Who Is Ptd In Lord Of The Flies

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PTSD, also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a condition of persistent emotional and mental stress as a result of a fatal injury or severe physiological shock. PTSD can cause many problems for people who suffer from it, such as being easily startled, trouble sleeping or concentrating, having aggressive behavior, and self-destructive behavior. Trauma, left unchecked, causes symptoms that can persist for months or years. The boys in the story, Lord of the Flies, suffer from PTSD because of the traumatic events they experienced on the island, the loss of a primary caretaker, and signs from their aggressive behavior. One sign that the boys suffer from PTSD is the traumatic events they suffered on the island, such as the killing of Simon. After the killing of Simon, the boys refused …show more content…

Another way the boys display signs of suffering from PTSD is through their aggressive behavior when killing Piggy. The lack of mental stability in the boys causes them to make impulsive decisions. When Ralph and Piggy confront Jack and the hunters, “High overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever. The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee” (Golding, 180-181). Roger's delirious action is directly related to the lack of mental stability that the boys have developed throughout their time on the island. Roger started by purposely missing the children when he would throw rocks at them but grew more unstable leading to him pulling the lever, and murdering Piggy. Aggressive and impulsive decisions are a direct sign of PTSD, which is seen in the children. “Symptoms of PTSD: chronic anxiety, difficulty falling or staying asleep, Irritability, anger and angry outbursts, panic attacks, hypervigilance (being constantly on guard for threats), excessive startle reflex (a tendency to be easily startled)” (Page,

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