Lord Of The Flies, a classic novel written in 1954 by William Golding, a plane filled with around two dozen boys ranging in age from about 6-14 crashes into a deserted island, killing the pilot and leaving them to survive on their own. At first the boys create a civilized environment with leaders and jobs for everyone.
As time passes and disagreements occur and tensions rise and the boys lose their organized environment as two seperate groups form and violence breaks out. This part of the book is very graphic and describes gruesome deaths, like when one of the main characters Piggy is killed by a boulder that was pushed down a hill by other boys. This death of one of the main characters who readers get to know and tend to feel bad for him will have a negative effect on many people especially the gruesome way he was killed by people who were “friends” of his at the start of the book.
Another one of the main characters simon is killed by the other group. This book sets a very negative example for kids on how to deal with problems in life and also goes into graphic detail about death. This book also includes some racial slurs and discriminates kids based on their weight and age. By no means should Lord Of The Flies be taught and analyzed in schools.
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Piggy is one of the first two boys we meet when reading Lord Of The Flies and readers begin to feel bad for him from the start when the other boys make fun of his weight and his glasses. Piggy was brutally murdered by other boys who pushed a boulder down a clif which was intended to hit him. “Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig after it had been killed (Golding 181).
The death of a beloved character who students become attached too in such a gruesome way has no place in the classroom. “Many school districts believe the book’s violence and demoralizing scenes to be too much for young audiences to handle” (Lombardi 1). Author of the LA Times article ‘Lord Of The Flies is Still a Terrifying Favorite’ Carolyn Kellogg who read the book in school herself states “Reading Lord Of The Flies was in school was particularly disturbing for me…The book provides a frightening lesson for the bookish smartypants: Trouble is coming for you” (Kellogg 1). This book goes into graphic detail that is truly unwarranted in a classroom environments.
This book takes place and was written in the 1950’s. During the 50’s all races were not accepted and viewed as equal, as the civil rights movement was just getting started in the U.S. Because of that, this book contains horrible racial slurs especially toward African Americans. “The novel is racist and recommended that it be removed from all schools after parents objected to the book’s use of racial profanity, saying that the novel denigrated blacks” (ALA, Qtd. in Lombardi). Right before Piggy’s death he is arguing with the other group and he says “Which is better, to be a pack of painted n****** like you are or to be sensible like Ralph is” (Golding 180). While vulgar words like that were accepted during the time this book was written, by no means are they acceptable now. Language that is demeaning to anyone do not belong in the classroom.
Piggy, before his violent death was treated very badly by the other boys. He was made fun of because his height and weight. Quote about piggy from book. This can be very demeaning to some students who are self concios about there weight as they see others making fun of someone that they compare to.
