The author himself said he wasn’t making any points about human nature, but of his observations as a school teacher of the children of rich British “people”.
I always thought that was the point of the novel. At the end, they get rescued, and the ship captain sees what they have done. He is astounded that there could be such barbarism among British children.
It’s not about human nature, it’s about the assumptions of what civilization means.
The author himself said he wasn’t making any points about human nature, but of his observations as a school teacher of the children of rich British “people”.
Yup, if there is one demographic group this kind of behavior seems plausible for it is definitely immature, adolescent, spoiled rich kids!
I always thought that was the point of the novel. At the end, they get rescued, and the ship captain sees what they have done. He is astounded that there could be such barbarism among British children.
It’s not about human nature, it’s about the assumptions of what civilization means.