Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a novel in which William Golding comments on human nature through a group of boys marooned on a deserted tropical island. William Golding is an Oxford University graduate who also served in the Royal Navy during World War II. In addition to being an author, poet and playwright, he has been a schoolmaster and lecturer (William 2). In Lord of the Flies, a plane carrying all boys crashes on a deserted island. To establish order, Ralph, the largest boy, is elected chief. Ralph fails in his attempt to establish order based on the standards of society set in England, their homeland. Instead, the majority of the boys band with Jack who brings out the beast in all of his followers. Their activities show that Lord of the Flies is a narrative on human nature, especially the ability in every human being to do evil. The absence of a disciplinary figure on the island caused the collapse of stability among the boys. Disciplinary figures, ordinarily adults, instill fear in children. They teach them to act well behaved or else they will be punished. Maintaining order in society is achieved through the principle, "There is a consequence for every action." Without any adults on the island the boys were not worried
Simon was the first to recognize what the effect of having no authority on the island was. When there were no rules, people reverted to the natural instincts of their ancient ancestors. In one example, Simon found a comfortable spot to rest under a mat of creepers where he viewed a horrible sight (Golding 132). Jack and his hunters were hunting their first pig, and the ghastly final moments of her life occurs directly in front of his eyes: Here, struck down by the heat, the sow fell and the hunters hurled themselves at her. This dreadful eruption from an unknown world made her frantic; she squealed and bucked and the air was full of sweat and noise and blood and terror. Roger ran round the heap, prodding with his spear whenever pigflesh appeared. Jack was on top of the sow, stabbing downward with his knife. Roger found a lodgment for his point and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her. (Golding 135) Here, the boys truly act like savages, killing the beast with the same impulse as their unfeeling cave dwelling ancestors. The transformation from moral human beings to savages is quite evident in the choir's case. Upon arrival to the island, the choir was orderly and obeyed Jack Merridew's commands. In the sweltering heat, the instruction, "Choir stand still," was followed until a boy fainted and had to be carried to the shade (Golding 20). As the inner evil came out in them, the choir lost the civility that they once had. After a successful hunt, the tribe of savages celebrates with a fitting chant, "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" All ethics they used to have are far and distant memories, having been replaced by their natural inner abil
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1306
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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