In Lord Of The Flies, The Metamorphosis, By William Golding

The human experience is a special one; The conscious human ability to observe and perceive the world in ways beyond simple or primary observation was brought upon by the rapid evolution of humans, and has helped us grow into the modern beings we are: complex; layered; empathetic, and thoughtful. With these uncommon and advanced qualities comes the realization that there are many ways of viewing our world (man’s world), for all humans develop consciousness; and each individual is shaped by the experiences, knowledge and wisdom of both themselves and others. This quarter we analyzed the theme: a different view of man’s world, through various forms of literature including: Lord of the Flies by William Golding, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka,

In the application of this quarter’s theme to all three stories, we result in having experienced, witnessed, and observed man’s world in three different perspectives; how easily normalcy can be torn apart by human impulse and misguided morals; how our place in a capitalistic society can determine how others perceive us; and how the use of new technologies gives us endless ways to view the physical world.

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, we see a world of impulse and savagery, which has torn apart once fair assembly. Through a group of young boys trapped on an island we see the violent and savage impulses of human nature flourish and thrive, and with it the loss of any and all innocence, reasoning, and moral guidance. The overall theme of Lord of the Flies is

civilization versus savagery; the clashing of instinct with ideal: the ideal to live by the rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group, is set against the basic instinct to fulfill one’s immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy over others, and enforce one’s will. In the beginning of the book, soon after they crash-land on the island, Ralph and Piggy begin to- as it says in the book- “do as the adults would do”, that is, call

Power has made the complete shift because Ralph participates in the killing of Simon, and by doing so surrenders his integrity and reason to Jack in replace of fear and violent impulse. Soon after, everything falls apart fast: there is a schism in the group of boys as Jack takes the majority of them to start his own tribe, and then Piggy’s glasses are stolen, Piggy is then killed and the conch shatters, symbolizing the fall of what little civilization they had left. With the complete fall of civilization comes the complete loss of reason- Piggy, kindness and innocence- Simon, and leadership or guidance- Ralph. From Lord of the Flies we see the world through a broken lens, a once honest and innocent society set on rescue, is now a fractured system; overthrown by paranoia and its consequent impulsivity, violence, and fear of the