at the MRT bus-stop:
I soooo had to stop and take a photo. It truly amazes me the extent people need to have order and rules in their lives. Without the existence of a taxi-stand, people were actually forming a queue, right at the bus-stop to stop taxi-cabs! Even more amazing was how people were so obediently following the make-shift rule to wait for their turn to get a cab.
Ironically, the authentic taxi-stand was just about 100m down the road and there was nobody actually waiting there for a taxi!!
When we have rules imposed, we feel restricted and we complain and gribe. When we lacking such governance, we feel the irresistible urge to form our own rules and conditions to which to abide by. Truly great is the fear of the uncertainty and dis-order.
Oooh. i saw the queue too! :)
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