How the Boy's Behavior and Sense of Order Begins to Disintegrate in Chapter 5 of Lord of the Flies by Golding

How the Boy's Behavior and Sense of Order Begins to Disintegrate in Chapter 5 of Lord of the Flies by Golding

Reading about the appearance of the boys and the rules they are

flaunting, the audience learns that order on the isolated island is

disintegrating. The boys no longer care for the rules that were

established by Ralph and are beginning to form an alliance of their

own. The conch is rapidly losing its role as being the item that

summons order and some boys are becoming anxious by the beasties that

are not real, but fear is travelling from the small boys to the older

ones who contemplate about the beasties. It is this anxiety of the

unknown, which creates fear leading to the boy's disintegration.

As the days of waiting continue, the boys care for the rules are

nowhere to be found. This disregard of the laws of the land,

implemented shortly after the crash, is starting to annoy Ralph, the

lawmaker, and he summons a meeting. “Look at us! … We can’t keep a

fire going to make smoke. Don’t you understand? Cant you see we ought

to – ought to die before we let that fire out”. Ralph is trying to

communicate two messages. One, that the fire is an important means of

survival and one of the only chances of release form the island. Two,

that the boy’s behaviour is disintegrating. The boys, if back in

they’re homeland would abide by any law, but it seems on the island

the law does not exist. The reason the boys are disconnecting

themselves from the rules is because the rules are not fun. Any fun

that was to be found on the island has been discovered and there is

nothing left to do but sit and wait. The boys turn to mischief because

they are bored and scared. This fear, especially in the younger boys,

is caused by the “beasties”. The boys fear of “twisty things in the

trees”. However the twisty things have never been seen by more than

one boy and have never been spotted in daylight.