In reality though, the boys are really a thinly veiled metaphor for civilization itself. Golding uses the story as a mechanism to explore the edge between humanity and animal instinct. It's an engrossing story that keeps you reading, and through out the story you feel attached the boys.

Unlike many books of the general genre of human introspection, this one really works well. The story is interesting enough to keep you reading it, and after each chapter, you sit back and realize how much deeper meaning there is. It's also held up remarkably well through the years.