Lord of the Flies Contrast Essay

In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, author William Golding explores and differentiates the nature of good and evil in society, by comparing the survival instincts of two very different young boys named Jack and Piggy. Jack and Piggy are both thirteen year old boys from Britain who are stranded on an island during World War III and are struggling to survive, but as similar as they appear to be, they are very different from one another and have opposite intentions. Piggy represents civilization, while Jack represents savagery. Piggy believes in living by the rules, acting peacefully, following commands, and signifies the good of humanity, while Jack believes in fulfilling immediate desires, acting violently to gain power over others, and controlling everything and everyone around him. The two boys share different attitudes towards the other boys on the island, they do not agree on the plans for rescue and survival, and their ideas on what rules should be followed differ completely. This creates a major conflict between the two boys and furthermore proves how different they really are from each other.

To begin, people sometimes seem similar to one another but this does not always mean they are. Jack and Piggy may both be two young British boys who are stuck on an island together but they are far from being alike. This can be seen through the way that they treat the other boys on the island, whether they are the older boys or the "littluns." Their attitudes towards others differ because Piggy chooses to treat people equally and is always nice while Jack is rude, singles people out, and tortures them. Piggy's fairness towards everyone represents civilization, while Jack's cruelness represents savagery. Savage boys like Jack use their power to satisfy their own desires and are constantly cruel towards everyone for their own amusement, especially the smaller boys also known as the "Littluns." Jack is mean to the boys and tortures them and in the end gets a laugh out of everything. He is most cruel towards Piggy. "You're talking too