Stands up as allegory, less so as a novel

Bingo Square: Fahrenheit 451

Since I switched school districts (and states) between 9th and 10th grade, I ended up reading Lord of the Flies twice in high school English class.  And I despised it both times. Despite that, I noticed at some point that it is a novel I refer to more than some novels I actually enjoyed in school so I had been meaning to do a reread for a while.  After I chose it for the Fahrenheit 451 square, I realized it could also qualify for the Read Harder Challenge, thus saving me from my most hated high school/assigned read ever, Crime and Punishment.

Having finished the novel now, I can both see why I disliked it so much while also appreciating the novel when taken as an allegory.  As a story, though, it’s a bit irritating because the boys have no foresight, and everything falls apart too quickly. I read Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook earlier this year, and the boys of The Lord of the Flies definitely made me think of the Lost Boys of that novel – and even those boys realized the importance of following the “mother” figure who took care of them and made sure they had food.  Boys who actively did not want to grow up saw the importance of some organization while boys raised in society dropped in the middle of wilderness can’t even keep it together more than a few weeks.

I think the other reason I probably had a hard time connecting when I was younger is because Ralph, who is juxtaposed with Jack to be the “good” guy, is still a bit of an asshole.  Yes, he is the one who appreciates Piggy’s intellect but only much later. In the beginning, he, too, makes fun of Piggy and very much comes across as one of those upstanding boarding school boys that would be head boy but does not always consider others’ feelings because he has literally never had to consider anything outside the status quo.  Basically, Ralph and Piggy reminded me of Jon Snow and Sam from A Song of Ice and Fire, except that instead of Jon Snow being protective of Sam and realizing his use early on, Jon was simply the boy who teased him a little bit less in the beginning and realized by the time it was too late how much Sam could bring to the table.  So maybe this would equate to how it would have played out if Sam had ended up with Jamie? Or even Theon? Basically, whoever in that series is more likely to follow the status quo until finally forced to reevaluate their life and what is actually valuable and important.

As I said, this novel is an interesting read from an allegorical or philosophical perspective and its study of humanity and human nature, but from a purely plot standpoint, it’s definitely not a favorite.  At least now I can look back and recognize my issues and appreciate what the novel was trying to do.

Bingo Square: Fahrenheit 451