posted on Nov, 22 2004 @ 03:53 PM
I read it about two years ago. I can't remember all the characters names anymore, but the storyline is still clear.
At first I though the ending was strange if not bad. But after some more reflection it does show that in a orderly system, in this case the hierarchy
of age, the sinful nature of man can be repressed. Personally I think the ending would be more powerful if the boy was killed and then the sailors
arrived on the island. The same boys that just killed another boy would then behave like normal kids on the control of the adults.
I think it also shows the dangers of groups without reflection and critical thinking. The rational boys lose in the end, because the group without
reflection acts more as one force and more powerfully. I think it is true in the real world as well and it shows that critical reflecting individuals
should be careful when belief systems become more powerful. Because that's what groups without reflection or critical thinking, always are, belief
systems. Not all belief systems are dangerous, but most dangerous groups are belief systems.