wgolding.lordoftheflies-第58部分

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cal　and　moral　thinking。
　Turning　from　these　general　considerations　of　Mr。　Golding's　fable　to　the　way　it　is　actually　worked　out；　we　find　the　novel　divided　into　three　sections。　The　first　deals　with　the　arrival　of　the　boys　on　the　island；　the　assembly；　the　early　decisions　about　what　to　do；　the　emphasis　falls　on　the　paradisal　landscape；　the　hope　of　rescue；　and　the　pleasures　of　day…to…day　events。　Everything　within　this　part　of　the　book　is　contained　within　law　and　rule：　the　sense　of　the　aweful　and　the　forbidden　is　strong。　Jack　cannot　at　first　bring　himself　to　kill　a　pig　because　of　〃the　enormity　of　the　knife　descending　and　cutting　into　living　flesh；　because　of　the　unbearable　blood。〃　Roger　throws　stones　at　Henry；　but　he　throws　to　miss　because　〃round　the　squatting　child　was　the　protection　of　parents　and　school　and　policemen　and　the　law。〃　The　world　in　this　part　of　the　book　is　the　world　of　children's　games。　The　difference　es　when　there　is　no　parental　summons　to　bring　these　games　to　an　end。　These　games　have　to　continue　throughout　the　day；　and　through　the　day　that　follows。　And　it　is　worth　noting　that　Mr。　Golding　creates　his　first　sense　of　unease　through　something　which　is　familiar　to　every　child　in　however　protected　a　society…the　waning　of　the　light。　It　is　the　dreams　that　usher　in　the　beastie；　the　snake；　the　unidentifiable　threat　to　security。
　The　second　part　of　the　book　could　be　said　to　begin　when　that　threat　takes　on　physical　reality；　with　the　arrival　of　the　dead　airman。　Immediately　the　fear　is　crystallized；　all　the　boys　are　now　affected；　discussion　has　increasingly　to　give　way　to　action。　As　the　narrative　increases　in　tempo；　so　its　implications　enlarge。　Ralph　has　appealed　to　the　adult　world　for　help；　〃If　only　they　could　send　us　something　grown…up　。。。　a　sign　or　something；〃　and　the　dead　airman　is　shot　down　in　flames　over　the　island。　Destruction　is　everywhere；　the　boy's　world　is　only　a　miniature　version　of　the　adult's。　By　now　the　nature　of　the　destroyer　is　being　clearer；　it　is　not　a　beastie　or　snake　but　man's　own　nature。　〃What　I　mean　is　。。。　maybe　it's　only　us；〃　Simon's　insight　is　confined　to　himself　and　he　has　to　pay　the　price　of　his　own　life　for　trying　to　municate　it　to　others。　Simon's　death　authenticates　this　truth；　and　now　that　the　fact　of　evil　has　actually　been　created　on　the　island；　the　airman　is　no　longer　necessary　and　his　body　vanishes　in　a　high　wind　and　is　carried　out　to　sea。
　The　third　part　of　the　book；　and　the　most　terrible；　explores　the　meaning　and　consequence　of　this　creation　of　evil。　plete　moral　anarchy　is　unleashed　by　Simon's　murder。　The　world　of　the　game；　which　embodied　in　however　an　elementary　way；　rule　and　order；　is　systematically　destroyed；　because　hardly　anyone　can　now　remember　when　things　were　otherwise。　When　the　destruction　is　plete；　Mr。　Golding　suddenly　restores　〃the　external　scene〃　to　us；　not　the　paradisal　world　of　the　marooned　boys；　but　our　world。　The　naval　officer　speaks；　we　realize　with　horror；　our　words；　〃the　kid　needed　a　bath；　a　hair…cut；　a　nose　wipe　and　a　good　deal　of　ointment。〃　He　carries　our　emblems　of　power；　the　white　drill；　the　epaulettes；　the　gilt…buttons；　the　revolver；　the　trim　cruiser。　Our　everyday　sight　has　been　restored　to　us；　but　the　experience　of　reading　the　book　is　to　make　us　re…interpret　what　we　see；　and　say　with　Macbeth　〃mine　eyes　are　made　the　fools　o'　the　other　senses。〃
　If　we　are　to　look　at　Lord　of　the　Flies　from　the　point　of　view　of　it　being　a　fable　this　is　the　kind　of　account　we　might　give。　And；　as　far　as　it　goes；　it　is　a　true　account。　The　main　weakness　in　discussing　Lord　of　the　Flies　is　that　we　are　too　often　inclined　to　leave　our　description　at　this　point。　So　we　find　a　Christian　being　deeply　moved　by　the　book　and　arguing　that　its　greatness　is　tied　up　with　the　way　in　which　the　author　brings　home　to　a　modem　reader　the　doctrine　of　Original　Sin；　or　we　find　a　humanist　finding　the　novel　repellent　precisely　because　it　endorses　what　he　feels　to　be　a　dangerous　myth；　or　again；　on　a　different　level；　we　find　a　Liberal　asserting　the　importance　of　the　book　because　of　its　unwavering　exposure　or　the　corruptions　of　power。　Now　whatever　degree　of　truth　we　find　in　these　views；　it　is　important　to　be　dear　that　the　quality　or　otherwise　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　is　not　dependent　upon　any　of　them。　Whether　Mr。　Golding　has　written　a　good　novel　or　not　is　not　because　of　〃the　views〃　which　may　be　deduced　from　it；　but　because　of　his　claim　to　be　a　novelist。　And　the　function　of　the　novelist　as　Joseph　Conrad　once　said　is　〃by　the　power　of　the　written　word　to　make　you　hear；　to　make　you　feel…it　is；　before　all；　to　make　you　see。〃　And　it　is　recognition　of　this　that　must　take　us　back　from　Mr。　Golding's　fable；　however　pelling；　to　his　fiction。　Earlier　I　suggested　that　these　two　aspects　occur　simultaneously；　so　that　in　moving　from　one　to　the　other；　we　are　not　required　to　look　at　different　parts　of　the　novel；　but　at　the　same　thing　from　a　different　point　of　view。
　Let　us　begin　by　looking　at　the　coral　island。　We　have　mentioned　the　careful　literary　reference　to　Ballantyne　（〃Like　the　Coral　Island；〃　the　naval　officer　remarks）；　the　theological　overtones　with　the　constant　paradisal　references；　〃flower　and　fruit　grew　together　on　the　same　tree；〃　but　all　these　things　matter　only　because　Mr。　Golding　has　imaginatively　put　the　island　before　us。　The　sun　and　the　thunder　e　across　to　us　as　physical　realities；　not　because　they　have　a　symbolic　part　to　play　in　the　book；　but　because　of　the　novelist's　superb　resourcefulness　of　language。　Consider　how　difficult　it　is　to　write　about　a　tropical　island　and　avoid　any　hint　of　the　travel　poster　cliché　or　the　latest　documentary　film　about　the　South　Seas。　To　see　how　the　difficulty　can　be　overe　look　at　the　following　paragraph：
　
　Strange　things　happened　at　midday。　The　glittering　sea　rose　up；　moved　apart　in　planes　of　blatant　impossibility；　the　coral　reef　and　the　few；　stunted　palms　that　clung　to　the　more　elevated　parts　would　float　up　into　the　sky；　would　quiver；　be　plucked　apart；　run　like　raindrops　on　a　wire　or　be　repeated　as　in　an　odd　succession　of　mirrors。　Sometimes　land　loomed　where　there　was　no　land　and　flicked　out　like　a　bubble　as　the　children　watched；　（p。　53。）
　
　It　is　this　kind　of　sensitivity　to　language；　this　effortless　precision　of　statement　that　makes　the　novel　worth　the　most　patient　attention。　And　what　applies　to　the　island　applies　to　the　characters　also。　As　Jack　gradually　loses　his　name　so　that　at　the　end　of　the　novel　he　is　simply　the　Chief　we　feel　this　terrible　loss　of　identity　ing　over　in　his　total　inability　to　do　anything　that　is　not　instinctively　gratifying。　He　begins　to　talk　always　in　the　same　way；　to　move　with　the　same　intent。　But　this　is　in　final　terrible　stages　of　the　novel。　If　we　turn　back　to　the　beginning　of　the　novel　we　find　Mr。　Golding　catching　perfectly　a　tone　of　voice；　a　particular　rhythm　of　speech。　Ralph　is　talking　to　Piggy　shortly　after　they　have　met：
　
　〃I　could　swim　when　I　was　five。　Daddy　taught　me。　He's　a　mander　in　the　Navy。　When　he　gets　leave　he'll　e　and　rescue　us。　What's　your　father？〃
　Piggy　flushed　suddenly。
　〃My　dad's　dead；〃　he　said　quickly；　〃and　my　mum…〃
　He　took　off　his　glasses　and　looked　vainly　for　something　with　which　to　clean　them。
　〃I　used　to　live　with　my　auntie。　She　kept　a　candy　store。　I　used　to　get　ever　so　many　candies。　As　many　as　I　liked。　When'll　your　dad　rescue　us？〃
　〃Soon　as　he　can。〃　（p。　11。）
　
　Notice　how　skillfully　Mr。　Golding　has　caught　in　that　snatch　of　dialogue；　not　only　schoolboy　speech　rhythms；2　but　also；　quite　unobtrusively；　the　social　difference　between　the　two　boys。　〃What's　your　father？〃；　〃When'll　your　dad　rescue　us？〃　There　are　two　continents　of　social　experience　hinted　at　here。　I　draw　attention　to　this　passage　simply　to　show　that　in　a　trivial　instance；　in　something　that　would　never　be　quoted　in　any　account　of　〃the　importance〃　of　the　book；　it　is　the　gifts　which　are　peculiar　to　a　novelist；　〃to　make　you　hear；　to　make　you　feel　。　。　。　to　make　you　see；〃　that　are　being　displayed。
　Perhaps；　however；　we　feel　these　gifts　most　unmistakably　present　not　in　the　way　the　landscape　is　presented　to　us；　nor　the　characters；　but　rather　in　the　extraordinary　momentum　and　power　which　drives　the　whole　narrative　forward；　so　that　one　incident　leads　to　another　with　an　ine