Island In Lord Of The Flies Essay

In the novel Lord of the Flies, the natural setting of the island was essential for Golding to describe the characteristics of mankind. The island had many different attributes to contribute to its peaceful default, without man inhabiting it. Some of these traits included the relatively stable weather, good supply of food and water, and the lack of dangerous predators. Among these things, the boys also arrived completely unharmed. Altogether they were surrounded by the prime environment for survival, which only left their own decisions to go haywire. When this occurred, it strengthened Golding's message and perfectly displayed Hobbes’ belief that mankind is naturally bad and power hungry. Without the original peace on the island, one could have argued that outside factors played a part in the novel’s outcome, however there was nothing but peace, which left the outcome up to the evil inside of the boys. One of the boys, Ralph, did not conform to Hobbes’ policy because he held to his own and stayed away from the evils of Jack.

When the election occurred, Ralph was elected chief. As his first act of being chief, he stated “Jack’s in charge of the choir.” (23). He immediately divided the power which is a principle that Locke would have liked. He was not consumed by a craving for power, instead, he was acting on what he thought was best as a fair leader.

He is also fair because of the way he sticks to the rules instead of doing what is easiest or best for him. When simon had the conch, everyone was talking over him and rebelling against the order they had established on the island. Ralph reestablished the islands fair and just system by exclaiming “Hear him! He’s got the conch!” (89). He kept the system fair by sticking to the agreement that everyone made in the beginning of the novel. He could have done things Hobbes’s way by demanding what was best for him, but instead he did what was