wgolding.lordoftheflies-第42章

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in　a　useful　classification　into　〃fables〃　and　〃fictions。〃　It　is　a　little
　
　1。　This　essay　appears　as　the　Introduction　to　the　〃School　Edition〃　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　published　by　Faber　and　Faber；　Ltd。；　London；　1962；　pp。　i…xii。　It　is　reprinted　here　by　permission　of　Faber　and　Faber　and　the　authors。
　
　difficult　to　define　this　difference　satisfactorily　in　the　abstract；　but　it　is　fairly　easy　to　see　what　is　meant　in　practice。　When；　for　instance；　D。　H。　Lawrence　wrote　in　one　of　his　letters；　〃I　am　doing　a　novel　which　I　have　never　grasped。　Damn　its　eyes；　here　I　am　at　page　145　and　I've　no　notion　what　it's　about　。　。　。　it's　like　a　novel　in　a　foreign　language　which　I　don't　know　very　well；〃　he　was　almost　certainly　occupied　in　writing　a　fiction　and　not　a　fable。　In　other　words；　a　fiction　is　something　which　takes　the　form　of　an　exploration　for　the　novelist；　even　if　it　lacks　the　very　extreme　position　which　Lawrence　describes；　the　concern　is　very　much　with　trying　to　make　clear　the　individuality　of　a　situation；　of　a　person；　for　these　reasons　it　is　extremely　difficult　to　describe　a　fiction　satisfactorily　in　abstract　terms。　With　a　fable；　on　the　other　hand；　the　case　is　very　different　Here　the　writer　begins　with　a　general　idea…〃the　world　is　not　the　reasonable　place　we　are　led　to　believe；〃　〃all　power　corrupts〃　…and　seeks　to　translate　it　into　fictional　terms。　In　this　kind　of　writing　the　interest　of　the　particular　detail　lies　in　the　way　it　points　to　the　generalization　behind　it。　It　is　generally　very　easy　to　say　what　a　fable　is　〃about；〃　because　the　writers　whole　purpose　is　to　make　the　reader　respond　to　it　in　precisely　that　way。　Clear　examples　of　fiction　in　the　way　I　am　using　the　word　would　be　works　like　D。　H。　Lawrence's　Sons　and　Lovers　or　Emily　Bronte's　Withering　Heights；　clear　examples　of　fable；　Swift's　Gulliver's　Travels　or　Orwell's　Animal　Farm。　But　these　are　extreme　works　and　most　novels　have　elements　of　both。　Oliver　Twist；　for　instance；　is　certainly　a　fiction　in　its　portrayal　of　the　intensely　imagined　criminal　world；　but　it　also　moves　towards　fable　when　ft　describes　the　world　of　the　poorhouse；　and　the　people　who　finally　rescue　Oliver　from　that　world；　because　here　Dickens　is　moved　to　write　primarily　by　abstract　ideas；　the　educational　hardships　of　children；　the　wisdom　of　benevolence。　You　will　notice　I　said　that　Oliver　Twist　〃moves　towards〃　fiction；　〃moves　towards〃　fable；　and　in　this　kind　of　alternation　it　is　typical　of　many　novels　which　lie　between　such　extreme　examples　as　I　mentioned　above。　Now　when　we　turn　to　Mr。　Golding's　Lord　of　the　Flies　we　find　that　what　is　remarkable　is　that　it　is　a　fable　and　a　fiction　simultaneously。　And　I　want　to　devote　the　remainder　of　this　Introduction　to　developing　that　remark。
　When　we　first　begin　to　write　and　talk　about　Mr。　Golding's　novel；　it　is　the　aspect　of　fable　which　occupies　our　attention。　And　this　is　very　natural　because　the　book　is　a　very　satisfying　one　to　talk　about　Mr。　Golding；　our　account　might　run；　is　examining　what　human　nature　is　really　like　if　we　could　consider　it　apart　from　the　mass　of　social　detail　which　gives　a　recognizable　feature　to　our　daily　lives。　That　〃really〃　is　important　and　you　may　want　to　argue　about　it；　but　Mr。　Golding's　assumption　here　is　one　that　most　of　us　make　at　one　time　or　another。　〃Of　course；〃　we　say　of　someone；　〃he's　not　really　like　that　at　all；〃　and　then　we　go　on　to　construct　an　account　which　assumes　that　a　distorting　film　of　circumstance　hate　e　between　us　and　the　man's　〃real　self。〃　What　Mr。　Golding　has　done　in　Lord　of　the　Flies　is　to　create　a　situation　which　will　reveal　in　an　extremely　direct　way　this　〃real　self；〃　and　yet　at　the　same　time　keep　our　sense　of　credibility；　our　sense　of　the　day…to…day　world；　lively　and　sharp。　It　is　rather　like　performing　a　delicate　heart　operation；　but　feeling　that　the　sense　of　human　gravity　es　not　through　the　actual　operation　but　through　the　external　scene　…the　green…robed　figures；　the　arc　light　which　casts　no　shadow；　the　sound　of　a　car　in　the　street　outside。　And　it　was　in　Ballantyne's　Coral　Island；　a　book　published　in　the　middle　of　the　last　century；　that　Mr。　Golding　found　the　suggestion　for　his　〃external　scene。〃　This　is　not　a　question　of　turning　Ballantyne　inside　out；　so　that　where　his　boys　are　endlessly　brave；　resourceful　and　Christian；　Mr。　Golding's　are　frightened；　anarchic　and　savage；　rather　Mr。　Golding's　adventure　story　is　to　point　up　in　a　forceful　and　economic　way　the　terrifying　gap　between　the　appearance　and　the　reality。　We　do　not　need　to　know　Coral　Island　to　appreciate　Lord　of　the　Flies；　but　if　we　do　know　it　we　will　appreciate　more　vividly　the　power　of　Mr。　Golding's　book。　If　we　take　Ralph's　remark　about　〃the　darkness　of　man's　heart〃　as　ing　very　close　to　the　subject　of　the　book；　it　is　worth　just　remembering　that　this　book；　published　in　1954；　was　written　in　a　world　very　different　from　Ballantyne's；　one　which　had　seen　within　twenty　years　the　systematic　destruction　of　the　Jewish　race；　a　world　war　revealing　unnumbered　atrocities　of　what　man　had　done　to　man；　and　in　1945　the　mushroom　cloud　of　the　atomic　bomb　which　has　e　to　dominate　all　our　political　and　moral　thinking。
　Turning　from　these　general　considerations　of　Mr。　Golding's　fable　to　the　way　it　is　actually　worked　out；　we　find　the　novel　divided　into　three　sections。　The　first　deals　with　the　arrival　of　the　boys　on　the　island；　the　assembly；　the　early　decisions　about　what　to　do；　the　emphasis　falls　on　the　paradisal　landscape；　the　hope　of　rescue；　and　the　pleasures　of　day…to…day　events。　Everything　within　this　part　of　the　book　is　contained　within　law　and　rule：　the　sense　of　the　aweful　and　the　forbidden　is　strong。　Jack　cannot　at　first　bring　himself　to　kill　a　pig　because　of　〃the　enormity　of　the　knife　descending　and　cutting　into　living　flesh；　because　of　the　unbearable　blood。〃　Roger　throws　stones　at　Henry；　but　he　throws　to　miss　because　〃round　the　squatting　child　was　the　protection　of　parents　and　school　and　policemen　and　the　law。〃　The　world　in　this　part　of　the　book　is　the　world　of　children's　games。　The　difference　es　when　there　is　no　parental　summons　to　bring　these　games　to　an　end。　These　games　have　to　continue　throughout　the　day；　and　through　the　day　that　follows。　And　it　is　worth　noting　that　Mr。　Golding　creates　his　first　sense　of　unease　through　something　which　is　familiar　to　every　child　in　however　protected　a　society…the　waning　of　the　light。　It　is　the　dreams　that　usher　in　the　beastie；　the　snake；　the　unidentifiable　threat　to　security。
　The　second　part　of　the　book　could　be　said　to　begin　when　that　threat　takes　on　physical　reality；　with　the　arrival　of　the　dead　airman。　Immediately　the　fear　is　crystallized；　all　the　boys　are　now　affected；　discussion　has　increasingly　to　give　way　to　action。　As　the　narrative　increases　in　tempo；　so　its　implications　enlarge。　Ralph　has　appealed　to　the　adult　world　for　help；　〃If　only　they　could　send　us　something　grown…up　。。。　a　sign　or　something；〃　and　the　dead　airman　is　shot　down　in　flames　over　the　island。　Destruction　is　everywhere；　the　boy's　world　is　only　a　miniature　version　of　the　adult's。　By　now　the　nature　of　the　destroyer　is　being　clearer；　it　is　not　a　beastie　or　snake　but　man's　own　nature。　〃What　I　mean　is　。。。　maybe　it's　only　us；〃　Simon's　insight　is　confined　to　himself　and　he　has　to　pay　the　price　of　his　own　life　for　trying　to　municate　it　to　others。　Simon's　death　authenticates　this　truth；　and　now　that　the　fact　of　evil　has　actually　been　created　on　the　island；　the　airman　is　no　longer　necessary　and　his　body　vanishes　in　a　high　wind　and　is　carried　out　to　sea。
　The　third　part　of　the　book；　and　the　most　terrible；　explores　the　meaning　and　consequence　of　this　creation　of　evil。　plete　moral　anarchy　is　unleashed　by　Simon's　murder。　The　world　of　the　game；　which　embodied　in　however　an　elementary　way；　rule　and　order；　is　systematically　destroyed；　because　hardly　anyone　can　now　remember　when　things　were　otherwise。　When　the　destruction　is　plete；　Mr。　Golding　suddenly　restores　〃the　external　scene〃　to　us；　not　the　paradisal　world　of　the　marooned　boys；　but　our　world。　The　naval　officer　speaks；　we　realize　with　horror；　our　words；　〃the　kid　needed　a　bath；　a　hair…cut；　a　nose　wipe　and　a　good　deal　of　ointment。〃　He　carries　our　emblems　of　power；　the　white　drill；　the　epaulettes；　the　gilt…buttons；　the　revolver；　the　trim　cruiser。　Our　everyday　sight　has　been　restored　to　us；　but　the　experience　of　reading　the　book　is　to　make　us　re…interpret　what　we　see；　and　say　with　Macbeth　〃mine　eyes　are　made　the　fools　o'　the　other　senses。〃
　If　we　are　to　look　at　Lord　of　the　Flies　from　the　point　of　view　of　it　being　a　fable　this　is　the　kind　of　account　we　might　give。　And；　as　far　as　it　goes；　it　is　a　true　account。　The　main　weakness　in　discussing　Lord　of　the　Flies　is　that　we　are　too　often　inclined　to　leave　our　description　at　this　point。　So　we　find　a　Christian　being　deeply　moved　by　the　book　and　arguing　that　its　greatness　is　tied　up　with　the　way　in　which　the　author　brings　home　to　a　modem　reader　the　doctrine　of　Original　Sin；　or　we　find　a　humanist　finding　the　novel　repellent　precisely　because　it　endorses　what　he　feels　to　be　a　dangerous　myth；　or　again；　on　a　different　level；　we　find　a　Liberal　asserting　the　importance　of　the　book　because　of　its　unwavering　exposure　or　the　corruptions　of　power。　Now　whatever　degree　of　truth　we　find　in　these　views；　it　is　important　to　be　dear　that　the　quality　or　otherwise　of　Lord　of　the　Flies　is　not　dependent　upon　any　of　them。　Whether　Mr。　Golding　has　written　a　good　novel　or　not　is　not　because　of　〃the　views〃　which　may　be　deduced　from　it；　but　because　of　his　claim　to　be　a　novelist。　And　the　function　of　the　novelist　as　Joseph　Conrad　once　said　is　〃by　the　power　of　the　written　word　to　make　you　hear；　to　make　you　feel…it　is；　before　all；　to　make　you　see。〃　And　it　is　recognition　of　this　that　must　take　us　back　from　Mr。　Golding's　fable；　however　pelling；　to　his　fiction。　Earlier　I　suggested　that　these　two　aspects　occur　simultaneously；　so　that　in　moving　from　one　to　the　other；　we　are　not　required　to　look　at　different　parts　of　the　novel；　but　at　the　same　thing　from　a　different　point　of　view。
　Let　us　begin　by　looking　at　the　coral　island。　We　have　mentioned　the　careful　literary　reference　to　Ballantyne　（〃Like　the　Coral　Island；〃　the　naval　officer　remarks）；　the　theological　overtones　with　the　constant　paradisal　references；　〃flower　and　fruit　grew　together　on　the　same　tree；〃　but　all　these　things　matter　only　because　Mr。　Golding　has　imaginatively　put　the　island　before　us。　The　sun　and　the　thunder　e　across　to　us　as　physical　realities；　not　because　they　have　a　symbolic　part　to　play　in　the　book；　but　because　of　the　novelist's　superb　resourcefulness　of　language。　Consider　how　difficult　it　is　to　write　about　a　tropical　island　and　avoid　any　hint　of　the　travel　poster　cliché　or　the　latest　documentary　film　about　the　South　Seas。　To　see　how　the　difficulty　can　be　overe　look　at　the　following　paragraph：
　
　Strange　things　happened　at　midday。　The　glittering　sea　rose　up；　moved　apart　in　planes　of　blatant　impossibility；　the　coral　reef　and　the　few；　stunted　palms　that　clung　to　the　more　elevated　parts　would　float　up　into　the　sky；　would　quiver；　be　plucked　apart；　run　like　raindrops　on　a　wire　or　be　repeated　as　in　an　odd　succession　of　mirrors。　Sometimes　land　loomed　where　there　was　no　land　and　flicked　out　like　a　bubble　as　the　children　watched；　（p。　53。）
　
　It　is　this　kind　of　sensitivity　to　language