I have taught Lord of the Flies with every English II class I have ever had. Overall, they are not fans of the book, or at least they won't admit it. I really think they just don't like anything unless it involves a sparkly vampire or a girl with a bow and arrow. I have never quite understood why they love The Hunger Games but hate Lord of the Flies. Maybe it's the lack of a love story.
Anyway, I fully support Lord of the Flies in the classroom. I know the book seems somewhat boring with young boys trapped on an island by themselves. But the symbolism behind the story is the important thing. I most recent class was able to pick up on the allegory pretty easily.
Students seem to really like the characters they identify with. My current pre-AP English II class really like Piggy and Simon. That may be because they are intelligent and are spiritual students. In fact, they said they would want Piggy to be their leader because he was organized. I always find it funny when students like Jack, who represents the descent into savagery.
Golding's allegory for society vs. savagery works pretty well. I love the scene in which Simon has an epileptic vision and encounters the lord of the flies. It is a very powerful piece of literature which encompasses everything Golding wants his audience to understand. Overall the novel is full of literary devices that it is hard to just pinpoint a view that should be discussed. The deus ex machina at the end of the novel is always a wonderful topic of discussion amongst classes. Explaining the symbolic importance is difficult for the ending. Most think that Golding got bored and didn't know how to end the novel. Once in a while, I agree.
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