Golding's Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

History repeats itself. There is a reason that this adage is so common, and that is its overwhelming persistency to be true. Over the course of history all societies have had a sameness to them, which has created a repetition that has prevailed through the centuries. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding boys ranging in age from six to twelve imitate the basic layouts of any society, following the path from good intentioned beginnings, to a messy revolt, and finally a violent take-over.
In the beginning the boys’ immediate response is to coalesce. ”We got to do something” says Piggy by page fifteen of the book and on page sixteen he exclaims that “[they] could call the others. Have a meeting.” This human need to come together is the beginning

of any society. Ralph responds to this need as well as he blows the conch and all of the other boys, including Jack and his gang, respond further by following the noise, the first true sign that they are not alone.
The next need the boys satisfied was just as basic, but possibly more dangerous than the need for kinship, and that was the need for order.

One of the first things they do at this first meeting, after making fun of Piggy, is to elect a leader. “…we ought to have a chief to decide things” declares Ralph. His statement is met with overwhelming agreement as many boys take up the chant “Chief! Chief!” This need to chose a leader and create order is far more dangerous than the simple need to come together because by assigning power to an individual the group was setting itself for the same fall that every society before it had

taken.
After Ralph is elected chief he makes decision that, while good and reasonable, are immediately ignored. He says that there is to be a fire, and the task of building it is taken up immediately but is later abandoned in a time of need for a more primitive desire. He also declares that shelters are to be made however after only a few minutes of work most of the boys “[wander] off bathing, or eating, or playing”. This is the primary problem in Ralph’s society. There is no proper system of reward and punishment, and while this is not always the problem in a society, there is always a problem to which people take offense. This leads to the next step in the life of any society, discontent.
“I’m chief.

I was chosen.” cried Ralph “Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that doesn’t make any sense.” It is with this argument between Jack and Ralph that the decline of the island society reaches its peak. There is finally enough fear and worry that people are in doubt of their current leader. Once this has happened there is space for another leader to step in, usually by force. In this situation the fear was created by a thing out of Ralph’s control, but he was unable to prove that he could handle the problem because he had not handled any problem previously. Because of this perceived weakness Jack is able to flip the tables on Ralph, creating two groups and therefore even more tension than

before.
The final step in the life of a society is its death, which is ensured by Jack almost immediately. He tries to entice the few biguns who stayed with Ralph with meat, and after he has severely weakened the original tribe he strikes at night. “The rest of you can go to sleep…but us three…we’ve got work to do.” Says Jack speaking to his tribe about the night ahead. This work was originally to consist of stealing fire, but after discovering the fire was out, Jack turned to violence with no hesitation, ready to complete the original tribes life span. After this final assertion of power Ralph’s meager tribe falls completely away with Samneric succumbing to cowardice and Piggy falling to his death.
The cycle that the society the boys created follows is as old as time. It is driven by human instinct and, through the accelerated version portrayed in the novel, can be seen as truly violent. However it should be noted that while the boys were to young to learn from history, the men and women who lead our society today should not be so ignorant. Why do people often remind one another that history repeats itself? As a warning, so that one might be able to prevent the awful mistakes of the past.