wgolding.lordoftheflies-第4章

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ests　itself　in　our　turbulent　hearts；　and　the　assertion　that　life　is　ordered；　〃scientific；〃　often　appears　mere　bravado。　It　embodies　tile　sin　of　pride　and；　inevitably；　evokes　in　some　form　the　great　god　it　has　denied。
　It　is　Simon　who　witnesses　his　ing　and　hears　his　words　of　wrath。　In　the　thick　undergrowth　of　the　forest　the　boy　discovers　a　refuge　from　the　war　of　words。　His　shelter　of　leaves　is　a　place　of　contemplation；　a　sequestered　temple；　scented　and　lighted　by　the　white　flowers　of　the　night…blooming　candlenut　tree；　where；　in　secret；　he　meditates　on　the　lucid　but　somehow　over…simple　logic　of　Piggy　and　Ralph　and　the　venal　emotion　of　Jack's　challenges：　There；　in　the　infernal　glare　of　the　afternoon　sun；　he　sees　the　killing　of　the　sow　by　the　hunters　and　the　erection　of　the　pig's　head　on　the　sharpened　stick。　These　acts　signify　not　only　the　release　from　the　blood　taboo　but　also　obeisance　to　the　mystery　and　god　who　has　e　to　be　lord　of　the　island…world。　In　the　hours　of　one　powerfully　symbolic　afternoon　Simon　sees　the　perennial　fall　which　is　the　central　reality　of　our　history：　me　defeat　of　reason　and　the　release　of　Dionysian　madness　in　souls　wounded　by　fear。
　Awed　by　the　hideousness　of　the　dripping　head　（an　image　of　the　hunter's　own　nature）　the　apprentice　bacchantes　suddenly　run　away；　but　Simon's　gaze　is　〃held　by　that　ancient；　inescapable　recognition〃　（128）…an　incarnation　of　the　beast　or　devil　bom　again　and　again　out　of　the　human　heart。　Before　he　loses　consciousness　the　epileptic　visionary　〃hears〃　the　truth　which　is　inaccessible　to　the　illusion…bound　rationalist　and　the　unconscious　or　irrational　man　alike：　〃　'Fancy　thinking　the　Beast　was　something　you　could　hunt　and　kill！'　said　the　head。　For　a　moment　or　two　the　forest　and　all　the　other　dimly　appreciated　places　echoed　with　the　parody　of　laughter。　'You　knew；　didn't　you？　I'm　part　of　you？　Close；　close；　close！　I'm　the　reason　why　it's　no　go？　Why　things　are　as　they　are？'　〃　（133）。　When　Simon　recovers　from　this　trauma　of　revelation　he　finds　on　the　mountain　top　that　the　〃beast〃　is　only　a　man。　Like　the　pig　itself；　the　dead　man　in　the　chute　is　fly…blown；　corrupt；　an　obscene　image　of　the　evil　that　has　triumphed　in　the　adult　world　as　well。　Tenderly；　the　boy　releases　the　lines　so　that　the　body　can　descend　to　earth；　but　the　fallen　man　does　not　die。　After　Simon's　death；　when　the　truth　is　once　more　lost；　the　figure　rises；　moves　over　the　terrified　tribe　on　the　beach；　and　finally　out　to　sea　…a　tyrannous　ghost　（history　itself）　which　haunts　and　curses　every　social　order。
　In　his　martyrdom　Simon　meets　the　fate　of　all　saints。　The　truth　he　brings　would　set　us　free　from　the　repetitious　nightmare　of　history；　but　we　are；　by　nature；　incapable　of　receiving　that　truth。　Demented　by　fears　our　intelligence　cannot　control；　we　are　at　once　〃heroic　and　sick〃　（96）；　ingenious　and　ingenuous　at　the　same　time。　Inevitably　we　gather　in　tribal　union　to　hunt　the　molesting　〃beast；〃　and　always　the　intolerable　frustration　of　the　hunt　ends　as　it　must：　within　the　enchanted　circle　formed　by　the　searchers；　the　beast　materializes　in　the　only　form　he　can　possibly　assume；　the　very　image　of　his　creator；　and　once　he　is　visible；　projected　（once　the　hunted　has　bee　the　hunter）；　the　circle　closes　in　an　agony　of　relief。　Simon；　call　him　prophet；　seer　or　saint；　is　blessed　and　cursed　by　those　intuitions　which　threaten　the　ritual　of　the　tribe。　In　whatever　culture　the　saint　appears；　he　is　doomed　by　his　unique　insights。　There　is　a　vital；　if　obvious；　irony　to　be　observed　in　the　fact　that　the　lost　children　of　Golding's　fable　are　of　Christian　heritage；　but　when　they　blindly　kill　their　savior　they　re…enact　an　ancient　tragedy；　universal　because　it　has　its　true　source　in　the　defects　of　the　species。
　The　beast；　too；　is　as　old　as　his　maker　and　has　assumed　many　names；　though　of　course　his　character　must　remain　quite　consistent　The　particular　beast　who　speaks　to　Simon　is　much　like　his　namesake；　Beelzebub。　A　prince　of　demons　of　Assyrian　or　Hebrew　descent；　but　later　appropriated　by　Christians；　he　is　a　lord　of　the　flies；　an　idol　for　unclean　beings。　He　is　what　all　devils　are：　an　embodiment　of　the　lusts　and　cruelties　which　possess　his　worshipers　and　of　peculiar　power　among　the　Philistines；　the　unenlightened；　fearful　herd。　He　shares　some　kinship　with　Dionysus；　for　his　powers　and　effects　are　much　the　same。　In　The　Bacchae　Dionysus　is　shown　〃as　the　source　of　ecstasies　and　disasters；　as　the　enemy　of　intellect　and　the　defense　of　man　against　his　isolation；　as　a　power　that　can　make　him　feel　like　a　god　while　acting　like　a　beast。　。。。〃　As　such；　he　is　〃a　god　whom　all　can　recognize。〃　14
　Nor　is　it　difficult　to　recognize　the　island　on　which　Golding's　innocents　are　set　down　as　a　natural　paradise；　an　un…corrupted　Eden　offering　all　the　lush　abundance　of　the　primal　earth。　But　it　is　lost　with　the　first　rumors　of　the　〃snake…thing；〃　because　he　is　the　ancient；　inescapable　presence　who　insures　a　repetition　of　the　fall。　If　this　fall　from　grace　is　indeed　the　〃perennial　myth〃　that　Golding　explores　in　all　his　work；15　it　does　not　seem　that　he　has　found　in　Genesis　a　metaphor　capable　of　illuminating　the　full　range　of　his　theme。　In　The　Bacchae　Golding　the　classicist　found　another　version　of　the　fall　of　man；　and　it　is　clearly　more　useful　to　him　than　its　Biblical　counterpart。　For　one　thing；　it　makes　it　possible　to　avoid　the　paratively　narrow　moral　connotations　most　of　us　are　inclined　to　read　into　the　warfare　between　Satan　（unqualifiedly　evil）　and　God　（unqualifiedly　good）。　Satan　is　a　fallen　angel　seeking　vengeance　on　the　godhead；　and　we　therefore　think　of　him　as　an　autonomous　entity；　a　being　in　his　own　right　and　prince　of　his　own　domain。　Dionysus；　on　the　other　hand；　is　a　son　of　God　（Zeus）　and　thus　a　manifestation　or　agent　of　the　godhead　or　mystery　with　whom　man　seeks　munion；　or；　perverse　in　his　pride；　denies　at　his　own　peril。　To　resist　Dionysus　is　to　resist　nature　itself；　and　this　attempt　to　transcend　the　laws　of　creation　brings　down　upon　us　the　punishment　of　the　god。　Further；　the　ritual…hunt　of　The　Bacchae　provides　something　else　not　found　in　the　Biblical　account。　The　hunt　on　Golding's　island　emerges　spontaneously　out　of　childish　play；　but　it　es　to　serve　as　a　key　to　psychology　underlying　human　conflict　and；　of　course；　an　effective　symbol　for　the　bloody　game　we　have　played　throughout　our　history。　This　is　not　to　say　that　Biblical　metaphor　is　unimportant　in　Lord　of　the　Flies；　or　in　the　later　works；　but　it　forms　only　a　part　of　the　larger　mythic　frame　in　which　Golding　sees　the　nature　and　destiny　of　man。
　
　14。　R。　P。　Winnington…Ingram；　Euripides　and　Dionysus：　An　Interpretation　of　the　Bacchae　（Cambridge；　England：　Cambridge　University　Press；　1948）；　pp。　9…10。
　15。　See　Ian　Gregor　and　Mark　Kinkead…Weekes；　〃The　Strange　Case　of　Mr。　Golding　and　his　Critics；〃　Twentieth　Century。　167　（February；　1960）；　118。
　
　Unfortunately；　the　critics　have　concentrated　all　too　much　on　Golding's　debt　to　Christian　sources；　with　the　result　that　he　is　popularly　regarded　as　a　rigid　Christian　moralist　Yet　the　fact　is　that　he　does　not　reject　one　orthodoxy　only　to　fall　into　another。　The　emphasis　of　his　critics　has　obscured　Gold…ing's　fundamental　realism　and　made　it　difficult　to　recognize　that　he　satirizes　the　Christian　as　well　as　the　rationalist　point　of　view。　In　Lord　of　the　Flies；　for　example；　the　much　discussed　last　chapter　offers　none　of　the　traditional　forts。　A　fable；　by　virtue　of　its　far…reaching　suggestions；　touches　upon　a　dimension　that　most　fiction　does　not…the　dimension　of　prophecy。　With　the　appearance　of　the　naval　officer　it　is　no　longer　possible　to　accept　the　evolution　of　the　island　society　as　an　isolated　failure。　The　events　we　have　witnessed　constitute　a　picture　of　realities　which　obtain　in　the　world　at　large。　There；　too；　a　legendary　beast　has　emerged　from　the　dark　wood；　e　from　the　sea；　or　fallen　from　the　sky；　and　men　have　gathered　for　the　munion　of　the　hunt。　In　retrospect；　the　entire　fable　suggests　a　grim　parallel　with　the　prophecies　of　the　Biblical　Apocalypse。　According　to　that　vision　the　weary　repetition　of　human　failure　is　assured　by　the　birth　of　new　devils　for　each　generation　of　men。　The　first　demon；　who　fathers　all　the　others；　falls　from　the　heavens；　the　second　is　summoned　from　the　sea　to　make　war　upon　the　saints