Editorial: Books of my Past

What I remember most about Mr. Webster’s English 10 class are the selections of texts that were assigned to students. Texts were commonly debated outside of class, garnering both praise and criticism. Students struggled to finish Lord of the Flies and instead scanned a summary on Sparknotes right before class. Others ranted about Holden’s hypocrisy in The Catcher in the Rye, or praised his authenticity with equal conviction.

Here is my personal and admittedly subjective list of assigned texts from my 10^th grade English class, in order of personal preference. Assigned texts include Lord of the Flies, Oedipus the King, The Catcher in the Rye, and “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”. Due to changes in the curriculum, current sophomores may have been assigned different texts this year.

1. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Published by Salinger following his experiences in World War II, Catcher is a well-established classic for a reason, and currently one of my favorite books. On the surface, a simple story about an angsty teen wandering about New York might sound shallow, just as the character of Holden Caulfield is melodramatic and whiny. However, it’s Holden’s poorly-hidden emotions and insecurities that connect with the teenage spirit, making Catcher the perfect assigned reading to introduce the ability of literature to relate to the inner psyche. A flawed character connects more than a perfect one, and Holden makes Catcher a truly a pleasurable read.

2. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway

I rarely read short stories, so I was surprised at the amount of depth that is packed into “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.” Hemingway’s use of ambiguity opens his story up to multiple interpretations of plot and character, with endless debates in class about whether Margot killed her husband. The title of the story threw me off at first and it took me quite a while to realize the difference between a “short, happy life” and a “short happy life”. Concise language and manipulation of tone and mood also create a riveting narrative. Learning about Hemingway and subsequently reading “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” provides a fascinating glimpse into how an author’s character can be reflected in what type of story they choose to tell (while this is true of all literary works, I thought it was especially obvious in “Macomber”). For example, Hemingway placed heavy importance on masculinity, which is reflected in Macomber’s radical transformation from a cowardly rabbit to a powerful man after establishing his masculinity and overcoming his wife. Macomber does this by killing a buffalo, which relates to Hemingway’s fondness for big-game hunting. Meanwhile, Macomber’s wife serves as an obstacle in his journey towards masculinity, and drives a wedge between him and Wilson. Hemingway’s portrayal of women through Margot is often interpreted as evidence that Hemingway was somewhat of a misogynist. While I agree with this analysis, I admire Hemingway’s masterful retelling of the tale of a cowardly hunter who is ultimately and ironically killed just after gaining a grip on his manhood.

3. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies, written by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding, explores the primitive and uncivilized nature of human beings. It’s a book that raises questions regarding human morality. Are humans inherently good or evil? Is civilization a natural part of human nature? Would the story have turned out differently if a group of girls were stranded on the island instead, or maybe a group of adults? Lord of the Flies evokes a sort of desperation in the reader as the boys’ society of order and peace descends into full-blown chaos and murder. The main theme throughout the novel is whether civilization can win out against savagery, and Golding effectively depicts the intricacies of this conflict. However, Lord of the Flies often feels repetitive in its themes and character motivations. Maybe the novel needs to be this way in order to fully elaborate on its themes, but it became tiresome towards the end.

4. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

I don’t think I’m very good at appreciating plays, which might be why I wasn’t a huge fan of Oedipus. What I took away from the play is the sheer amount of symbolism and universal themes it contains. The tragic irony in the plot is glaring—Oedipus promises a life of “misery in miserable doom” to whoever is causing the plague in Thebes, but this person later turns out to be himself. With all the patricide and incest, Oedipus is vaguely reminiscent of a typical episode of “Game of Thrones”, but set in Ancient Greece (come to think of it, it might be more accurate to say that GoT is reminiscent of the ancient Greeks). It’s like the universe in its entirety is conspiring against Oedipus: a horrible prophecy gets him tossed out as a baby, he kills a man that happens to be his father, and then he he marries his mother and they have children. This all builds up to a pretty gross scene where Oedipus gouges his eyes out, proving he really can’t catch a break. Oedipus Rex is the perfect exemplar of an ancient Greek tragedy. While I found it interesting to explore the idea of free will, the context and events of the play were difficult for me to relate to (after all, Oedipus Rex is about 1,500 years old). My overall sentiment as I read the play was “wow, that sucks for Oedipus”, but that was the extent of it.

Lord of the Flies and Oedipus Rex are about equal in my mind, but I finally placed Lord of the Flies in third place because of its strong statement about human nature (which is what literature is ultimately about). While I am ranking these texts in order of personal preference, it’s important to note that all of them have literary merit. Each text on this list comes with its own unique perspectives, and I learned something from all of them.