Lord of the Flies is a book that is beloved by some English teachers, alternately loved and hated by their students, and occasionally found on the banned books list for libraries and school. The books details the events that occur when a group of boys elementary age to young teen find themselves marooned on an island. The way in which the boys deal with their freedom, their fear, and their fight to continue in the face of such enemies as hunger, thirst, and other natural hazards is an exciting survival story. The natural dangers are overshadowed by the drama that occurs as they boys come to grips with less tangible dangers that surface when they are forced to come to terms with being stuck together with not a parent or teacher in sight.

The primal environment of this book lends itself to a visceral violence made all the more intense because the perpetrators are, of necessity, children. This raw violence with such young protagonists is at the heart of the story, but it is also disturbing to some readers. Most readers should be able to see past this to the very important philosophical questions about law, order, and how well we humans follow either when there is no one around to enforce them. While this book it not one that is likely to be truly enjoyed by a reader, it is one that leaves an impression and inspires thoughtful introspection, which is at the heart of what makes literature worthwhile.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 2 mild obscenities; 2 anatomical words; 1 use of the British “bloody” (not tallied).

Violence/Gore: A character is wounded while moving through a forest (blood described); report of an atom bomb; evidence of a plane crash; a character punches another; minor property damage; report of an animal killed (with blood described); a child disappears and is presumed dead; a few accidental injuries, a few verbal threats; an animal is injured while being hunted; an animal is killed and butchered with blood and guts described; a boy rubs animal blood on another boy’s face; a few creepy scenes in which characters can feel they are being stalked by something; a character finds a corpse; a chant talks about killing an animal; a few murders done with bare hands and teeth or natural weapons, with blood and graphic gore described; a few fights with bloody injury.

Sex/Nudity: Characters are naked except for paint (not sexual).

Mature Subject Matter:

Bullying; a character is an orphan; murder.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

None