wgolding.lordoftheflies-第68部分

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meshed　in　the　same　evil　as　the　symbolic　life　of　the　children　on　the　island。　The　officer；　having　interrupted　a　man…hunt；　prepares　to　take　the　children　off　the　island　in　a　cruiser　which　will　presently　be　hunting　its　enemy　in　the　same　implacable　way。　And　who　will　rescue　the　adult　and　his　cruiser？〃
　This　is；　of　course；　merely　a　casual　summing…up　on　Mr。　Golding's　part　of　his　extremely　plex　and　beautifully　woven　symbolic　web　which　bees　apparent　as　we　follow　through　the　book；　but　it　does　indicate　that　Lord　of　the　Flies　is　not；　to　say　the　least；　a　simple　adventure　story　of　boys　on　a　desert　island。　In　fact；　the　implications　of　the　story　go　far　beyond　the　degeneration　of　a　few　children。　What　is　unique　about　the　work　of　Golding　is　the　way　he　has　bined　and　synthesized　all　of　the　characteristically　twentieth…century　methods　of　analysis　of　the　human　being　and　human　society　and　used　this　unified　knowledge　to　ment　on　a　〃test　situation。〃　In　this　book；　as　in　few　others　at　the　present　time；　are　findings　of　psychoanalysts　of　all　schools；　anthropologists；　social　psychologists　and　philosophical　historians　mobilized　into　an　attack　upon　the　central　problem　of　modern　thought：　the　nature　of　the　human　personality　and　the　reflection　of　personality　on　society。2
　
　2。Epstein　perhaps　overstates　here。　The　novel　cannot　be　taken　as　a　final　synthesis　of　modern　thought　or　as　the　ultimate　ment　on　the　〃nature　of　the　human　personality。〃　The　boys　are　not　pletely　free　agents；　they　have　been　molded　by　British　civilization　for　some　years　before　being　deposited　on　the　island。　They　attempt　to　establish　a　government　that　imitates　democracy；　they　retain　confidence　in　adults；　they；　at　least　for　a　while；　behave　in　accord　with　prior　training；　as　when　Roger　throws　the　stones　near　but　not　at　Henry；　pp。　56…57。　Some　events　that　occur　depend　on　circumstance　rather　than　cause　and　effect。　For　example；　when　the　boys　ask　for　a　sign　from　the　adult　world　（p。　87）；　the　sign　conveniently　appears　（pp。　88…89）。　The　fortuitous　arrival　of　the　cruiser　at　the　climactic　moment　is　also　a　result　of　obvious　manipulation　on　the　part　of　Golding。　These　maneuvers　militate　against　the　authenticity　of　the　theme。　They　are　not　good　〃evidence。〃…Eds。
　
　Another　feature　of　Golding's　work　is　the　superb　use　of　symbolism；　a　symbolism　that　〃works。〃　The　central　symbol　itself；　〃the　lord　of　the　flies；〃'　is；　like　any　true　symbol；　much　more　than　the　sum　of　its　parts；　but　some　elements　of　it　may　be　isolated。　〃The　lord　of　the　flies〃　is；　of　course；　a　translation　of　the　Hebrew　Ba‘alzevuv　（Beelzebub　in　Greek）　which　means　literally　'lord　of　insects。〃　It　has　been　suggested　that　it　was　a　mistranslation　of　a　mistransliterated　word　which　gave　us　this　pungent　and　suggestive　name　for　the　Devil；　a　devil　whose　name　suggests　that　he　is　devoted　to　decay；　destruction；　demoralization；　hysteria　and　panic　and　who　therefore　fits　in　very　well　with　Golding's　theme。　He　does　not；　of　course；　suggest　that　the　Devil　is　present　in　any　traditional　religious　sense；　Golding's　Beelzebub　is　the　modern　equivalent；　the　anarchic；　amoral；　driving　Id　whose　only　function　seems　to　be　to　insure　the　survival　of　the　host　in　which　it　is　embedded　or　embodied；　which　function　it　performs　with　tremendous　and　single…minded　tenacity。　Although　it　is　possible　to　find　other　names　for　this　force；　the　modern　picture　of　the　personality；　whether　drawn　by　theologians　or　psychoanalysts；　inevitably　includes　this　force　or　psychic　structure　as　the　fundamental　principle　of　the　Natural　Man。　The　tenets　of　civilization；　the　moral　and　social　codes；　the　Ego；　the　intelligence　itself；　form　only　a　veneer　over　this　white…hot　power；　this　uncontrollable　force；　〃the　fury　and　the　mire　of　human　veins。〃　Dostoievsky　found　salvation　in　this　freedom；　although　he　found　damnation　in　it　also。　Yeats　found　in　it　the　only　source　of　creative　genius　（〃Whatever　flames　upon　the　night；/　Man's　own　resinous　heart　has　fed。〃）。　Conrad　was　appalled　by　this　〃heart　of　darkness；〃　and　existentialists　find　in　the　denial　of　this　freedom　the　source　of　perversion　of　all　human　values。　Indeed　one　could；　if　one　were　so　minded；　go　through　the　entire　canon　of　modern　literature；　philosophy　and　psychology　and　find　this　great　basic　drive　defined　as　underlying　the　most　fundamental　conclusions　of　modern　thought。
　The　emergence　of　this　concealed；　basic　wildness　is　the　theme　of　the　book；　the　struggle　between　Ralph；　the　representative　of　civilization　with　his　parliaments　and　his　brain　trust　（Piggy；　the　intellectual　whose　shattering　spectacles　mark　the　progressive　decay　of　rational　influence　as　the　story　progresses）；　and　Jack；　in　whom　the　spark　of　wildness　burns　hotter　and　closer　to　the　surface　than　in　Ralph　and　who　is　the　leader　of　the　forces　of　anarchy　on　the　island；　is　also；　of　course；　the　struggle　in　modern　society　between　those　same　forces　translated　onto　a　worldwide　scale。　The　central　incident　of　the　book；　and　the　turning　point　in　the　struggle　between　Ralph　and　Jack；　is　the　killing　of　the　sow　on　pp。　123…127）。　The　sow　is　a　mother：　〃sunk　in　deep　maternal　bliss　lay　the　largest　sow　of　the　lot　。。。　the　great　bladder　of　her　belly　was　fringed　with　a　row　of　piglets　that　slept　or　burrowed　and　squeaked。〃　The　killing　of　the　sow　is　acplished　in　terms　of　sexual　intercourse。
　
　They　were　just　behind　her　when　she　staggered　into　an　open　space　where　bright　flowers　grew　and　butterflies　danced　around　each　other　and　the　air　was　hot　and　still。
　Here；　struck　down　by　the　heat；　the　sow　fell　and　the　hunters　hurled　themselves　at　her。　This　dreadful　eruption　from　an　unknown　world　made　her　frantic；　she　squealed　and　bucked　and　the　air　was　full　of　sweat　and　noise　and　blood　and　terror。　Roger　ran　round　the　heap；　prodding　with　his　spear　whenever　pigflesh　appeared。　Jack　was　on　top　of　the　sow；　stabbing　downwards　with　his　knife。　Roger　＇a　natural　sadist；　who　bees　the　〃official〃　torturer　and　executioner　for　the　tribe＇　found　a　lodgment　for　his　point　and　began　to　push　till　he　was　leaning　with　his　whole　weight。　The　spear　moved　forward　inch　by　inch；　and　the　terrified　squealing　became　a　high…pitched　scream。　Then　Jack　found　the　throat　and　the　hot　blood　spouted　over　his　hands。　The　sow　collapsed　under　them　and　they　were　heavy　and　fulfilled　upon　her。　The　butterflies　still　danced；　preoccupied　in　the　center　of　the　clearing。
　
　The　entire　incident　is　a　horrid　parody　of　an　Oedipal　wedding　night　and　these　emotions；　the　sensations　aroused　by　murder　and　death；　and　the　overpowering　and　unaccustomed　emotions　of　sexual　love　experienced　by　the　half…grown　boys；　release　the　forces　of　death　and　the　devil　on　the　island。3
　The　pig's　head　is　cut　off；　a　stick　is　sharpened　at　both　ends　and　〃jammed　in　a　crack〃　in　the　earth。　（The　death　planned　for　Ralph　at　the　end　of　the　book　involves　a　stick　sharpened　at　both　ends。）　The　pig's　head　is　impaled　on　the　stick；　〃。。。　the　head　hung　there；　a　little　blood　dribbling　down　the　stick。　Instinctively　the　boys　drew　back　too；　and
　
　3。　The　reader　will　wish　to　pare　Epstein's　psychoanalytic　interpretation　with　Claire　Rosenfield‘s　〃Men　of　a　Smaller　Growth；〃　reprinted　on　pp。　261…276。…Eds。
　
　the　forest　was　very　still。　They　listened；　and　the　loudest　noise　was　the　buzzing　of　flies　over　the　spilled　guts。〃　Jack　offers　this　grotesque　trophy　to　〃the　Beast；〃　the　terrible　animal　that　the　littler　children　had　been　dreaming　of；　and　which　seems　to　be　lurking　on　the　island　wherever　they　were　not　looking。　After　this　occurs　the　most　deeply　symbolic　incident　in　the　book；　the　〃interview〃　of　Simon；　an　embryo　mystic；　with　the　head。　The　head　seems　to　be　saying；　to　Simon's　heightened　perceptions；　that　〃Everything　is　a　bad　business。　。　。　。　The　half…shut　eyes　were　dim　with　the　infinite　cynicism　of　adult　life。〃　Simon　fights　with　all　his　feeble　power　against　the　message　of　the　head；　against　the　〃ancient；　inescapable　recognition。〃　The　recognition　against　which　he　struggles　is　the　revelation　to　him　of　human　capacities　for　evil　and　the　superficial　nature　of　human　moral　systems。　It　is　the　knowledge　of　the　end　of　innocence；　for　which　Ralph　is　to　weep　at　the　close　of　the　book。　The　pigs　head　seems　to　threaten　Simon　with　death　and　reveals　that　it　is　〃the　Beast。〃　〃　'Fancy　thinking　the　Beast　was　something　you　could　hunt　and　kill！'　said　the　head。　For　a　moment　or　two　the　forest　and　al