Dark classic book moves to junior high classes

This year is the first year that the ninth grade honors English class at Peet and Holmes Junior Highs get to read the book, Lord of the Flies, which had previously been taught to sophomores at the high school for decades.

Lord of the Flies takes place in World War ll, where a group of boys who are stranded on an island with no adults. The boys are forced to learn how to survive on their own, with no parents and no rules.

As the book goes on and the boys have no sign of being rescued, they soon lose hope, and their violent and savage nature rises to the surface.

According to the overwhelming majority of students at Peet, the book reveals the harsh reality of humanity. 

With the book being so depressing for the students to read, why choose Lord of the Flies? 

Ninth grade English teacher Brian Suiter said, “I like how the author shares his point of view on real life problems in society in an artistic way. He uses symbolism in the characters to represent different problems in the world.”

“The book makes me see how cruel humans can be when not forced to be otherwise,” ninth grader Greta Huhn said. “It also makes me feel unsafe and uncomfortable, like I can’t trust anyone.”

Although students like Huhn find the book eerie and sad, one of her peers, Gina Brackett said, “The book was really sad, but it gave me a new perspective on the world itself. It’s really cool to see how the author uses the boys as symbols for different problems and people in the world.”