wgolding.lordoftheflies-第50部分

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mentarian；　he　is　also　me　figure　of　an　idea：　the　abstract　concept　of　democratic　government。　The　same　double　role　is　filled　by　the　other　characters：　Jack　is　at　once　the　dictator　and　the　concept　of　dictatorship；　Piggy　is　the　intellectual；　with　all　his　powers　and　deficiencies；　and　representative　of　the　Enlightenment　or　scientific　method。　Finally；　Simon　is　the　mystic　and　poet；　who　is　also　a　Christ…figure　and　thus　the　symbol　of　religious　faith。　The　symbolism　of　Lord　of　the　Flies；　therefore；　functions　on　a　number　of　levels；　and　it　seems　to　be　an　injustice　to　Golding's　extraordinary　dexterity　in　handling　these　multiple　levels　to　reduce　them　to　one　level；　that　of　universal　human　nature。
　Golding　suggests　the　plexity　of　these　symbolic　figures　in　their　physical　descriptions。　Ralph　is　〃the　boy　with　fair　hair　＇who　has＇　a　mildness　about　his　mouth　and　eyes　that　proclaimed　no　devil。〃　On　the　literal　level　we　have　the　good　boy；　the　〃solid　citizen。〃　As　such；　Ralph　engages　our　sympathies。　And　on　the　most　obvious　symbolic　level　he　still　has　our　sympathies；　for　he　represents　the　decent；　sensible　parliamentarian；　the　political　ideal　of　the　Western　world。
　But　on　another；　and　deeper；　level　Golding　has　introduced　an　ironic　twist。　The　symbolic　value　Ralph　possesses　as　the　abstract　concept　of　the　democratic　process　is　presented　as　a　challenge　to　the　reader。　If；　as　the　Western　world　seems　to　believe；　the　democratic　process　of　government　is　the　best　devised　by　man　throughout　his　history；　why　doesn't　it　work　always　and　everywhere？　It　is　at　this　level　that　Golding　suggests　symbolically　the　inadequacy；　not　the　depravity；　of　the　solely　human；　it　is　at　this　level　that　he　directs　his　devastatingly　ironic　mentary　on　the　Rousseauvian　myth　of　the　general　will　and　its　unproved　presupposition　of　the　natural　goodness　of　the　human　species。
　In　effect；　Golding's　modern　fable　puts　Rousseau's　social　contract　to　the　test：　Lord　of　the　Flies　takes　man　back　to　the　primitive　condition　of　things；　which　the　French　social　reformer　had　advocated　as　the　one　sure　way　of　restoring　man　to　his　proper　dignity。　Then　it　shows　that；　far　from　being　naturally　good；　man　has　some　type　of　defect　for　which　civilization　is　not　responsible。　Rousseau's　social　philosophy　fails　the　test；　and　the　essentially　confused　notion　of　nature　which　Rousseau　bequeathed　to　the　contemporary　world　is　exposed　for　the　fraud　that　it　is。
　Moreover；　the　irony　implicit　in　Ralph's　inadequacy　is　extended　to　the　other　characters；　either　as　they　participate　in　the　same　inadequacy　or　as　they　question　symbolically　the　solution　offered　for　human　ills　by　Ralph's　faith　in　Rousseauvian　democracy。　Piggy　participates　in　the　〃grand　design〃　of　restoration。　As　a　figure　of　the　Enlightenment；　he　cannot　accept　the　extremes　of　romanticism；　and　he　votes　for　Ralph　only　〃grudgingly〃；　but　he　will　use　the　more　popular　romantic　concept　of　government　and　will　try　to　direct　ft。　Yet；　even　with　his　discerning　rational　assessment　of　the　problem　of　forming　a　government　for　the　refugees；　his　inherent　weaknesses　are　evident　Ultimately；　he　is　destroyed；　not　because　his　intellectual　gifts　are　depraved；　but　because　he　falls　into　the　mistaken　belief　that　they　are　sufficient　unto　themselves。　Piggy　is　intelligent　enough；　for　example；　to　question　Ralph's　blind　faith　in　rescue　by　the　military　（a　scathing　mentary　on　the　Western　democracies'　current　worship　at　the　shrine　of　Cape　Canaveral）；　but　he　remains　blind　to　the　limitations　of　his　own　reason。
　Jack　and　Simon；　on　the　other　hand；　are　not　taken　in　by　the　Rousseauvian　solution。　Jack's　approach　to　the　human　condition　is　much　too　twisted　for　even　the　remotest　parison　with　the　idealism；　fanciful　though　it　is；　implicit　in　Rousseau；　Simon's　view　of　humanity　is　so　penetrated　with　realistic　self…appraisal　that　he　transcends　the　idealism　of　the　French　reformer。　Jack　descends　to　the　subhuman；　Simon　soars　to　the　superhuman。　While　Ralph　and　Piggy　exemplify　ironically　the　〃noble　savage；〃　Jack　and　Simon　provide　the　necessary　counterpoint；　Jack　exploits　the　savagery；　and　Simon　explores　the　nobility。
　And　it　is　probably　through　the　figure　of　Jack　that　William　Golding　pronounces　his　severest　condemnation　of　the　romantic　myth　of　human　progress。　For；　in　the　last　analysis；　it　is　the　dictator　who　has　benefited　most　from　Rousseau's　social　view。　When　man's　efforts　toward　progress　and　eventual　fulfillment；　however　altruistic　his　motivation；　proceed　from　sloppy　thinking；　then　brute　force　takes　over　to　direct　the　course　of　progress　and　subverts　even　the　good　in　human　nature　to　its　own　destructive　ends。
　Yet；　Golding　is　not　interested　merely　in　the　altruism　or　the　subversion；　between　these　two　forces　in　contemporary　civilization　he　places　the　figure　of　Simon。　He　introduces　him　to　the　reader　in　somewhat　melodramatic　fashion：　the　boy　faints。　In　this；　the　first　of　Simon's　actions；　we　have　a　possible　ironic　twist　on　Swinburne's　famous　line：　〃Thou　hast　conquer'd；　O　pale　Galilean；　the　world　has　grown　gray　from　thy　breath。〃　It　is　obvious　from　Simon's　subsequent　history　that　he　is　a　Christ…figure；　and　the　romantic　view　of
　humanity　proposed　by　Rousseau　has　so　infiltrated　every　aspect　of　life　in　the　contemporary　world　that　even　Christ　is　seen　through　the　rose…colored　glasses　of　sentimentality；　which　is　the　logical　and　real　successor　to　romanticism。
　Thus；　the　Christ　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　is　the　〃pale　Galilean〃；　yet　it　is　this　same　weak　Christ　who；　in　the　first　act　he　performs；　forces　a　concession　from　Jack；　and　the　choir　boys　are　allowed　to　rest　The　irony　is　evident：　even　a　weak　Christ　is　more　than　a　strong　dictator。4　Further；　when　Simon　announces　his　name　（and　his　name　has　the　strongest　biblical　overtones）；　Jack　says：　〃We've　got　to　decide　about　being　rescued。〃　Immediately；　Simon　is　linked；　however　vaguely；　with　the　idea　of　salvation。
　
　After　the　boys　have　elected　Ralph　as　leader　by　〃this　toy　of　voting；〃　Jack；　Simon　and　Ralph　begin　exploring　the　mountain。　This　section　of　the　novel　is　crucial；　for　it　is　here　that　Golding　gives　his　abbreviated　ironical　summary　of　the　romantic　view　of　human　progress。　The　passage　needs　analysis　in　depth　（impossible　in　an　article　of　this　length）；　but　it　should　be　pointed　out　that　Golding　has　chosen　as　explorers　those　who　have　dominated　the　history　of　man：　the　totalitarian；　the　parliamentarian　and　the　mystic…poet　And；　as　is　clear　from　the　text；　Simon　is　the　realist　of　the　triumvirate。　When　the　boys　examine　the　bushes　on　the　mountain；　Simon　accepts　them　for　what　they　are。　Ralph　and　Jack　are　concerned　only　with　how　the　buds　can　be　used　That　Golding's　figure　of　religious　faith　accepts　reality　as　it　is　provides　an　interesting　ment　on　the　limited　approaches　of　the　parliamentarian　and　the　dictator。
　As　we　follow　Simon　through　the　novel；　we　discover　that　he　is　the　mystic　who　separates　himself　from　the　others　to　ponder　the　mysteries　of　existence。　Simon　is　the　carpenter　who　continues　building　the　shelters　after　the　other　boys　have　abandoned　the　work；　Simon　feeds　the　〃littluns〃；　Simon　encounters　the　beast　in　all　its　loathsomeness　and　does　not　succumb　to　the　beast's　temptation　to　despair。　This　encounter　is　the　boy's　Gethsemane：　he　es　face　to　face　with　evil；　recognizes　it　for　what　it　is；　and；　despite　the　agony　and　horror　of　the　meeting；　he　is　neither　defeated
　
　4。Simon's　martyrdom；　however；　indicates　that　the　saint　or　Christ…like　personage　（in　spite　of　his　spiritual　strength）　fails　to　rescue　man　from　the　nightmare　of　history。…Eds。
　
　nor　intimidated　by　it。　Immediately　after　he　recovers　consciousness；　he　ascends　the　mountain　to　free　the　dead　pilot；　whose　parachute　lines　have　bee　entangled　in　the　rocks。　In　other　words；　Simon　climbs　the　mountain　to　free　〃fallen　man。〃
　He　returns　then　to　the　boys　to　announce　the　good　news；　they　need　no　longer　fear　the　beast。　But　the　group　will　not　listen　to　him。　Like　the　One　in　whose　place　he　stands　symbolically；　Simon　is　murdered　during　a　religious　festival…　the　diabolical　liturgy　of　the　pig。　His　death　occurs　while　the　island　world　cowers　under　the　lash　of　a　gigantic　storm。　And　it　is　only　after　Simon　has　actually　died　that　the　dead　man　in　the　parachute　is　finally　freed　and　washed　out　to　sea；　the　sea　which　is　Golding's　symbol　of　mystery；　not　chaos。
　Finally；　Simon　has　his　symbolic　hour　of　glorification：　his　body　is　surrounded　by　〃moonbeam…bodied　creatures　with　fiery　eyes〃；　gleaming　in　this　unearthly　phosphorescence；　he　is　carried　gently　out　to　sea。　And　it　is　difficult　not　to　recognize　the　hint　of　a　resurrection　motif　here；　for　the　pattern　is　that　of　the　hero　carried　through　the　waters　to　his　apotheosis。
　Lord　of　the　Flies；　as　I　have　suggested；　is　not　an　optimistic　novel；　but　at　least　it　is　pessimistic　about　the　right　things。　It　states　quite　clearly　that　the　time　has　e　for　the　Western　world　to　abandon　its　fantastic　belief　in　the　Rousseauvian　concept　of　the　natural　goodness　of　the　human　species；　which　goodness　must　lead　inevitably　to　the　total　perfection　of　the　race。　It　shows　what　happens　to　scientific　man；　when　he　trusts　only　in　the　activity　of　his　unaided　reason。　It　castigates　the　Western　democracies　for　their　blind　acceptance　of　salvation　through　militarism。　It　pictures　the　tragic　destruction　of　any　society　which　nourishes　and　exalts　the　dictator。　Ultimately；　it　presents　the　awesome　spectacle　of　a　world　which；　not　satisfied　with　murdering　Simon；　continues　to　neglect　the　significance　of　his　sacrifice。
　But　William　Golding's　world　is　not　merely　pessimistic。　There　is　goodness　in　his　characters；　there　is　order　in　his　universe。5　However；　like　all　authors　who　have　tried　their
　
　5。It　might　well　be　noted；　however；　that　the　goodness　and　the　order　are　overe　in　every　instance。　True；　Ralph　survives　and　he　steps　forward　to　announce　himself　to　the　rescuer〃　as　the　leader；　but　the　rescue　is　decidedly　ironic；　the　boys　are　freed　from　primitive　and　childish　militarism　only　by　sophisticated　adult　militarism。…Eds。
　
　hand　at　the　intellectual　exercise　we　call　fable；　he　wants　to　teach　man　some　hard　truths　about　his　own　。nature。　In　the　plexity　and　ambiguity　of　a　highly　elaborated　symbolism；　he　has　reminded　modern　man　of　the　fact　of　original　sin。　This　is　a　reminder　that　we　all　need　every　so　often。　In　a　later　novel；　The　Inheritors；　Golding　places　the　following　ironic　words　in　the　mouth　of