Why should you read “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding? - Jill Dash

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Korom

William Golding was losing his faith in humanity.

Vilijam Golding je gubio veru u čovečanstvo.

Serving aboard a British destroyer in World War II,

Služeći na britanskom razaraču tokom Drugog svetskog rata,

the philosophy teacher turned Royal Navy lieutenant was constantly confronted

profesor filozofije, postavši zapovednik Kraljevske mornarice je stalno bio suočen

by the atrocities of his fellow man.

sa užasima svoje sabraće.

And when he returned to England to find Cold War superpowers

A kada se vratio u Englesku i zatekao hladnoratovske supersile

threatening one another with nuclear annihilation,

kako prete jedna drugoj nuklearnim uništenjem,

he was forced to interrogate the very roots of human nature.

bio je prinuđen da preispita same korene ljudske prirode.

These musings on the inevitability of violence

Ova razmišljanja o neizbežnosti nasilja

would inspire his first and most famous novel: "Lord of the Flies."

će da inspirišu njegov prvi i najpoznatiji roman: „Gospodar muva”.

After being rejected by 21 publishers,

Nakon što ga je odbio 21 izdavač,

the novel was finally published in 1954.

roman je konačno objavljen 1954. godine.

It takes its title from Beelzebub, a demon associated with pride and war—

Naslovljen je po Belzebubu, demonu gordosti i rata -

two themes very much at the heart of Golding’s book.

a to su dve teme koje su poprilično u srži Goldingove knjige.

The novel was a bleak satire of a classic island adventure story,

Roman je bio mračna satira na klasične ostrvske avanturističke priče,

a popular genre where young boys get shipwrecked in exotic locations.

popularanog žanra u kome bi se dečaci nasukali na neku egzotičnu lokaciju.

The protagonists in these stories are able to master nature

Protagonisti iz tih priča su bili u stanju da ovladaju prirodom,

while evading the dangers posed by their new environments.

izbegavajući opasnosti novog okruženja.

The genre also endorsed the problematic colonialist narrative

Žanr je takođe prigrlio problematični kolonijalistički narativ

found in many British works at the time,

koji zatičemo u mnogim britanskim delima tog perioda

in which the boys teach the island’s native inhabitants

u kojima dečaci podučavaju izvorne stanovnike ostrva

their allegedly superior British values.

svojim navodno superiornim britanskim vrednostima.

Golding’s satire even goes so far as to explicitly use the setting

Goldingova satira ide toliko daleko da čak eksplicitno koristi okruženje

and character names from R.M. Ballantyne’s "Coral Island"—

i imena likova iz „Koralnog ostrva” od R. M. Balantajna -

one of the most beloved island adventure novels.

jednog od najvoljenijih romana o ostrvskim avanturama.

But while Ballantyne’s book promised readers

Međutim, dok je Balantajnova knjiga obećavala čitaocima

"pleasure... profit... and unbounded amusement,”

„zadovoljstvo... korist... i neobuzdanu zabavu”,

Golding’s had darker things in store.

Golding je imao nešto mračnije na umu.

"Lord of the Flies" opens with the boys already on the island,

„Gospodar muva” počinje s dečacima već na ostrvu,

but snippets of conversation hint at their terrifying journey—

međutim, delići razgovora nagoveštavaju zastrašujuće putovanje -

their plane had been shot down in the midst of an unspecified nuclear war.

njihov avion je oboren tokom neodređenog nuklearnog rata.

The boys, ranging in age from 6 to 13, are strangers to each other.

Dečaci, uzrasta od šest do 13 godina su stranci jedan drugome.

All except for a choir, clad in black uniforms and led by a boy named Jack.

Svi osim hora u crnim uniformama koga predvodi dečak po imenu Džek.

Just as in Ballantyne’s "Coral Island,"

Baš kao i u Balantajnovom „Koralnom ostrvu”,

the boy’s new home appears to be a paradise—

novi dom dečaka izgleda kao raj -

with fresh water, shelter, and abundant food sources.

sa svežom vodom, skloništem i obiljem izvora hrane.

But even from the novel’s opening pages,

Međutim, već od uvodnih strana romana,

a macabre darkness hangs over this seemingly tranquil situation.

jeziva tama lebdi nad ovom naoko spokojnom situacijom.

The boys’ shadows are compared to “black, bat-like creatures”

Senke dečaka se porede sa „crnim, nalik šišmišu bićima”,

while the choir itself first appears as

dok se hor prvo pojavljuje kao

“something dark... fumbling along” the beach.

„nešto mračno... što se tetura” plažom.

Within hours of their arrival,

Svega nekoliko sati po prispeću,

the boys are already trading terrifying rumors of a vicious “beastie”

dečaci već razmenjuju zastrašujuće glasine o opasnoj „zveri”

lurking in the woods.

koja vreba iz šume.

From these ominous beginnings,

Nakon ovog zloslutnog uvoda,

Golding’s narrative reveals how quickly cooperation unravels

Goldingovo pripovedanje otkriva kako se brzo razvija saradnja

without the presence of an adult authority.

bez prisustva odraslog autoriteta.

Initially, the survivors try to establish some sense of order.

U početku, preživeli pokušavaju da uspostave nekakav red.

A boy named Ralph blows into a conch shell to assemble the group,

Dečak po imenu Ralf duva u školjku kako bi okupio grupu

and delegate tasks.

i raspodelio zaduženja.

But as Jack vies for leadership with Ralph,

No, kako se Džek sukobljava sa Ralfom za titulu vođe,

the group splinters and the boys submit to their darker urges.

grupa se cepa i dečaci se predaju svojim mračnim nagonima.

The mob of children soon forgets their plans for rescue,

Banda dečaka uskoro zaboravlja planove za izbavljenje,

silences the few voices of reason,

utišavaju nekoliko glasova razuma

and blindly follows Jack to the edge of the island, and the edge of sanity.

i slepo prate Džeka do ivice ostrva i ivice razuma.

The novel’s universal themes of morality, civility, and society

Univerzalne teme romana: moralnost, uljudnost i društvo

have made it a literary classic,

su ga pretvorile u književni klasik,

satirizing both conventions of its time and long held beliefs about humanity.

koji kroz satiru obrađuje kako konvencije svog vremena

tako i dugo držana ubeđenja o čovečanstvu.

While island adventure stories often support colonialism,

Dok ostrvske avanturističke priče često podržavaju kolonijalizam,

"Lord of the Flies" turns this trope on its head.

„Gospodar muva” izvrće ovaj trop naglavačke.

Rather than cruelly casting native populations as stereotypical savages,

Umesto da prikaže urođenike ostrva kao stereotipske divljake,

Golding transforms his angelic British schoolboys into savage caricatures.

Golding transformiše svoje anđeoske britanske školarce u divlje karikature.

And as the boys fight their own battle on the island,

I dok dečaci biju sopstvenu bitku na ostrvu,

the far more destructive war that brought them there

daleko destruktivniji rat zbog koga su tu se nastavlja van stranica.

continues off the page.

Even if the boys were to be rescued from themselves,

Čak i kada bi dečake spasili od njih samih,

what kind of world would they be returning to?

u kakav bi se svet oni vratili?

With so few references to anchor the characters

Bez mnogo nagoveštaja koji bi vezali likove za određeno mesto ili period,

in a specific place or period, the novel feels truly timeless—

roman se čini uistinu bezvremenim.

an examination of human nature at its most bare.

U njemu se preispituje najogoljenija ljudska priroda.

And though not all readers may agree with Golding’s grim view,

A, iako se svi čitaoci možda neće složiti sa Goldingovim mračnim pogledom,

"Lord of the Flies" is unsettling enough

„Gospodar muva” je dovoljno uznemirujući

to challenge even the most determined optimist.

da zamisli i najodlučnijeg optimistu.