wgolding.lordoftheflies-第3部分

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in　their　way　undergoes　a　metamorphosis　which　brings　it　into　accord　with　the　natural　images　of　their　worship。　When　Pentheus　is　seen　he　is　taken　for　a　lion9　and；　led　by　Agave；　the　blind　victims　of　the　god　tear　him　limb　from　limb。　The　final　humiliation　of　those　who　deny　the　godhead　is　to　render　them　conscious　of　their　crimes　and　to　cast　them　out　from　their　homeland　as　guilt…stricken　exiles　and　wanderers　upon　the　earth。
　
　8。On　several　occasions　Golding　has　stated　that　he　has　read　deeply　in　Greek　literature　and　history　during　the　past　twenty　years。
　
　
　For　most　modern　readers　the　chief　obstacle　in　the　way　of　proper　understanding　of　The　Bacchae；　and　therefore　Golding's　use　of　it；　is　the　popular　notion　that　Dionysus　is　nothing　more　than　a　charming　god　of　wine。　This　image　descends　from　〃the　Alexandrines；　and　above　all　the　Romans…　with　their　tidy　functionalism　and　their　cheerful　obtuseness　in　all　matters　of　the　spirit…who　departmentalized　Dionysus　as　'jolly　Bacchus'　。　。　。　with　his　riotous　crew　of　nymphs　and　satyrs。　As　such　he　was　taken　over　from　the　Romans　by　Renaissance　painters　and　poets；　and　it　was　they　in　turn　who　shaped　the　image　in　which　the　modern　world　pictures　him。〃　In　reality　the　god　was　more　important　and　〃much　more　dangerous〃：　he　was　〃the　principle　of　animal　life　。　。　。　the　hunted　and　the　hunter…the　unrestrained　potency　which　man　envies　in　the　beasts　and　seeks　to　assimilate。〃　Thus　the　intention　and　chief　effect　of　the　bacchanal　was　〃to　liberate　the　instinctive　life　in　man　from　the　bondage　imposed　upon　it　by　reason　and　social　custom。　。。。〃　In　his　play　Euripides　also　suggests　〃a　further　effect；　a　merging　of　the　individual　consciousness　in　a　group　consciousness'　so　that　the　participant　is　〃at　one　not　only　with　the　Master　of　Life　but　his　fellow…worshipers　。　。　。　and　with　the　life　of　the　earth。〃10　Dionysus　was　worshiped　in　various　animal　incarnations　（snake；　bull；　lion；　boar）；　whatever　form　was　appropriate　to　place；　and　all　of　these　were　incarnations　of　the　impulses　he　evoked　in　his　worshipers。　In　The　Bacchae　a　leader　of　the　bacchanal　summons　him　with　the　incantation；　〃O　God；　Beast；　Mystery；　e！〃　11　Agave's　attack　upon　the　lion〃　（her　own　son）　conforms　to　the　codes　of　Dionysic　ritual：　like　other　gods；　this　one　is　slain　and　devoured；　his　devotees　sustained　by　his　flesh　and　blood。　The　terrible　error　of　the　bacchantes　is　a　punishment　brought　upon　the　land　by　the　lord　of　beasts：　〃To　resist　Dionysus　is　to　repress　the　elemental　in　one's　own　nature；　the　punishment　is　the　sudden　collapse　of　the　inward　dykes　when　the　elemental　breaks　through　perforce　and　civilization　vanishes。〃12
　
　9。　In　Ovid's　Metamorphoses　the　bacchantes　see　Pentheus　in　the　form　of　a　boar。
　10。　E。　R。　Dodds；　Euripides　Bacchae；　Second　Edition　（Oxford：　The　Clarendon　Press；　1960）；　p。　xii　and　p。　xx。　Dodds　also　finds　evidence　that　some　Dionysian　rites　called　for　human　sacrifice。
　11。　From　the　verse　translation　by　Gilbert　Murray。
　
　This　same　humiliation　falls　upon　the　innocents　of　Lord　of　the　Flies。　In　their　childish　pride　they　attempt　to　impose　an　order　or　pattern　upon　the　vital　chaos　of　their　own　nature；　and　so　they　mit　the　error　and　〃sin〃　of　Pentheus；　the　〃man　of　many　sorrows。〃　The　penalties；　as　in　the　play；　are　bloodshed；　guilt；　utter　defeat　of　reason。　Finally；　they　stand　before　the　officer；　〃a　semicircle　of　little　boys；　their　bodies　streaked　with　colored　clay；　sharp　sticks　in　their　hands。〃13　Facing　that　purblind　mander　（with　his　revolver　and　peaked　cap）；　Ralph　cries　〃for　the　end　of　innocence；　the　darkness　of　man's　heart〃　（186…87）；　and　the　tribe　of　vicious　hunters　joins　him　in　spontaneous　choral　lament　But　even　Ralph　could　not　trace　the　arc　of　their　descent；　could　not　explain　why　it's　no　go；　why　things　are　as　they　are；　for　in　the　course　of　events　he　was　at　times　among　the　hunters；　one　of　them；　and　he　grieves　in　part　for　the　appalling　ambiguities　he　has　discovered　in　his　own　nature。　He　remembers　those　strange；　interims　of　blindness　and　despair　when　a　〃shutter〃　clicked　down　over　his　mind　and　left　him　at　the　mercy　of　his　own　dark　heart。　In　Ralph's　experience；　then；　the　essence　of　the　fable　is　spelled　out：　he　suffers　the　dialectic　we　must　all　endure；　and　his　failure　to　resolve　it　as　we　would　wish　demonstrates　the　limitations　which　have　always　plagued　the　species。
　In　the　first　hours　on　the　island　Ralph　sports　untroubled　in　the　twilight　of　childhood　and　innocence；　but　after　he　sounds　the　conch　he　must　confront　the　forces　he　has　summoned　to　the　granite　platform　beside　the　sunny　lagoon。　During　that　first　assembly　he　seems　to　arbitrate　with　the　grace　of　a　young　god　（his　natural　bearing　is　dignified；　princely）　and；　for　the　time　being；　a　balance　is　maintained。　The　difficulties　begin　with　the　dream…revelation　of　the　child　distinguished　by　the　birthmark。　The　boy　tells　of　a　snakelike　monster　prowling　the　woods　by　night；　and　at　this　moment　the　seed　of　fear　is　planted。　Out　of　it　will　grow　the　mythic　beast　destined　to　bee　lord　of　the　island。　Rumors　of　his　presence　grow。　There　is　a　plague　of　haunting　dreams…the　first　symptom　of　the　irrational　fear　which　is　〃mankind's　essential　illness。〃
　
　12。Dodds；　p。xvi
　13。　Lord　of　the　Flies；　p。　185。　All　quotations　are　taken　from　the　edition　contained　in　this　volume。　Subsequent　page　references　will　appear　in　parentheses。
　
　
　In　the　chapter　called　〃Beast　from　Water〃　the　parliamentary　debate　bees　a　blatant　allegory　in　which　each　spokesman　caricatures　the　position　he　defends。　Piggy　（the　voice　of　reason）　leads　with　the　statement　that　life　is　scientific；〃　adds　the　usual　Utopian　promises　（〃when　the　war's　over　they'll　be　traveling　to　Mars　and　back〃）；　and　his　assurance　that　such　things　will　e　to　pass　if　only　we　control　the　senseless　conflicts　that　impede　progress。　He　is　met　with　laughter　and　jeers　（the　crude　multitude）；　and　at　this　juncture　a　littlun　interrupts　to　declare　that　the　beast　（ubiquitous　evil）　es　out　of　the　sea。　Maurice　interjects　to　voice　the　doubt　which　curses　them　all：　〃I　don't　believe　in　the　beast　of　course。　As　Piggy　says；　life's　scientific；　but　we　don't　know；　do　we？　Not　certainly　。　。　。〃　（81）。　Then　Simon　（the　inarticulate　seer）　rises　to　utter　the　truth　in　garbled；　ineffective　phrases：　there　is　a　beast；　but　〃it's　only　us。〃　As　always；　his　saving　words　are　misunderstood；　and　the　prophet　shrinks　away　in　confusion。　Amid　speculation　that　he　means　some　kind　of　ghost；　there　is　a　silent　show　of　hands　for　ghosts　as　Piggy　breaks　in　with　angry　rhetorical　questions：　〃What　are　we？　Humans？　Or　animals？　Or　savages？〃　（84）。　Taking　his　cue；　Jack　（savagery　in　excelsis）　leaps　to　his　feet　and　leads　all　but　the　〃three　blind　mice〃　（Ralph；　Piggy；　Simon）　into　a　mad　jig　of　release　down　the　darkening　beach。　The　parliamentarians　naively　contrast　their　failure　with　the　supposed　efficiency　of　adults；　and　Ralph；　in　despair；　asks　for　a　sign　from　that　ruined　world。
　In　〃Beast　from　Air〃　the　sign；　a　dead　man　in　a　parachute；　is　sent　down　from　the　grownups；　and　the　collapse　foreshadowed　in　the　allegorical　parliament　es　on　with　surprising　speed。　Ralph　himself　looks　into　the　face　of　the　enthroned　tyrant　on　the　mountain；　and　from　that　moment　his　young　intelligence　is　crippled　by　fear。　He　confirms　the　reality　of　the　beast　and　his　confession　of　weakness　insures　Jack's　spectacular　rise　to　power。　Yet　the　ease　with　which　Jack　establishes　his　Dionysian　order　is　hardly　unaccountable。　In　its　very　first　appearance　the　black…caped　choir；　vaguely　evil　in　its　military　esprit；　emerged　ominously　from　a　mirage　and　marched　down　upon　the　minority　forces　assembled　on　the　platform。　Except　for　Simon；　pressed　into　service　and　out　of　step　with　the　mon　rhythm；　the　choir　is　posed　of　servitors　bound　by　the　ritual　and　mystery　of　group　consciousness。　They　share　in　that　munion；　and　there　is　no　real　〃conversion〃　or　transfer　of　allegiance　from　good　to　evil　when　the　chorus；　ostensibly　Christian；　bees　the　tribe　of　hunters。　The　lord　they　serve　inhabits　their　own　being。　If　they　turn　with　relief　from　the　burdens　of　the　platform；　it　is　because　they　cannot　transcend　the　limitations　of　their　own　nature。　Even　the　parliamentary　pool　of　intelligence　must　fail　in　the　attempt　to　explain　all　that　manifests　itself　in　our　turbulent　hearts；　and　the　assertion　that　life　is　ordered；　〃scientific；〃　often　app