Masculinity In Lord Of The Flies

Masculinity Defined What defines masculinity? Many boys struggle to accept themselves and society does not make acceptance any easy task. The definition of “masculinity” is seemingly set in stone; people see the word as meaning brave or tough. In reality, masculinity is the characteristics that form a man. The book, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding explores the many layers of masculinity in a tribe of British boys. The book shows us that many other characteristics such as intellect, compassion, and savagery (accepted by society or not) make up masculinity. One way in which masculinity is defined is when Piggy is shown to be the rejected representation of masculinity. For example, when Piggy complains that he is not proffered meat from the pig, Jack Merridew asserts, “’You didn’t hunt’” (74). Jack implies that Piggy is incapable of handling physical labor and is useless to society. Because Piggy contributes common sense and intellect to society, he is

For instance, when Roger sees the tension between Ralph, Piggy, and the tribe; the author narrates, “Below him, Ralph was a shock of hair and Piggy a bag of fat.” (180) Roger no longer sees the two boys as people, but as prey. At this moment he becomes a hunter that stops at nothing to earn the respect of the tribe. Another example of Roger’s accepted masculinity is shown when Roger joins Jack in hunting the pig. The author narrates, “Roger ran around the heap, prodding with his spear whenever pig flesh appeared.” (135) Roger continuously stabs at the pig without hesitation; he no longer wants to eat the meat for survival but enjoys the slaughtering. His actions of savagery are applauded by society, which shows that he himself has become more of an animal than a boy. Roger begins to portray an animal that goes to great lengths to achieve what he wants and is encouraged by