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Lord of the flies characters analysis essay
Lord of the flies characters analysis essay
Character analysis in the novel lord of the flies
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In the 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, author William Goulding imparts his opinion of humanity on readers through his tale of boys stranded on an island. Throughout the story, readers follow a group of boys who have crash landed on an uncharted island during World War II. The boys experience disputed governance and their descent from an orderly society into savagery. As the story progresses, it is clear that Goulding’s view of humanity mirrors that of Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes believed that people are inherently evil and need a strong monarch to rule and control them. Goulding makes clear his opinion of humanity through the conversion to savagery as they are separated from society. He also shows that a strong monarch is needed to rule the boys through …show more content…
the failed rule of Ralph, who attempted to rule through order and logic. He conveys his outlook on humanity through symbols and representations of traits through characters such as Ralph and Jack. Throughout the novel, Goulding’s view of humanity mirrors that of Hobbes, who says people are inherently evil and need a strong monarch to rule and control them, and he uses symbols and character traits to express his opinion. Goulding’s view of humanity mirrors that of Thomas Hobbes, who said that people are inherently evil.
Goulding shows this outlook by showing the boys as they detach from civilization. When they are no longer bound by the social contract of civilization, where people give up the state of nature to live in an organized and structured society, they accustom themselves to a savage lifestyle. “The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering” (Goulding 115). This quote takes place when the boys are hunting the pig and refers to Ralph’s feelings. He is no longer bound by a social contract and displays his innate evil. When he is away from society for so long, he reverts to his natural evil ways, which reflects Hobbes’ philosophy. However, the transition to savagery was not immediate. In the beginning of the novel, the boys are still controlled by their civilized instinct. “Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law” (Goulding 62). This quote concerning Roger throwing stones and purposely avoiding Henry shows that the boys still retain their connection with civilization. Nevertheless, as the novel progresses, this connection stretches thin until the boys are killing for fun and seem incapable of comprehending rules of …show more content…
civilization. Goulding also expresses Hobbes philosophy of needing a strong monarch to control people.
At the beginning of the boys’ time on the island, they form a democracy that was ruled by Ralph. He called for order and did not enforce any of the rules he put in place. “Not for these things, But to put things straight” (Goulding 79). This quote shows the order in Ralph’s rule. It also shows that he is the voice of productivity and civilization on the island. Compared to Ralph, Jack is savage and bloodthirsty and is much more powerful and able to control the boys. The boys needed a strong monarch to control them and as Ralph was not strong enough to control them, his rule crumbled to make way for Jack’s reign. Jack does not believe that order and logic is the right way to rule. “He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief” (Goulding 126). To Jack, strength and fear are more important to leadership and because Ralph, like Piggy, uses rationality and reason, he is not suited to be the boys’ leader. Goulding demonstrates his belief that people need a strong monarch to rule them through his illustrations of a disputed
leadership. In order to convey his view of humanity, Goulding uses symbols and character traits to express his belief that people are inherently evil and need a strong monarch to rule them. The conch symbolizes civilization and order, as it was used to govern the assemblies. Anyone who held the conch had the right to speak. “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Goulding 181). Since the conch symbolizes civilization and order, the breaking of the conch accompanied by Piggy’s death officially marks the end of civilized instinct and the start of their natural state of complete savagery. Another tool Goulding uses to convey his view of humanity is the antagonistic character traits of Ralph and Jack. Ralph represents order, civilization, and logic while Jack represents savagery and violence. Jack is quick to leave his civilized instincts behind and give into the primal blood thirst while Ralph clings on to order and civilization. At the end of the novel, when the naval officer has found the island, Ralph cries as he has learned the human capacity and primal instinct of evil. “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy” (Goulding 202). This quote explains how Ralph is exposed to the evil within the boys. Goulding uses the examples of the conch and the traits of Ralph and Jack to express his opinion of humanity that people are inherently bad and need a strong monarch to control them. Goulding’s opinion on humanity play a significant role in the plot of the novel, helping advance the story in many ways. His view that people are naturally bad and need a strong monarch to control them directly develops the plot and his opinion is evident in the actions of the characters. His theory allows readers to understand the reasoning behind events in the novel and create a complete assessment of characters. Overall, Goulding’s view of humanity mirrors that of Hobbes, who says people are inherently evil and need a strong monarch to rule and control them and he uses symbols and character traits to express his opinion. His opinion enriches the story greatly and offers insight into the behavior of characters and actions on the island.
A group of kids got stuck on an island after their plane got shot down and they all have many different personalities. Being stuck on an island usually brings out the worst of people.But, there were two characters in novel, “The Lord of The Flies” that had good morals. These two characters were Ralph and Simon. Ralph and Simon weren’t intimidated by not having any adults around, instead, they tried to bring out the best of themselves and not take part in any horseplay the rest of the boys did.
“The duty of the youth is to challenge corruption,” Kurt Cobain once said. The Lord of the Flies tells a fictional story of a group of kids whose plane crashes on an island. Among these boys is Jack, a choirboy who is eager to hunt and create laws. However, in Lord of the Flies, the character Jack shows himself to be an arrogant tyrant because throughout the novel he acts in a way that is cruel, evil, and violent.
Writer Steven James said, “The true nature of man left to himself without restraint is not nobility but savagery.” This quote can be used to accurately describe Jack Merridew, one of the young boys who becomes stranded on an unknown island in the Pacific. Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding; the novel explores the dark side of humanity and the underlying savagery in even the most civilized person. The novel opens on a group of British boys between ages six and twelve stranded on a tropical island without adult supervision. The boys elect a leader in an attempt to form a civilized society; however, their peaceful island descends into chaos as Ralph and Jack continuously argue over who should be the leader of the island. From the beginning of the novel, Jack is seen as power hungry, envious, and manipulative to further his own agenda, the anti-thesis to Ralph’s concern with social order and their future.
He has not transitioned entirely from order and civilization to savagery and chaos as he does further into in the novel. This scene is effective because it shows the beginning of the decline Jack goes through, from civilized to savagery. A little boy named Henry wanders and Roger trails him. Henry stops at the end of the beach and sits down. Roger hides behind a palm tree and observes Henry. A breeze passes and causes nuts and lumps to fall onto the ground from the palm tree. “Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law” (Golding #64). In this quotation, internal conflict is seen through Roger by how he throws stones at Henry. As Roger purposely misses, he is held back by ‘parents and school and policemen and the law’. The civilized and savage parts inside of him are budging heads when he throws rocks at Henry yet purposely
Ralph was elected shortly after their arrival to the island, but his time in power came to end quite gradually. He tried to run his group through a democratic type system in which all major decision were first discussed at an assembly before they were put into action. At these assemblies his views were questioned not only by Jack, but by the other boys as well. Even the ideas that the assembly could agree on usually weren't pu...
Ralph shows that he has a better understanding of the boys than Jack. He knows that the boys need some sort of order on the island in order for them to survive. He starts a simple form of government and sets a few rules for them. Even though they don’t last very long, the fact that he tried to help the group is what makes him a better leader. Ralph’s wisdom and ability to look toward the future also has an advantage over Jack. He has a sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. When the fire goes out, Ralph gets upset because the chance to be rescued was gone as well. Ralph enforces his role of leadership as he gives the boys a sense of stability of an authority figure. He keeps the boys in pretty good order at the meeting by making a rule that they can only speak if they have the conch. Ralph knows that the littleuns are afraid and they need shelter to feel more secure. They work together for a while, but as the time goes on the smaller boys want to go play. They slowly lose all their help until Simon and Ralph are the only ones left to work on them. Ralph knows that this is a necessity and keeps bringing it up at the meetings. Jack, on the other hand, is doing nothing but causing chaos.
Like Jack, the boys no longer value kindness, compassion, or empathy, Instead, they resort to violence and force. This is shown when the boys do their dance and chant “kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 168) This chant is one of violence and savagery. When the boys see Simon crawling out of the jungle, they don’t care if it’s a human or a beast, their first instinct is just to kill. Another example of the boy’s lack of compassion and empathy, is when they participate in tying up Wilfred and allow Jack to beat him for no apparent reason. Jack’s tribe continues to slip further into savagery. They rebel against, and destroy everything that represents kindness, order and civilization. This is evident when Jack, Roger, and Maurice go to Ralph’s camp, taunt Piggy, steal his glasses to make a fire, and beat up the civilized group. Piggy’s death and the breaking of the conch also represent the group’s disintegration of humanity. Piggy says while holding the conch: “Which is better-to be a pack of painted niggers like you are, or be sensible like Ralph is?” (Golding 200) The tribe chooses savagery over order when Roger releases the boulder that kills Piggy, and shatters the conch. The evolution of savagery is complete when the group’s morals and values become the laws in which they abide
The human mind is made of up two instincts that constantly have conflict: the instinct to live by society’s rules and the instinct to live by your own rules. Our civilized will has been to live morally by law and order, and our savage will has been to act out for our own selfish needs. We each choose to live by one or the other depending on how we feel is the correct way to live. In this allegorical novel, William Golding represents the transformation from civilization to savagery in the conflict between two of the main characters: Ralph who represents law and order and Jack who represents savagery and violence. Lord of the Flies has remained a very controversial novel to this day with its startling, brutal, and truthful picture of the human nature.
One of the most compelling stories of the 1950s that caused much debate, Lord of the Flies still remains an exceptional novel that stimulates discussion. William Golding gave the readers an interesting and exciting narrative that also stuck close to reality. Golding created an absolutely wondrous and idyllic setting and was able to make a horrifying set of events take place there. This is a novel that challenges the preconceptions of youth, innocence, and humanity itself. Lord of the Flies is a captivating tale and a true classic.
Ralph had came to a realization about the aftermath of the activity that had occurred, he claimed, “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy" (Golding,202).He sees the rest of the boys and ceased that “ this a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt”( Golding,203).Ralph perceives that there isn’t any sign of a civilized boy in the savage.Golding suggests that savagery is our genuine state. He infers that society prevents our vicious urge, teaches us to be well-mannered and properly dressed individuals.With a lack of of civility, humankind will prosper with violence and
There is also a political system on the island just as there is in our society. Ralph is the children's elected representative. He appoints hunters (or an army in our case) and a leader to this group on the island. He also appoints people to look after the fire, people to get water, to get food and make shelters (political heads). They also have an age of importance on the island, they can distinguish a minor from their form of an adult just like us. In this way the island is run in an orderly fashion. However, as in most political systems there are people who will oppose the decisions made by their representative. Jack is this leader of anarchy on the island. He drives this toward Ralph like people in society would protest or go on strike.
In Lord of the Flies, a 20th century novel written by William Golding, countless issues are portrayed; however the essential nature of humankind is, perhaps, the most recurring. From the moment we meet the boys after they land on the island, it is obvious that this fundamental issue will play out through the entire length of the novel, and, as it progresses, the deeper Golding will delve into mankind’s true nature. Shown through the loss of innocence, social skills, and order, the nature of humankind is showcased in this novel.
Thomas Hobbes, a talented yet controversial philosopher, is known for his striking theory; humans are more selfish and evil. In William Golding’s fictional novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of British boys crash on a mysterious islanded and is stranded. The main characters consists of Ralph, the chief, Piggy, the brains, and Jack, the hunter. Side characters include the biguns, the older boys, and the littluns, the younger boys. All together they try to survive with the materials supplied on the island until rescue arrives. However throughout the book, many character’s personality change from being civilized to savage. Beneath the novel’s text, characters, and plot, lies a message about humanity. Lord of the Flies is first seen as a novel about
When stranded on an Island, it’s common to act differently and frightened. It’s also normal to begin seeing things that may scare the human mind. The average child can become scared just by the thought of being alone and not having anybody to care for them. A child finds a leader that comes to them and makes themselves clear to be a protagonist. Not every child needs to have leader. As in “Lord of The Flies”, Ralph and Jack are the standing leaders and the littluns must choose to whom will be their leader. Children do not work well together if stranded in the same place because children can not take control when stranded while seeing things differently.
In William Gouldings’ story “Lord of The Flies” he presents multiple examples of mankind being naturally evil. Notably, he mentions, in chapter 7, that Jack and his hunters were playing a game. This game was not your ordinary young boy game, the game was vaguely dark, considering they were all young boys. This so called game involved chanting and pretending to murder one of their friends, as if the friend was one of the wild pigs. Along with that, Goulding begins to darken it up even further, Jack has his boys tie up and beat another friend of theirs. Ultimately, the boys and Jack end up attempting to actually murder two of their supposedly friends.