William Golding said “I learned during World War II just how brutal people can be to each other. Not just the Japanese but everyone”. In the book “the Lord of the Flies”, Golding tells us about World War II and the Holocaust by making Ralph represent democracy and Jack represent dictatorship.
In the beginning of the story the airplane that is going to take the boys to a safe place gets shot down and landed in an island. Ralph represents democracy, when he and Piggy find the conch, Piggy suggested “We can use this to call the others. We have a meeting. They’ll come if they hear us” (16). Ralph is being democratic because he is giving them a choice if they want to go or not. He is also fair because he is going to have a meeting to decide what they are going to do. When they get together they decide that they need to have a chief. Roger says “Let’s have a vote” “Him with the conch” “Ralph, Ralph, Ralph” (22). They started to notice that Ralph would be a good leader. They see in him what a chief needs to have, and the conch in his hands means power and authority. They all start talking at the same time and discussing about who has to be chief, the choir boys think that Jack should be the chief but the rest want Ralph to be the chief. “I got the conch” said piggy indignantly “you let me speak” (42). Piggy gets the conch because represents power so the rest of the boys had to let him talk and show respect, Piggy was really intelligent so that helped Ralph be a better leader because he would listen to Piggy and choose what was right.
William Golding says that Jack represents dictatorship. He wanted to be the chief but the rest chose Ralph “I cut the pig’s throat” (69) he said. He was the one that hunt the pigs but he needed to paint his face so the pig couldn’t see him but he was also trying to hide from himself. He wanted to be better than the other and made them think he was tough. Jack was selfish and arrogant. He says “who cares what you think fatty”. He didn’t care about the other’s needs and concerns. He thought that all he did and believed was right and nobody could beat him.
Every chapter, these three boys, have demonstrated they have great behaviour on the island in comparison to the rest of the group. But it was tiring to constantly have an acceptable attitude because the other boys would not be so pleasant towards them. First, Ralph represented democracy, from the time he crash landed upon the sand, strategies on how to be rescued flowed in his head. He was introduced to the conch and from that point he assigned daily tasks and rules that would be completed so the island would not go insane such as creating shelter, where to dispose waste and if the conch was in your hands, you were able to speak. Next, Piggy represented scientific facts.
William Golding, the author of the novel The Lord of the Flies, lived through the global conflicts of both world wars. World War II shifted his point of view on humanity, making him realize its inclination toward evilness. His response to the ongoing struggle between faith and denial became Lord of the Flies, in which English schoolboys are left to survive on their own on an uninhabited island after a plane crash. Just like Golding, these boys underwent the trauma of war on a psychological level. Ralph, one of the older boys, stands out as the “chief,” leading the other victims of war in a new world. Without the constraints of government and society, the boys created a culture of their own influenced by their previous background of England.
In the Lord of the Flies there are many themes that stand out. After reading Fredrick Douglass’ speech, “If I had a Country, I Should be a Patriot,” the theme that Goldings’ book that is most relatable to me is the lack of democracy and equal rights. Jack reminded me of a southern slave master and his primary focus that had no regard for others’ rights. In conclusion, in The Lord of the Flies, the rivalry between democracy and dictatorship is evident in Jack and Ralph’s relationship and relates back to the North versus the South rivalry for democracy for the
Piggy is known for being the most intellectual and reasonable out of the boys. While the other boys are off fooling around and dreaming about their next adventure, Piggy is using reason to plan an organized method of survival on the island where everyone is satisfied. For example, while the other boys were exploring the island, Simon came up with an idea and said, “‘I’ve been thinking,” he said, “about a clock. We could make a sundial. We could put a stick in the sand, and then—’” (Golding 90). Although the boys can rule using any form of government on the island, Piggy attempts to create a civilized and orderly environment by advising Ralph to implement a democratic state. Despite his weak appearance, Piggy has a very strong moral compass and sense of self assurance, meaning, he’s very confident in the moral choices he makes. Since he bases his actions and way of thinking on reason and justice, he has a tendency to believe everyone should follow and share his methods because “rules are rules.” As seen when electing a leader, Piggy believed that because the conch and name system were his ideas, he should have been voted as leader, resulting in “Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air.” (Golding 29). Due to his strong confidence, Piggy is not afraid to act upon his beliefs and what is right, even if it may not be a popular
In the novel The Lord of the flies, William Golding illustrates the decline from innocence to savagery through a group of young boys. In the early chapters of The Lord of the Flies, the boys strive to maintain order. Throughout the book however, the organized civilization Ralph, Piggy, and Simon work diligently towards rapidly crumbles into pure, unadulterated, savagery. The book emphasized the idea that all humans have the potential for savagery, even the seemingly pure children of the book. The decline of all civilized behavior in these boys represents how easily all order can dissolve into chaos. The book’s antagonist, Jack, is the epitome of the evil present in us all. Conversely, the book’s protagonist, Ralph, and his only true ally, Piggy, both struggle to stifle their inner
At the opening of the novel, Ralph and Jack get on extremely well. We are informed Jack, “shared his burden,” and there was an, “invisible light of friendship,” between the two boys. Jack changes considerably throughout this novel. At first he tells us, “I agree with Ralph we’ve got to have rules and obey them,” This shows us that at the beginning of the novel, just like Ralph, he wants to uphold a civilised society. We are also notified, “Most powerfully there was the conch.” As the conch represents democracy we can see that at the beginning of the novel the boys sustain a powerful democratic society.
When Ralph blows the conch, Jack is introduced to the reader for the first time. He is represented as an audacious and selfish boy who likes to order others around when he says "I ought to be chief, because I'm chapter chorister and head boy"(Goldberg p.22). It also confirms his hunger for power and wanting control over everything. His choleric and petulant personality can be seen when he says "Shut up, Fatty."(p.23), also revealing that he is rude and inconsiderate of others. Despite his obnoxious personality, his conscious of civilization keeps him from killing the first pig they see. He even recommends that the boys should have rules to keep things in order.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a novel about the way humans will revert to their flawed nature when a non-morally developed leader leads them. For example, Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany, caused the Nazis to become discriminatory and blood-thirsty as they forced Jews into concentration camps. Golding’s theme parallels Hitler’s leadership over Nazi Germany and Jack’s leadership over his tribe.
In Chapter 8 Jack says “He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief.” He says this because Jack thinks his point of view is the right one, and it can only be the right one. This is similar to dictatorships in the past when people believe their right and anyone who doesn’t agree is the enemy. Later in the book Jack tries to get more followers by promising them psychological needs. Jack states “We’ve killed a pig and we’ve got meat. You can come and eat with us if you like.” Jack is trying to take away any of Ralph’s remaining supporters, so that Ralph is forced to follow him when all he has left is Piggy, Samneric, and a few clueless littluns. Later in this book Ralph is on his own a few hours after Piggy dies, he is considering joining Jack’s tribe because he will have food and protection. In the forest he thinks about the thought of eating fruit, and then remembering the feast and that maybe they would let him back. After that he realizes that the hunters killed Piggy and Simon, so they would kill him
Afterwards, however, he represents what the boys have lost. Piggy is the one responsible for keeping Ralph sane and humane, and one way he does this is by rationalizing what the group did to Simon, “’It was an accident . . . Coming in the dark- he hadn’t no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it’” (Golding 160). In doing so keeps Ralph from losing faith in himself and his humanity. Without Ralph, the original chief, the others would have abandoned all hope a long time ago. Piggy realizes this and dedicates himself to being Ralph’s brain and conscience. Until his death, that is. Once he’s gone and Ralph is on his own, Ralph often finds himself in situations where he longs for Piggy, “to talk sense” (Golding 201). In this same moment Ralph misses the, “solemn assembly for debate” (Golding 201), and the, “dignity of the conch” (Golding 201). Piggy has finally gained the recognition he so deserves, but the damage has been done; the boys are
People can do anything that involves fear including turning on someone and attempting to kill them. William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies in 1952 during the cold war. This affects the novel because children were often killed during war.This novel is important because the novel shows how the boys communicate and survive on the island. Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys on an island without any adults. In order to survive, they will have to work as a team. In the essay, I will talk about how Jack and Ralph comparison, how they have changed, and there purpose in the novel.
In the novel. Lord of the Flies, the author develops Ralph’s desire to remain civilized, and to create a structured society that is similar to a dictatorship, government which the leaders have absolute authority. Additionally, Jack’s actions reflect fascism, authoritative leadership emphasizing aggressive nationalism. Initially, Ralph embraces the adventure and risk in regards to the island. This sense of escapade was illustrated when he imagined the island as a ship going on a great voyage. However, it becomes evident that he desires structure when he demands that conch is to allow its holder to speak freely, though only he and Jack apparently have such a prerogative. By doing so, it shows that Ralph wants control that is similar to an authoritarian
The island’s first government is a democratic one, created at the beginning of the novel. When the boys arrive on the island, two characters named Ralph and Piggy meet as they begin to look around the site where their plane has crashed. When they find a conch shell, they decide to use it to make a noise and call the other boys to a meeting. William Golding uses the conch shell throughout the book as a symbol of democratic government. Those assembled—except for Jack’s choir—vote that Ralph should be chief, and he sets up a democratic system where anyone is allowed to talk. This system involves using the shell like a talking stick: anyone who wants to talk holds the shell and everyone else must listen to what they have to say. As a goal for the group, Ralph says they should try to be rescued. Most of the boys respect Ralph and look up to him, so they support this goal. Rescue is a long-term goal, and this shows that Ralph thinks about the future....
Much of history’s most renown literature have real-world connections hidden in them, although they may be taxing uncover. William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies, is no exception. In this work of art, Golding uses the three main characters, Piggy, Jack, and Ralph, to symbolize various aspects of human nature through their behaviors, actions, and responses.
During World War II, the United States killed 90,000 to 166,000 people in Hiroshima with an atomic bomb. The bombing of Hiroshima demonstrated the uncivilized behaviors of humankind: hunger for power, misuse of technology, and subconscious reactions to conflicts. Lord of the Flies, an allegorical novel by William Golding, illustrates a horrific tale of boys who are stranded on an island and lose their ability to make civil decisions. Throughout the book, Ralph and Jack fight for power, Piggy’s spectacles are constantly taken to create fire, and several of the boys become “savage” and act upon their subconscious minds. From a sociological perspective, Golding’s novel portrays man’s voracity for power, abuse of technology to the point of destruction, and his venture to inner darkness.