Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding in 1954. It is a story about how a group of British boys, age’s six through twelve, try and create a society while being shipwrecked on an unknown island with only the hope of rescue. Ralph is the leader of their tribe with Piggy as his second in command. Although no one really listens to Piggy because he is so different, Piggy keeps on helping them. Samneric are twin brothers who are on Ralph’s side. Roger is slightly sadistic and likes torturing the littleuns, or younger children. Roger is head of the choir boys, and likes it that way. He enjoys power and was very upset when the other boys chose Ralph over him. William Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies proving that without a civilized societal environment with rules, government, and an outline of what is right and what is wrong, man will eventually return to his savagery roots.
Roger turns from evil into pure sadistic once he is on the island because there is no one to enforce the morals of right and wrong, or o punish him when he has gone against a moral. Before the plane crashed onto the island there was always a cloud of protection surrounding the small children he so desperately wants to see suffer. “There was a space around Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins” (62).
The Term Paper on Lord Of The Flies Boys Society Ralph
... violence is however geared towards Ralph and Piggy, two boys who threaten the existing community. If the children truly exhibited savage violence, they ... created. The traditional rules had little place on the island. The boys invent new rules which better suit their predicament. The ... is seen breaking the tradition rules by throwing stones. "Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them ...
This shows that Roger was once at least partly civilized when there were laws, and grown adults to stop him. But now, on this island, there are none of these and Roger can take control of whatever he pleases because it’s what makes him feel good.
The change in this situation occurs when the expected controls (of parents, teachers etc) are not in place and the games run on and no one stops them. “And suppose he meet the chief, or Roger, who carried death in his hands” (196).
Ralph, when he is being hunted by the other tribe that wants to kill him, he is more afraid of Roger, the one who increases fear in people and tortures them so that they will obey, than he is of Jack, the chief of Roger and his tribe. This shows that Roger, or sadism, is more feared than dictatorship, or power. “Roger took up a small stone and flung it between the twins, aiming to miss. They started, and Sam only just kept his footing. Some sort of power began to pulse through Rogers body” (175).
Roger feels power in the harm and fear of others, he truly is savage.
Jack knows what is forbidden and what is right, but soon enough, he wants power over everyone. “I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things” (42).
Immediately all the boys decide to put up a government, showing the need for society and rules, like they had back in England. It shows that they know what is right and wrong enough to be able to make rules against what they feel is wrong. Jack also, although he had declared him and his group of boys “hunters”, cannot kill the pig on his first try because he has strong sense of the forbidden and what is right and wrong. Also the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into the living flesh; because of the unbearable blood is another reason for Jack not wanting to kill the pig.
“The pause was only long enough for them to understand what an enormity the downward stroke would be” (33).
This shows the conscience of man over destruction of another living creature as the reality of hunting is still a shock to them at this stage. But, soon his thirst for power overthrows that of the laws and rules of the make-shift society. “His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink” (70).
The Essay on “An Indian Story” by Roger Jack
In “An Indian Story” by Roger Jack is an example of family solidarity and care giving within a minority family. When Jack was just a young boy, his mother died, then his father remarried and started a new family that made the boy uncomfortable with his living situation. After that, he decided to go living with his late mother’s sister, Aunt Greta. It is an evident that even before he decided to ...
He now doesn’t even think about rules of society and how that would be looked down upon. The boys feast and celebrate when the hunting party comes back with the pig; this celebration over a dead animal goes back to when the savages of Northern America, namely Indians, celebrated the death of their kill. This was seen as uncivilized by the pilgrims and they were looked down upon as savages. “He was chief now in truth; and he made stabbing motions with his spear.
From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses” (168).
Jack and his tribe represent anarchy. Jack did not have the integrity to keep the Beast at bay. He is the perpetrator of all three deaths that occur on the island and wishes to spend his time hunting (killing) instead of helping Ralph with rescue. “Next time there would be no mercy” (34).
This is Jack determined to prove himself capable of slaughter making him and his actions dangerous and unpredictable. This is the final transformation from civilized to savagery. With the arrival of the dead airman, fear becomes real and society is forgotten almost completely as first Simon, then Piggy is destroyed. This destruction is caused by the boy’s actions. The fire transforms from the symbol of civilization to death of life. The Signal Fire is a representation of commonsense and rescue from immorality.
When the signal fire can no longer be lit, because Jack stole Piggy’s specs that light it, its beacon of hope and knowledge is no longer present to guide Ralph who must then be constantly reminded by Piggy what is right, a lot like an adult reminds a child. Ralph represents law, order, organized society and moral integrity. Throughout the novel he is constantly making commonsense rules for the boys to follow. As chief, he knows right from wrong. At the end of the novel he too realizes that man is not a kind creature by nature. Anarchy finally hunts down society in the end, but Golding does not let us know which side would win without intervention. “They had smoked him out and set the island on fire” (192).
The Essay on Lord Of The Flies Piggy Ralph Jack
Lord Of The Flies is possibly one of the most complex novels of the twentieth century. This complexity and depth is evident when the characters are compared to the psychological teachings of Freud. The book shows examples of this psyche in the characters Jack, Piggy and Ralph and how they change during their time on the island. Towards the end of the eighth chapter it became very apparent that ...
Ralph is almost killed by the thing he wanted to preserve the most. This shows that the savagery is now upon him and rules are no more. Piggy represents the intellectual side of humans. Piggy symbolizes knowledge and morality. Without Piggy to help Ralph it is very possible that Ralph may have lost sight of things and given in to the Beast.
Jack, who, throughout the novel systematically removes the forces opposing him, is scornfully afraid of Piggy and eventually kills him to eliminate his moral influence on the group, which conflicts with his plan to rule with tribalism, survivalist morality. “There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch” (196).
The Conch is a symbol of the high hand of authority. Used to call meetings, it is magical to the boys, who for the most part respect it. In the end, when it is destroyed, authority on the island is gone and Ralph is left to fend for himself. Moral anarchy is unleashed by the murder of Simon and Piggy. Rule and order is destroyed by the loss of the conch and Piggy’s death, torture of the littleuns, hunting of Ralph, and Ralph’s will to kill or be killed.
William Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies proving that without a civilized societal environment with rules, government, and an outline of what is right and what is wrong, man will eventually return to his savagery roots. Between Roger and Jack, turning quickly from the light into the dark as soon as the freedom of no adults or rules is realized, it is only right that this book be a hard struggle. Golding’s book shows what would happen to society if it was deprived of rules, morals, and an adequate leader. It also shows how human nature really responds to fear, harm, threats, and, in a way, freedom.
