wgolding.lordoftheflies-第54部分

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d　William　Golding；　The　Meaning　of　It　AH；〃　p。　201。…Eds。
　4。E。　L。　Epstein；　〃Notes　on　Lord　of　the　Flies；〃　p。　280　below。…　Eds。
　
　the　scene　and　should　not　have　to　rely　on　memories　of　his　boyhood　reading；　has　it；　and　it　seems　unlikely　that　he　is　ever　going　to　alter　it；　for　his　last　recorded　action　is　to　turn　away　from　the　boys　and　look　at　his　〃trim〃　cruiser；　in　other　words　to　turn　away　from　a　revelation　of　the　untidy　human　heart　to　look　at　something　manufactured；　manageable；　and　solidly　useful。
　Golding；　who　being　a　grammar　school　teacher　should　know　boys　well；　gives　a　corrective　of　Ballantyne's　optimism。　As　he　has　explained；　the　book　is　〃an　attempt　to　trace　the　defects　of　society　back　to　the　defects　of　human　nature。〃　5　These　defects　turn　out；　on　close　examination；　to　result　from　the　evil　of　inadequacy　and　mistakenness。　Evil　is　not　the　positive　and　readily　identifiable　force　it　appears　to　be　when　embodied　in　Ballantyne's　savages　and　pirates。　Golding's　Ralph；　for　example；　has　real　abilities；　most　conspicuous　among　them　the　gift　of　leadership　and　a　sense　of　responsibility　toward　the　〃littluns。〃　Yet　both　are　inplete。　〃By　now；〃　writes　Golding；　〃Ralph　had　no　self…consciousness　in　public　thinking　but　would　treat　the　day's　decisions　as　though　he　were　playing　chess。〃　Such　detachment　is　obviously　an　important　and　valuable　quality　in　a　leader；　but　significantly　the　next　sentence　reads：　〃The　only　trouble　was　that　he　would　never　be　a　very　good　chess　player〃　（p。　108）。　Piggy　on　the　other　hand　no　doubt　would　have　been　a　good　chess　player；　for　with　a　sense　of　responsibility　still　more　acute　than　Ralph's　he　bines　brains　and　mon　sense。　Physically；　however；　he　is　ludicrous…fat；　asthmatic；　and　almost　blind　without　his　specs。　He　is　forever　being　betrayed　by　his　body。　At　his　first　appearance　he　is　suffering　from　diarrhea；　his　last　gesture　is　a　literally　brainless　twitch　of　the　limbs；　'like　a　pig's　after　it　has　been　killed〃　（p。　167）。　His　further　defect　is　that　he　is　powerless；　except　as　he　works　through　Ralph。　Though　Piggy　is　the　first　to　recognize　the　value　of　the　conch　and　even　shows　Ralph　how　to　blow　it　to　summon　the　first　assembly；　he　cannot　sound　it　himself。　And　he　lacks　imagination。　Scientifically　minded　as　he　is；　he　scorns　what　is　intangible　and　he　dismisses　the　possibility　of　ghosts　or　an　imaginary　beast。　〃　'Cos　things　wouldn't　make　sense。　Houses　an'　streets；　an'…TV…　they　wouldn't　work〃　（p。　85）。　Of　course　he　is　quite　right；
　
　5。　Quoted　by　Epstein；　p。　277。…Eds。
　
　save　that　he　forgets　he　is　now　on　an　island　where　the　artifacts　of　the　civilization　he　has　always　known　are　meaningless。
　It　is　another　important　character；　Simon；　who　understands　that　there　may　indeed　be　a　beast；　even　if　not　a　palpable　one…〃maybe　it's　only　us〃　（p。　82）。　The　scientist　Piggy　has　recognized　it　is　possible　to　be　frightened　of　people　（p。　78）；　but　he　finds　this　remark　of　Simon's　dangerous　nonsense。　Still　Simon　is　right；　as　we　see　from　his　interview　with　the　sow's　head　on　a　stake；　which　is　the　lord　of　the　flies。　He　is　right　that　the　beast　is　in　the　boys　themselves；　and　he　alone　discovers　that　what　has　caused　their　terror　is　in　reality　a　dead　parachutist　ironically　stifled　in　the　elaborate　clothing　worn　to　guarantee　survival。　But　Simon's　failure　is　the　inevitable　failure　of　the　mystic…what　he　knows　is　beyond　words；　he　cannot　impart　his　insights　to　others。　Having　an　early　glimpse　of　the　truth；　he　cannot　tell　it。
　
　Simon　became　inarticulate　in　his　effort　to　express　man…kind's　essential　illness。　Inspiration　came　to　him。
　〃What's　the　dirtiest　thing　there　is？〃
　As　an　answer　Jack　dropped　into　the　unprehending　silence　that　followed　it　the　one　crude　expressive　syllable。　Release　was　like　an　orgasm。　Those　littluns　who　had　climbed　back　on　the　twister　fell　off　again　and　did　not　mind。　The　hunters　were　screaming　with　delight。
　Simon's　effort　fell　about　him　in　ruins；　the　laughter　beat　him　cruelly　and　he　shrank　away　defenseless　to　his　seat　（p。　82）。
　
　Mockery　also　greets　Simon　later　when　he　speaks　to　the　lord　of　the　flies；　though　this　time　it　is　sophisticated；　adult　mockery：
　
　〃Fancy　thinking　the　Beast　was　something　you　could　hunt　and　kill！〃　said　the　head。　For　a　moment　or　two　the　forest　and　all　the　other　dimly　appreciated　places　echoed　with　the　parody　of　laughter　（p。　133）。
　
　Tragically；　when　Simon　at　length　achieves　a　vision　so　clear　that　it　is　readily　municable　he　is　killed　by　the　pig　hunters　in　their　insane　belief　that　he　is　the　very　evil　which　he　alone　has　not　only　understood　but　actually　exorcised。　Lake　the　martyr；　he　is　killed　for　being　precisely　what　he　is　not。
　The　inadequacy　of　Jack　is　the　most　serious　of　all；　and　here　perhaps　if　anywhere　in　the　novel　we　have　a　personification　of　absolute　evil。　Though　he　is　the　most　mature　of　the　boys　（he　alone　of　all　the　characters　is　given　a　last　name）；　and　though　as　head　of　the　choir　he　is　the　only　one　with　any　experience　of　leadership；　he　is　arrogant　and　lacking　in　Ralph's　charm　and　warmth。　Obsessed　with　the　idea　of　hunting；　he　organizes　his　choir　members　into　a　band　of　killers。　Ostensibly　they　are　to　kill　pigs；　but　pigs　alone　do　not　satisfy　them；　and　pigs　are　in　any　event　not　needed　for　food。　The　blood　lust　once　aroused　demands　nothing　less　than　human　blood。　If　Ralph　represents　purely　civil　authority；　backed　only　by　his　own　good　will；　Piggy's　wisdom；　and　the　crowd's　easy　willingness　to　be　ruled；　Jack　stands　for　naked　ruthless　power；　the　police　force　or　the　military　force　acting　without　restraint　and　gradually　absorbing　the　whole　state　into　itself　and　annihilating　what　it　cannot　absorb。　Yet　even　Jack　is　inadequate。　He　is　only　a　little　boy　after　all；　as　we　are　sharply　reminded　in　a　brilliant　scene　at　the　end　of　the　book；　when　we　suddenly　see　him　through　the　eyes　of　the　officer　instead　of　through　Ralph's　（pp。　185…87）；　and　he　is；　like　all　sheer　power；　anarchic。　When　Ralph　identifies　himself　to　the　officer　as　〃boss；〃　Jack；　who　has　just　all　but　murdered　him；　makes　a　move　in　dispute；　but　overawed　at　last　by　superior　power；　the　power　of　civilization　and　the　British　Navy；　implicit　in　the　officer's　mere　presence；　he　says　nothing。　He　is　a　villain　（Are　his　red　hair　and　ugliness　intended　to　suggest　that　he　is　a　devil？）；　but　in　our　world　of　inadequacies　and　imperfections　even　villainy　does　not　fulfill　itself　pletely。　If　not　rescued；　the　hunters　would　have　destroyed　Ralph　and　made　him；　like　the　sow；　an　offering　to　the　beast；　but　the　inexorable　logic　of　Ulysses　makes　us　understand　that　they　would　have　proceeded　thence　to　self…destruction。
　
　Then　everything　includes　itself　in　power；
　Power　into　will；　will　into　appetite；
　And　appetite；　an　universal　wolf；
　So　doubly　seconded　with　will　and　power；
　Must　make　perforce　an　universal　prey；
　And　last　eat　up　himself。
　
　The　distance　we　have　traveled　from　Ballantyne's　cheerful　unrealities　is　both　artistic　and　moral　Golding　is　admittedly　symbolic；　Ballantyne　professed　to　be　telling　a　true　story。　Yet　it　is　the　symbolic　tale　that；　at　least　for　our　times；　carries　conviction。　Golding's　boys；　who　choose　to　remember　nothing　of　their　past　before　the　plane　accident；　who；　as　soon　as　Jack　mands　the　choir　to　take　off　the　robes　marked　with　the　cross　of　Christianity；　have　no　trace　of　religion；　who　demand　to　be　ruled　and　are　incapable　of　being　ruled　properly；　who　though　many　of　them　were　once　choir　boys　（Jack　could　sing　C　sharp）　never　sing　a　note　on　the　island；　in　whose　minds　the　great　tradition　of　Western　culture　has　left　the　titles　of　a　few　books　for　children；　a　knowledge　of　the　use　of　matches　（but　no　matches）；　and　hazy　memories　of　planes　and　TV　sets…these　boys　are　more　plausible　than　Ballantyne's。　His　was　a　world　of　blacks　and　whites：　bad　hurricanes；　　good　　islands；　　　good　　pigs　　obligingly　　allowing　themselves　to　be　taken　for　human　food；　bad　sharks　disobligingly　taking　human　beings　for　shark　food；　good　Christians；　bad　natives；　bad　pirates；　good　boys。　Of　the　beast　within；　which　demands　blood　sacrifice；　first　a　sow's　head；　then　a　boy's；　Ballantyne　has　some　vague　notion；　but　he　cannot　take　it　seriously。　Not　only　does　Golding　see　the　beast；　he　sees　that　to　keep　it　at　bay　we　have　civilization；　but　when　by　some　magic　or　accident　civilization　is　abolished　and　the　human　animal　is　left　on