wgolding.lordoftheflies-第53部分

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ecognizing　innocence？）　Apollo　and　Dionysus　still　wrestle。　Nevertheless；　whatever　in　man　is　to　blame；　what　is　to　blame　is　something　in　man。　It　is　the　shifting　by　man　of　responsibility　onto　〃beasts〃　outside　himself；　his　refusal　to　confront
　his　own　nature；　that　the　sow's　head　symbolizes　and　Golding　excoriates。
　What　finally　happens　to　Simon　the　saviour　the　four　paragraphs　closing　Chapter　Nine　relate；　in　detailing　the　disposition　of　Simon's　body。　These　paragraphs　emphasize　the　material　assimilation　of　the　corpse　back　into　the　material　universe。　It　is　true　that　the　last　glimpse　Golding　provides　of　the　body　is　that　of　its　drifting　〃out　to　sea；〃　in　the　ancient　symbolic　act　of　the　soul's　〃crossing　over；〃　but　the　absence　of　evidence　that　Simon　is　to　have　a　conscious　afterlife；　that　he　will　remain　in　any　way　intact　as　a　person；　makes　the　decorporealization　seem　very　permanent。　The　body　glows　ironically；　with　the　luminescence　of　scavengers；　metamorphosing　it　into　the　subhuman　world　of　ragged　claws。　Even　as　Simon's　body　is　seen；　at　the　close　of　Chapter　Nine；　to　be　a　〃silver　form　under　the　steadfast　constellations〃　（the　body　to　disintegrate；　the　stars　to　prevail）；　the　intimations　of　immortality　are　quite　evanescent。　The　romantic　metaphor　of　its　being　a　star　obviates　the　urgent　practicalities　of　the　Christian's　〃getting　into　heaven；〃　Simon's　soul　（breath…spirit）　leaves　him　with　a　last　gruesome　〃plop。〃　At　best　the　prospect　seems　to　be　the　certainly　non…Christian　one　of　Simon's　disembodied　spirit's　remaining　forever　disembodied。　The　drift　of　these　paragraphs　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　seems　to　counter　the　Christian　anticipation　of　an　eventual　hylozoic　reunion　of　human　body　and　soul。　And　though　the　reader's　sympathies　yearn　that　the　beauty　of　Simon's　spirit　preclude　its　extinction；　that　beauty　in　the　end　only　makes　the　oblivion　Simon　es　to　more　poignant。
　
　
　
　
　
　The　Coral　Island　Revisited1
　CARL　NIEMEYER
　
　ONE　interested　in　finding　out　about　Golding　for　oneself　should　probably　begin　with　Lord　of　the　Flies；　now　available　in　a　paperback。　The　story　is　simple。　In　a　way　not　clearly　explained；　a　group　of　children；　all　boys；　presumably　evacuees　in　a　future　war；　are　dropped　from　a　plane　just　before　it　is　destroyed；　onto　an　uninhabited　tropical　island。　The　stage　is　thus　set　for　a　reworking　of　a　favorite　subject　in　children's　literature：　castaway　children　assuming　adult　responsibilities　without　adult　supervision。　Golding　expects　his　readers　to　recall　the　classic　example　of　such　a　book；　R。　M。　Ballantyne's　The　Coral　Island　（1857）；2　where　the　boys　rise　to　the　occasion　and　behave　as　admirably　as　would　adults。　But　in　Lord　of　the　Flies　everything　goes　wrong　from　the　beginning。　A　few　boys　representing　sanity　and　mon　sense；　led　by　Ralph　and　Piggy；　see　the　necessity　for　maintaining　a　signal　fire　to　attract　a　rescue。　But　they　are　thwarted　by　the　hunters；　led　by　red…haired　Jack；　whose　lust　for　blood　is　finally　not　to　be　satisfied　by　killing　merely　wild　pigs。　Only　the　timely　arrival　of　a　British　cruiser　saves　us　from　an　ending　almost　literally　too　horrible　to　think　about　Since　Golding　is　using　a　naive　literary　form　to　express　sophisticated　reflections　on　the　nature　of　man　and　society；　and　since　he　refers　obliquely
　
　1。This　article　appeared　in　College　English；　22　（January；　1961）；　241…45；　and　is　reprinted　here　in　slightly　shortened　form　by　permission　of　the　National　Council　of　the　Teachers　of　English　and　the　author。
　2。It　is　worthwhile　to　pare　Frank　Kermode's　discussion　of　The　Coral　Island　with　Niemeyer's。　See　〃The　Novels　of　William　Golding；〃　reprinted　in　this　volume　on　pp。　203…206。　See　also　the　Foreword　to　this　volume。…Eds。
　
　to　Ballantyne　many　times　throughout　the　book；　a　glance　at　The　Coraf　Island　is　appropriate。
　Ballantyne　shipwrecks　his　three　boys…Jack；　eighteen；　Ralph；　the　narrator；　aged　fifteen；　and　Peterkin　Gay；　a　ic　sort　of　boy；　aged　thirteen…somewhere　in　the　South　Seas　on　an　uninhabited　coral　island。　Jack　is　a　natural　leader；　but　both　Ralph　and　Peterkin　have　abilities　valuable　for　survival。　Jack　has　the　most　mon　sense　and　foresight；　but　Peterkin　turns　out　to　be　a　skillful　killer　of　pigs；　and　Ralph；　when　later　in　the　book　he　is　temporarily　separated　from　his　friends　and　alone　on　a　schooner；　coolly　navigates　it　back　to　Coral　Island　by　dead　reckoning；　a　feat　sufficiently　impressive；　if　not　quite　equal　to　Captain　Bligh's。　The　boys'　life　on　the　island　is　idyllic；　and　they　are　themselves　without　malice　or　wickedness；　though　there　are　a　few　curious　episodes　in　which　Ballantyne　seems　to　hint　at　something　he　himself　understands　as　little　as　do　his　characters。　One　is　Peterkin's　wanton　killing　of　an　old　sow；　useless　as　food；　which　the　boy　rationalizes　by　saying　he　needs　leather　for　shoes；　This　and　one　or　two　other　passages　suggest　that　Ballantyne　was　aware　of　some　darker　aspects　of　boyish　nature；　but　for　the　most　part　he　emphasizes　the　paradisiacal　life　of　the　happy　castaways。　Like　Golding's；　however；　Ballantyne's　story　raises　the　problem　of　evil；　but　whereas　Golding　finds　evil　in　the　boys　own　natures；　it　es　to　Ballantyne's　boys　not　from　within　themselves　but　from　the　outside　world。　Tropical　nature；　to　be　sure；　is　kind；　but　the　men　of　this　non…Christian　world　are　bad。　For　example；　the　island　is　visited　by　savage　cannibals；　one　canoeful　pursuing　another；　who　fight　a　cruel　and　bloody　battle；　observed　by　the　horrified　boys；　and　then　go　away。　A　little　later　the　island　is　again　visited；　this　time　by　pirates　（i。e。；　white　men　who　have　renounced　or　scorned　their　Christian　heritage）；　who　succeed　in　capturing　Ralph。　In　due　time　the　pirates　are　deservedly　destroyed；　and　in　the　final　episode　of　the　book　the　natives　undergo　an　unmotivated　conversion　to　Christianity；　which　effects　a　total　change　in　their　nature　just　in　time　to　rescue　the　boys　from　their　clutches。
　Thus　Ballantyne's　view　of　man　is　seen　to　be　optimistic；　like　his　view　of　English　boys'　pluck　and　resourcefulness；　which　subdues　tropical　islands　as　triumphantly　as　England　imposes　empire　and　religion　on　lawless　breeds　of　men。　Colding‘s　naval　officer；　the　deus　ex　machine；　of　Lord　of　theFlies；　is　only　echoing　Ballantyne　when；　perceiving　dimly　that　all　has　not　gone　well　on　the　island；　he　says　（p。　186）：　〃I　should　have　thought　that　a　pack　of　British　boys…you're　all　British；　aren't　you？…would　have　been　able　to　put　up　a　better　show　than　that…I　mean…〃
　This　is　not　the　only　echo　of　the　older　book。　Golding　boldly　calls　his　two　chief　characters　Jack　and　Ralph。　He　reproduces　the　ic　Peterkin　in　the　person　of　Piggy。3　He　has　a　wanton　killing　of　a　wild　pig；　acplished；　as　E。　L。　Epstein　points　out；　〃in　terms　of　sexual　intercourse。〃4　He　uses　a　storm　to　avert　a　quarrel　between　Jack　and　Ralph；　as　Ballantyne　used　a　hurricane　to　rescue　his　boys　from　death　at　the　hands　of　cannibals。　He　emphasizes　physical　cruelty　but　integrates　it　into　his　story；　and　by　making　it　a　real　if　deplorable　part　of　human；　or　at　least　boyish；　nature　improves　on　Ballantyne；　whose　descriptions　of　brutality…never　of　course　performed　by　the　boys…are　usually　introduced　merely　for　their　sensational　effect。　Finally；　on　the　last　page　Golding's　officer　calls　Ralph　mildly　to　task　for　not　having　organized　things　better。
　
　〃It　was　like　that　at　first；〃　said　Ralph；　〃before　things…〃
　He　stopped。
　〃We　were　together　then…〃
　The　officer　nodded　helpfully。
　I　know。　Jolly　good　show。　Like　the　Coral　Island。〃
　
　Golding　invokes　Ballantyne；　so　that　the　kind　but　unprehending　adult；　the　instrument　of　salvation；　may　recall　to　the　child　who　has　just　gone　through　hell　the　naivete　of　the　child's　own　early　innocence；　now　forever　lost；　but　he　suggests　at　the　same　time　the　inadequacy　of　Ballantyne's　picture　of　human　nature　in　primitive　surroundings。
　Golding；　then；　regards　Ballantyne's　book　as　a　badly　falsified　map　of　reality；　yet　the　only　map　of　this　particular　reality　that　many　of　us　have。　Ralph　has　it　and；　through　harrowing　experiences；　replaces　it　with　a　more　accurate　one。　The　naval　officer；　though　he　should　know　better；　since　he　is　on
　
　3。Golding　has　declared　that　Peterkin　of　The　Coral　Island　bees　Simon　in　Lord　of　the　Flies。　See　Frank　Kermode　and　William　Golding；　The　Meaning　of　It　AH；〃　p。　201。…Eds。
　4。E。　L。　Epstein；　〃Notes　on　Lord　of　the　Fli