ABSTRACT
Perhaps nowhere in modern literature have children's homicidal tendencies been bared so shockingly as in William Golding’s classic novel Lord o f the Flies, a sym bolic tale o f how thin the veneer o f civilization is and o f how easily that veneer can be punctured. In the book, a group o f British school children between the ages o f 6 and 12 are marooned on an island after the plane in which they are rid ing is shot down by enemy fire. Alone with no adults, the boys first vote on a "chief,” agree to abide by certain rules, and adopt certain roles and responsibili ties. Soon, however, beset by fears and their biological urges, they abandon their responsibilities, paint their faces, and descend into the "jolly good fun” o f being savage hunters. When Piggy (the overweight, asthmatic voice o f reason) pro tests, he is violently killed.
