Lord of the Flies Movie

“Lord of the Flies” has this engaging storyline that made me feel multitudes of emotions simultaneously. Needless to say, I have no intention of making this sound like an actual review of the movie; rather, I will simply jot down my emotions – what I felt and what I still feel regarding the film that I saw.

On the first few minutes of the movie, I really began to have this sense of curiosity. I was then pondering, what would happen to these pitiful children stuck in a barren island? I instantaneously had this sort of admiration towards Ralph. I was utterly amazed at how he handled the whole dilemma, seemingly unaffected by the future horrors of their current situation. It hit me that it was pretty rare to meet a boy like him these days. On the surface, it appeared that the relationship of these boys was in perfect harmony; there being a leader, cooperation, and all that. But like most of my assumptions, I was mistaken, which I realized later on.

Of course, there was always an underlying enemy, a person who opposed our ways, in almost every day that we encounter new people; or more plainly stated, in a particular circle or group, there was always this one person who would dislike us. I wondered why that was the case. And quite accordingly, soon enough, it was shown that Jack had another side, that he had other motives. It was depressing that way: why would the people we regarded as friends inevitably turn their backs against us? When the separation of the boys took place, I thought about friendship, about our relationships with people. The symbolism in that aspect mirrored the reality.

I saw Ralph as this seemingly enigmatic kid, cool and placid on the surface and with a potential leadership. But Jack was the exact opposite. Why was he acting in such a disagreeable manner? We can only assume. But reading between the lines, there must be a reason. There was always a reason behind our behavior, so I’ve heard. But this should not be an excuse to act in a certain way we do, especially if it’s not right. The way our mindset translates into behavior still depends on us. On a deeper note, I have read, and I agree, that  Jack’s attitude embodied the most terrible aspects of human nature “when unrepressed or untempered by society.” [1]

When some of the kids caught a glimpse of a distant helicopter looming into view, even I, a mere onlooker, felt a spark of hope ascending inside me. Before I realized what I was doing, I was ramming my fingers incessantly on the wooden desk in sheer suspense. But the helicopter never listened to Ralph’s desperate calls. Events such as those are the kind that always leave us dejected, and worse, render us wholly hopeless. Even pessimism has its roots.

Soon enough, it became a battle of survival, quite synonymous in some aspects to Darwin’s natural selection or the “survival of the fittest.” It emerged in a subtle way, though, nothing but child’s play with just a few ounces of provocations and the likes. But I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I found myself staring in Simon’s corpse, at the bloody remnants of his little body. What were those kids even thinking of? How could they kill a defenseless victim? Albeit it was just a stupid blunder, it was still murder. I couldn’t formulate the image of children ruthlessly piercing spears through Simon’s body with devilish fervor. And to think that Simon only wanted to say the truth, to shed some light on a misconception, on a ridiculous lie. The voice of truth was cut off by the harshness of human nature, of the beast that was slowly consuming the hearts of the other boys. Simon's death represents the loss of truth, innocence, and common sense. [2] I knew that even if the boy dared to speak out in his small voice, it would be futile. His death would continue. Boys committing murder. I knew then that that was the demise of child’s play.

I felt tremendously desolate when the boys left gradually to transfer to the other group, in the end leaving only Ralph and Piggy. Maybe those kids didn’t actually want to go to Jack’s group, but they did for survival and practicality, despite the fact that it was against their will. They had to do it; they knew that the other group was getting more and more powerful, that their chances of survival there were better. I guess that was a part of human nature for some people – doing things that we didn’t really believe in, making decisions although it was wrong, because we thought it could help us; or even worse, because we didn’t have a choice.

And things did get worse. The attitudes of those kids reached the extreme. The first death being an accident, you’d think that they had already learned their lessons and were sorry for the crime they had committed. But no; Piggy was heartlessly murdered. What was even going on in Roger’s mind (the killer) to be able to perform such an atrocious and abominable act? To have witnessed the death of his comrade, I could feel the fury of Ralph emanating. It must have taken most of his willpower not to saunter forward the group and initiate revenge. That must be very strenuous, to try stopping your emotions from overwhelming you.

Ralph was undeniably a very strong character. As I have mentioned, I really admired him, but I also felt a tinge of remorse because mature as he might seem, he was still nothing but a mere child. No one should have the misfortune of carrying tremendously heavy burdens and witnessing unsightly things at such a young age. If ever I see people like those, I’d have this urge at the back of my mind to help them in any possible way that I can.

Then there came this scene when Ralph was being hunted down. The twins were put to test. I was utterly terrified when the other boys began chasing Ralph. Although it was only a movie, my heart was hammering violently against my chest in fear. I thought it was his end already. But there was an officer waiting near the shore. The boys couldn’t proceed with their murderous intent. It seemed that up to that encounter with an older man, the boys had been living in their own world, with their own rules. But when they finally saw the man in military outfit, it was as though the reality once again assaulted their faces. It made them realized what they really were. They were children about to perform their third kill. And in the real world, children don’t normally go around murdering someone for fun.

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies

2."Lord of the Flies: Analysis of Major Characters". Literature Study Guides. SparkNotes. Retrieved 2 February 2010.

Welcome, July!

The month has just started, but I have an instinct that I won’t like what’s in store for me this July.

I’m not simply making assumptions, of course. Well, partly, maybe. But could you blame me? Imagine, it’s only been twelve hours since the new month entered, and so far, things aren’t what I hoped they would be. If this is only the first day, then what more could plausibly happen in a period of the next thirty days?

Or maybe it’s just my perfectly screwed-up life?

I awoke to an assaulting scream. Not what you would suppose; just my family enjoying their time watching a game show. Things were definitely normal. Not even bothering to eat breakfast, I grabbed a book and started to read, oblivious to their ceaseless laughter and musings.

Who would have thought that within thirty minutes or so, things could actually have a sudden twist?

Before I even realized it, my heart was already hammering painfully against my chest in what could only be fear. My hands were quivering as I tried to steady my book. I threw an apprehensive glance to my father, wanting to yell but had no voice to do so. Or the strength needed. He raised my guitar, sputtering curses and phrases to my brother in sheer anger. His temper ascending, he even took hold of the nearby vase – enormous and expensive one our mother desperately saved money for to buy – and was ready to hurl it.

Minutes later, I was stomping my feet up the wooden stairs, dashing to my room, the book in my hand the only source of my solace.

I don’t know whose fault it was. My brother’s definitely. He was this big mouthed jerk who sputtered rude responses and utterly snarky remarks at the wrong moment, at the wrong person. Then there was my father, the easily angered, the short-tempered one. Then my mother, one who couldn’t close her mouth at times.

My father left without another word as I ran up my room. But even though I already closed the door, I could hear the shouting downstairs between my mother and brother, both of them throwing words and accusations at one another. I wanted to yell, “Just shut up! It’s done! Father left already!” But instead, I just drowned their voices by reading aloud.

I thought then, maybe I shouldn’t just go home during weekends. If this went on, then I’d rather spend my whole college life on the dormitory. At least there were no arguments there.