Reframing Lord of the Flies
The Complexities of Boyhood From a Psychotherapist’s Perspective
As a seasoned psychotherapist working closely with children, I invite you to indulge for a moment in my take on William Golding’s chilling masterpiece. There’s something that has been eating at me for years. In critiques of “Lord of the Flies,” some have overlooked a critical point: the boys in the story are prepubescent, lacking the cognitive maturity for self-regulation, and are navigating a harrowing world without adults.
This crucial distinction from adolescents, who, by definition, have slightly more experience in interdependent actions and peer support, challenges the interpretation of the story as endorsing a Hobbesian worldview—a perspective that simplistically categorizes human nature as inherently chaotic and selfish. This overlooked developmental distinction between prepubescent boys and adolescents is pivotal, offering a nuanced lens through which to understand the narrative's exploration of human nature.
In "Lo…
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