The play combines suspense, humour, and a very stong message. Very early on, the reader is consfronted with a crime: did it happpen? and if so, who instigated it and who carried it out? The message of the play is about vilence and authority: does authority prevent violence, or does authority cause violence?
The setting is in a boys' English public school. Many scenes take place in a school room. The teacher tries to obtain authority over the boys. The boys torment their new teacher in hilarious and igenious ways; their behaviour swings between the menacing andthe funny and adorable.
The question is authority: the teacher's authority over the pupils', the head's authority over the teacher, the rebellious boys' authority over their teacher, and finally, when the teacher's authority collapses, it seems as if one of the boys will assume authority over the rest.
The ending is a surprise, and this surprising ending makes the play's message even stronger.
The play is very well written, and I could not put the book down until I had finished. When I finished, I still had a lot to think about, and to discover about myself.
The reason I did not give it 5 starts is, that I believe that in the 40 years since the paly was written a lot more has happened, which changes our view on the subject of authority and violence. The paly was excellent when it was written, but it is dated.
