Literature Response

I'm supposed to be doing homework right now (and I'm certainly going to regret getting distracted when night comes), but I was almost done with Lord of the Flies, so I felt the need to continue reading. So I finished it a few moments ago and felt a need to say that I thought it was an amazing book. A quick summary merged with a few of my thoughts about the book's meaning. There may be some things I've written that may spoil the story, so don't read it if you don't wish to know the ending.
It's a story taking place during wartime. A plane full of young British boys have been shot down, the pilot died and only the passengers survived on an unknown island. At first, everyone was excited. No adults, no rules, and everything was theirs. They worked together in the beginning, but slowly, things fell apart. One of the main characters, Ralph, was elected by the other boys to be chief. As their randomly chosen chief, Ralph seemed wise enough to know that in order for them to be rescued, they needed smoke, a signal for help. One of the other main characters, Jack, didn't think so much about the smoke. He was obsessed with the idea of hunting the pigs that lived on the island, killing, bringing back meat, and what he really wanted was the power of being the leader. The story progresses and everything starts to fall apart around Jack. He became savage and converted most of the other boys into uncivil beings. Jack and the other savages were so separated from society, their minds so twisted by their surroundings, that the idea of killing was not disturbing. The small society on the island broke into pieces. They slowly became humans that not twitch at the sight of the blood of pigs, or even the blood of humans. Nearing the end of the book, the boys were saved. But after Ralph finished speaking with the naval officer that came to rescue them, Ralph's mind flickered back to the images of the pristine island which was then set into a crazed flame. And he started to weep. Crying for the losses that were made, crying for the end of what was innocence, and crying because of the darkness and evil in man's heart. He felt his share of the horrible thing that is called war and what violence does to a people.
I really liked the ending. It really sums up how Ralph has been feeling and it also brings back the whole war thing back into perspective, since while you're reading, you focus more on the boys and their struggles to live on the island. Then the moral of the story kind of pops out at you, stuff like how war is so terrible, without rules we all may go crazy (unfortunately, some people still go against them, small or big, rule breakers or lawbreakers), and that violence brings out the monster in you. Not only does the theme of the book really stand out to me, but it's how I felt while reading. During the entire book, I felt the frustration and the anger. I felt terrified and my heart started to beat faster. The book was simply amazing because it brought so many vivid colors, but morbid images as well. I feel a deeper appreciation for adults and the rules that they guard for our benefits.