Lord Of Flies

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Human Natures and Destruction of the Society

The novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, is an allegorical novel that shows the destructive nature of human beings. Through the breakdown of the society formed by innocent kids who survived the plane wreck, Golding shows that there are many basic human traits that can lead to the destruction of the society. However, the most predominant human trait that leads to the destruction of the society in the Lord of the flies is the struggle for power, the disposition toward savageness and the fear of the unknown.

The most obvious human trait that leads to the destruction of the society in the Lord of the Flies is the

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struggle for power. Humans constantly want to be above other human beings. From the very beginning of the novel, the conflict between Ralph and Jack emerges. When all the boys in the island gather for the first time, Jack shows his autocratic characteristics by treating the choir as the military. Jack even arrogantly says ¡°I ought to be chief, because I¡¯m chapter chorister and head boy¡¦¡¦¡± (Golding, 22). The conflict between Ralph and Jack becomes more obvious as the novel progresses. One of the reasons why Jack hunts is for power. By leading the hunters, he obtains a power base and by providing the meat to the kids, he provides immediate gratification for the group. To gain more power, Jack promises littlun to give meat without any responsibilities that Ralph has demanded (Moody, 12). This difference eventually leads to the worst case scenario: the separation of the group. Now the kids fight each other rather than working together for the benefit of the whole group and

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rescue. If Jack had corporate with Ralph, everyone might have been rescued safely. However, Jack¡¯s desire for power leads the whole society to chaos and destruction.

A Human disposition toward savagery causes total destruction in the society. The central concern of Lord of the Flies is the conflict between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group against the instinct to gratify one¡¯s immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy over others, and enforce one¡¯s will (Phillips). This second trait is quite blatantly shown through Jack and his hunters. In the beginning of the novel, even Jack is not quite savage yet.

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