Analyzing Golding's The Lord of the Flies

Conforming to societal norms and following the hierarchy plays an important role in daily group dynamics that people participate in. The Robbers Cave study proved that along with the formation of these groups, ingroup hierarchy structures were formed. When certain members of this hierarchy did not live up to what was expected of them, they were replaced. This parallels Jack’s overthrow of Ralph in Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies. After Jack’s group stabilized, they formed a set of norms. This closely correlates with the findings in Sherif’s study, where the groups developed norms, and specific places and objects became associated as “ours”. Much like in Jack’s group, behavior was subject to these rules, and the offender would be subjected to “punishments” from ridicule to physical abuse. Golding’s emphasis on the influence of a group on the individual to conform to group standards and norms is supported by Sherif’s ideas on Social Hierarchy, where when individuals interacted towards commonly appealing goals, status hierarchies and group norms regulating the behavior of individual members was formed.

Muzafer Sherif is best known for the Robbers Cave study. His study took place over a period of three weeks at a summer camp in Robbers Cave State Park, and was focused on intergroup behavior. 22 eleven and twelve year olds who had never met, and came from similar social and economic backgrounds were selected for the study. The first stage of the study was the “ingroup formation” where the boys were split into two groups. The groups did not know of the other group’s presence on the site. The next stage was the “friction phase” where the groups engage in competitive situations in different games, and prizes were given to the winne...

... middle of paper ...

...group would never be able to reunite under a superordinate goal.

Through the Lord of the Flies, Golding emphasizes the ability of a group to unknowingly make an individual conform to group standards and norms. An important factor in this process is social hierarchy. Once this hierarchy is formed, the individual is more likely to be susceptible to the norms and behavioral constraints. This is best shown through the character Jack, who began as an innocent head boy, to the leader of a savage clan which sought to destroy the remainder of the outgroup. Sherif’s ideas on superordinate goals, the ingroup hierarchy structure, and group dynamics clearly supports Golding’s plot, where at first two groups worked together, then the ingroup dynamics split, leading to the destruction of one group entirely.

Works Cited

http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Sherif/chap8.htm