Golding's Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

History repeats itself. There is a reason that this adage is so common, and that is its overwhelming persistency to be true. Over the course of history all societies have had a sameness to them, which has created a repetition that has prevailed through the centuries. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding boys ranging in age from six to twelve imitate the basic layouts of any society, following the path from good intentioned beginnings, to a messy revolt, and finally a violent take-over. In the beginning the boys’ immediate response is to coalesce. ”We got to do something” says Piggy by page fifteen of the book and on page sixteen he exclaims that “[they] could call the others. Have a meeting.” This human need to come together is the beginning

One of the first things they do at this first meeting, after making fun of Piggy, is to elect a leader. “…we ought to have a chief to decide things” declares Ralph. His statement is met with overwhelming agreement as many boys take up the chant “Chief! Chief!” This need to chose a leader and create order is far more dangerous than the simple need to come together because by assigning power to an individual the group was setting itself for the same fall that every society before it had

I was chosen.” cried Ralph “Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that doesn’t make any sense.” It is with this argument between Jack and Ralph that the decline of the island society reaches its peak. There is finally enough fear and worry that people are in doubt of their current leader. Once this has happened there is space for another leader to step in, usually by force. In this situation the fear was created by a thing out of Ralph’s control, but he was unable to prove that he could handle the problem because he had not handled any problem previously. Because of this perceived weakness Jack is able to flip the tables on Ralph, creating two groups and therefore even more tension than