It’s Okay to Hate a Classic

When I told people I was reading Lord of the Flies I received two reactions. 1. Ugh! I read that in high school and a I HATED it. (This was also followed by a face where the person looked like they had just stepped in dog poop.) 2. I LOVED this book. I haven’t read in it years! Mind if I borrow your copy when you are done? (This was followed by a blissful face.) Two camps. One side or the other. Absolutely no one was in the middle on this book. After reading it, I can see why. It caused me to throw the book across the room more than once, I yelled out loud at the characters, and thought, “I really don’t care if any of these twits get off the island. They are myopic assholes.”

This book clocks in at 182 pages, novella length. When I first cracked it’s spine I thought it would zip along. At page 90 I  thought William Golding had channeled Sisphus. This is not an easy read. Not by a long shot. This doesn't mean the book is terrible, poorly written, or just a load of crap. It’s just a challenge. Golding seems to pack in an entire society in three sentences. That’s great for an adult that’s an avid reader. For a high school student that is tepid about reading it can be daunting. I can see why so many copies of this book lay abandoned at the bottom of lockers.*

Golding sets out to create a world with no hope, no love, and is full of cruelty.  It’s stark in it’s reality, but it simply fell flat. It felt like he purposely subtracted any emotion out of the characters and stripped them down to husks. I just don’t see that as being possible. There are other books that address this same topic but do it better. Battle Royale is in the same neighborhood, but gave it’s characters deep emotions. It kept me connected and made me want to care. Most recently, The Hunger Games Trilogy followed the same path, and again it kept me connected and interested in the story.

As I walk away from Lord of the Flies I’m left with the realization that Golding created a universe without women. An argument could be made that the book is what happens when women are subtracted out of a society. It does not paint a pretty picture. If you read it, it should serve as a warning.

Next up, Let the Great World Spin. This has been a book I’ve tried to ignore for the past two years. I’ve walked past it in bookstores, seen it sitting on desks at work, and skipped past it on recommended reading lists. Then I read this NPR story about it. I sighed heavily and picked it up. We’ll see how good it really is.

*Note: If any teacher would like to share their lesson plan for Lord of the Flies with me I’d love to see it. I want to know how this book is taught.