Was Lord of the Flies Banned? - Lesson | Study.com (2024)

So what's the difference between a book being challenged and a book being banned? When a book is challenged, usually a parent, student, or other member of a community has found a book offensive and they may submit a form to request removal. Generally, the form asks whether the person has read the entire book and to describe the reasons they think the book should be removed. Once this form has been submitted, a committee, which is made up of several stakeholders of the community (usually teachers, administrators, parents, and students if the challenge occurs at a school), reads the book in question and meets to make a decision about the book. At this point, the book has been challenged but not banned.

If the committee decides to remove the book from the shelves of a school or public library, the book has been banned. Banning a book does not mean it's completely wiped off the face of the Earth; people can still purchase it in bookstores and online. When a book is banned, it simply means a local community, such as a school district or public library, has removed it. The book may even be found in public spaces in neighboring counties. This process allows for taxpayers in a community to voice their opinions about materials both funded by taxes and available in public spaces. It should be noted, however, that it's rare for a committee to decide to ban a book; in fact, there are many more challenges to books than there are actual bans.

When novels are challenged and banned, it's important to consider the time period in which people are reading the book, as well as how the political and social climate of that time period might affect people's reactions to literature. Lord of the Flies was published in 1954 but readers did not begin to challenge it until 1974. This may be because the book was not immediately popular and took some time to gain attention as teachers began to use it more and more in schools.

The reasons readers had for challenging the book have changed over time and even vary by geographic region. In 1981, the book was challenged at a school in South Dakota because its message implies humans are not much better than animals and are essentially governed by primal instincts when there is no organized society by which to abide. In 1992, the book was challenged in Iowa because of language and offensive references to minorities, women, and God. As we can see, when studying whether or not a book has been banned, we must consider how values and cultural context change over time and vary by place.

Despite challenges, the book has never been banned. Lord of the Flies is currently ranked number eight on American Library Association's (ALA) list of Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century. According to the ALA, the novel was officially challenged six times between 1974 and 2000 in school districts in the following states: Texas, South Dakota, North Carolina, Arizona, Iowa, and New York. In addition, a Toronto Board of Education committee in Canada once ruled the book was racist and recommended its removal from schools. It's interesting to note that, although the author and characters in the book are English, the majority of challenges to this book have been in the United States.

Clearly, Lord of the Flies has a reputation for being controversial. Despite the fact, it's often required reading in high school English classes and features child protagonists. Though the book's status has been jeopardized many times, it does not appear to have ever officially been banned or removed from the shelves of a public school, district, or library.

Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding in 1954, is considered a controversial classic often taught in schools around the country. Though it has been challenged numerous times (i.e., complained about to a committee of the local community) for a variety of reasons, the book has never officially been banned (removed from library or school shelves). Reasons readers have objected to the novel include a disturbing message equating humans with animals, offensive language, and claims of racism, sexism, ableism, and anti-religious implications. Naturally, these reasons vary by place and time. Lord of the Flies has undergone the process of being challenged in various school districts throughout the United States and even once in Canada; however, these committees ultimately decided not to remove the book from their shelves or book lists.