Many hold the principle that civilization and a formalized society have a corrupting influence upon man. They argue that man is innocent and society is evil and that consequently, society brings out the evil in man. However, if one reads Lord of the Flies by William Golding, he might reconsider. Golding's novel describes what occurs when a group of young British boys are stranded on a deserted island without any adult supervision. Through this plot, the author explores the need for a civilized society. Two main conflicts exist in the book: one on the literal level, in which the boys fight with one another over leadership, and one on a more symbolic level, in which the boys are left without rules.

When the boys first arrive on the island, they assemble and democratically choose a leader. The tendency to initially do this comes from what they have been taught in Britain. They ha

ve all been exposed to the system in which citizens vote and choose leaders and representatives. Looking back upon that, they do the same. The castaways elect Ralph as their leader even though Jack would like to be chosen. Ralph then shows fairness when he tries to share leadership of the boys with Jack and appoints him head of the "hunters." He also shows common sense in establishing rules to run the assemblies.

The conflict arises when Ralph and Jack have a difference of opinion. Ralph wishes to have a form of government and order. Jack, on the other hand, wants to hunt and live on his natural instincts. When Jack breaks one of the rules of the assembly, Ralph shouts, "The rules!...You're breaking the rules!" Jack responds by saying, "Who cares?" Then Ralph explains "Because the rules are the only thing we've got!" This obvious conflict of strategies in leadership begins at the very start of the novel and continue

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 627
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)