by Chad Cowgill

Created on: November 02, 2009

"The Inheritors", is the second novel written by William Golding and was written in the 1950's. It follows the last group of neanderthals as they have an encounter with homo sapiens, or the first human beings. Lok is the leader of the neanderthal group. He is not the smartest but he is dedicated and strong. The neanderthals are kind and gentle. They hunt and gather and seem to be somewhat migratory. They know how to survive in the wild.

Soon their race encounters a group of humans. The humans are more advanced in their weapons and machinery, possessing boats, bows and arrows, and a control of fire. Also the humans are capable of a deeper level of thought. This includes selfishness, anger, and wrath. They are a violent tribe that view the neanderthals as evil. This leads to a clash of advanced technology being controlled by humans being used against a peaceful village with primitive methods of survival and could possibly lead to the extinction of an entire group of creatures.

William Golding writes the novel from the viewpoint of Lok. As a result, the novel reads as if it is narrated by a simple mind. This makes the reading incredibly original and interesting, but you must remain concentrated the entire time or else you can get easily confused. This is especially true in the last two chapters, where the activity that is taking place is much more fast paced and left me scratching my head and rereading a lot. The last chapter is the only chapter from the viewpoint of the humans and this contrast with the other chapters also made it a harder read.

The plot line is interesting and the way the characters are portrayed as they fight to survive each other and against the wilderness pulls the reader into the novel. It is amazing to me why this book does not get more attention as it shows the natural, base characteristics of humans and how technology can be abused to advance the viewpoints of the arrogant.

I would prescribe the novel for high school reading as an alternative to the much used "Lord Of The Flies". Although more difficult to read, it has less disturbing scenes while still containing symbolism, interesting characters, and a great plot line.

This and other works by William Golding often get missed and really should be considered classics. "The Inheritors" gets a very high score from me despite its drawbacks and I would recommend it to anyone looking to read something that will challenge their thinking and view of spiritualism, violence, and disagreements amongst different cultures.

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