Theme Of Evil Order In Lord Of The Flies

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Recommended: Analysis of the Lord Of The Flies

Cathy Wang
Mrs. MJ
English 10H, P6
13 February 2014
Decline of an Evil Order
“The condition of man is a condition of war of everyone against everyone,” Enlightenment philosopher Thomas Hobbes once said. Hobbes devoutly stuck to the idea that men are innately evil. They are selfish, needy, and vulnerable, and if they were left to their own devices, they will soon dissolve into fighting and kill each other. An evident supporter of this ideology is William Golding. In his novel Lord of the Flies, erudite British boys become feral when they are stranded on an island. With no authority maintaining them, the rules and morale that society carves into its citizens are rubbed away like engravings on a tombstone. Decorum and manners erode until only a faint memory remains. Any moral instinct to abide by rules or behave peacefully is washed away by excitement of bloodlust and hunts. Lord of the Flies illustrates the social allegory of the natural deterioration of society through portrayals of Ralph, the conch, and Jack.
The transformation of Ralph traces the change in government throughout the boys’ stay on the island. When they first congregate, they readily look to Ralph to lead and delegate necessary jobs to them. Ralph is eager to play chief and help everyone until rescue comes, as he cries excitedly, “We’ll have rules… lots of rules!” (33). Everyone starts off with a clear objective and ideas like that of the previous society. Ralph attempts to be productive with work delegations and is thoughtful with deciding what is necessary for their survival on the island. He is representative of government in this way, as he sets down the rules and laws for people to follow on the island, hoping to maintain civility until they are rescued. How...

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...ersonal wants.
Ralph, the conch, and Jack show in different ways the declination of civilization both on the island and in relation to the outside world. Ralph’s role among the boys begins as chief, making necessary and moral decisions, enhanced by the commanding presence of the conch. Jack also follows their previous’ society’s rules, before he is driven to savagery from his want of power since humans have the innate evilness to crave and wield power selfishly. Similarly, the boys’ perspectives of the conch evolved negatively, from reverence to ignorance. As demonstrated throughout the novel, humans without strict authoritative control cannot maintain discipline. Their innate savagery surfaces and takes over their subconscious morals. Shown through the boys’ conflicts on the island, no one is really safe; the lurking evilness underneath may strike anyone anytime.

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