The Lord of the Flies: A Representative Example of Society and Government

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The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, was first published in 1954. This fabulous story is about a group of English schoolboys who get stranded on an island after a plane accident. Some say that this story is considered a political allegory because it shows different types of governments and in many ways represents our society. These boys have different views on decision-making and ethical decisions which cause dramatic changes in the way everyone fights for survival. The Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first novel which soon became a very popular and instructive novel for high school and college students. Golding was born in 1911 and passed away in 1993. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983. “His novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today” (Nobel Foundation, 1983, http://www.william-golding.co.uk/person.html). The two types of governments in this novel were: totalitarian and democratic. Ralph started as leader of the crew and represented the democratic government. Jack, in the other hand, represented the totalitarian government which was introduced later in the novel and started out as a small rebel group. These two characters in the novel were the ones who made the big decisions. One worried about the future and being rescued, while the other wanted to have fun and live the moment. Over all, Golding does a good job implying how our society works and the different consequences that occur when the community looses logical and ethical thinking.

When the journey for survival began for the group of English boys stranded on the island in the novel The Lord of the Flies, everyone had a vo...

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... simple decision could change the way of life for many. That is how our society works; one decision could lead to war, arguments, and in the long run...deaths. Ralph started as the leader of the group. He introduced the “conch” as a symbol of order and democracy to keep everyone together and primarily focus on being rescued. Everything was working out just fine until a new type of society was introduced by Jack. It was society that was influenced by fear. A symbol of evil was established to keep their imagination corrupted. Just like the two novels, “Animal farm” and “Lord of the Flies”, both very different, but at the end they both had the same problem. Humanity works on a very selfish level. Society tends to make decisions based on the present, but do not think on the consequences that we might face in the future and the suffering we might bring to others.

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