Rational Thinking In Lord Of The Flies

When someone is stressed out as a result of a situation they are in, they will most likely make decisions that are not beneficial for others. These decisions can result in emotional or physical injury or even death; for example, in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a plane has crashed on a remote island that nobody probably knows exists. The plane had young boys aboard, with the oldest being twelve years old. There is no obvious way to go back home, which is thousands of miles away in England. They have been put in a situation with no prior experience, surviving with no adults. They seem happy at first with the circumstances, but then it takes a turn for the worst. William Golding conveys that life or death situations with no

The boys, except Simon, present the loss of civilization and rational thinking. Before Simon's death, The Lord of the Flies spoke to him about the beast. He told Simon it is inside of the boys and could not be killed. He became disoriented, and the Lord of the Flies told him to go back to the others. On his way back, he becomes unconscious. After he wakes up, he finds a dead parachutist. There have been loud sounds and rustling in trees before, which have been thought to be the beast, but now Simon believes the beast is just the dead parachutist. He decides to tell the others, but the action is a fatal mistake. The boys are engaging in their dance, Simon is dirty, and the surroundings are dark. The combination causes the boys to go crazy and attack. The narrator describes the scene as "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!...Simon was crying out something about a dead man on a hill. Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!...Simon's dead body moved out toward the open sea" (Golding 152, 154). The boys are all participating in the dance, which is what Simon stumbles into. Simon tries to tell the boys the parachutist was actually the beast; however, the boys do not listen, and they believe Simon is the beast. The group of boys want to kill the beast at all cost, which will deteriorate their rationality. Anything that looks

Symbolism of painted faces that presents a connection between savagery and civilization. Early on in the novel, Jack decides he does not like how he looks. He goes around the jungle in look of vibrant colors. He then tries them out on his face and looks at his reflection in a puddle. He is pleased with the results. Jack forms his own group, separate from Ralph's group. The people in Jack's group all have painted faces, and they recently stole Piggy's glasses. Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric are trying to possess the glasses again, but the problem is that Piggy cannot see without them. They arrive at Jack's land area, which is on Castle Rock. Sam is not sure how well trying to steal the glasses will work out. Sam tells Ralph about Jack, and how "He'll be painted...You know how he'll be–" (Golding 171). Sam is doubtful about how well the encounter with Jack and his followers will go. He knows the painted faces are contributing to their actions. The painted faces represent a changed personality, and the group of Jack and his followers have changed greatly throughout the novel. The greatest change is when they become savages because they are not thinking rationally, and they want to only take care of themselves. Sam, Eric, and Ralph need to be careful that they deal with them properly. If not, then the savages will attack and kill someone, like the