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Title: Great idea, awful book
Review: Golding's idea was brilliant. He delved into the true, hidden nature of humans; our origin as an animal. In his book, a group of young boys are stranded on an island without any adults. They set up a society with rules, goals, and a leader. Of course, this society fails miserably. Rules are disregared, goals are forgotten, and the leader is overthrown. Their miniature civilization degrades into chaos. The implication is that civilization as a whole is just a thin mask that covers our more primal nature.The idea is well thought out and interesting. However, Golding focuses on the details of the boys' existance and the symbolism of the story to the point that the story itself is lost. The only remotely interesting part is the end, when he stops focusing on the symbolism as much and lets the story drive home the points that he tries to make throughout the book.If you want an examination of human nature, then read this book.If you want an adventure story, look elsewhere.
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