Human Regressions Impact on Society

Human Regressions Impact on Society

Many people believe that the defects in society lead to the defects in human nature, but in reality this may not be the case. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies a group of young boys are stranded on an island on which they make an attempt to create a government. The society created at the beginning of the book quickly fails and the boys turn to savagery. William Golding creates a miniature society that represents the regression of humanity and how it reflects upon the society, by having little children stranded on an island without any adult supervision.

In order for a society such as the one created by Ralph to succeed all of the followers must act mature and as humane as possible. Ralph is explaining to the boys about how they need to make a signal fire in order for them to get rescued off of the island.

“A fire! Make a fire!”

At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten.

“Come on follow me!” (38)

Before Ralph finished his sentence the boys were up on their feet yelling “make a fire!”. By acting like a bunch of animals and breaking the rules the boys are becoming more an more savage as the book progresses. The people are supposed to show respect to whoever holds the conch, but instead of respecting Ralph they disrespect him by walking out on him and not even letting him finish the sentence. The society created is not well organized nor are all the rules followed by the members of the society.

Jack’s desire for meat leads him away from his role, as well as the role of the hunters, of maintaining the signal fire, ruining the relationship between Ralph and Jack. Ralph and Simon build shelter for the littluns so that they feel protected from the beast. “ ‘Don’t you want to get rescued all you can talk about is pig, pig, pig!’

‘And I work all day with nothing but Simon and you come back and didn’t even notice the huts!’” (54)

Ralph’s main objective is to get rescued, and everything he is trying to do is to help achieve that goal. Jack on the other hand has lost hope and become more focused on his humanly desires. Ralph’s orders to Jack was to maintain the signal fire so that any ships passing by could find the stranded children. Due to Jacks failure to participate in this society it is almost destined to fail, because in order for a society to be successful all of the participants must comply with the orders and play their role in the society.

Because of Roger’s regression he slowly helps alter the society from a democracy to a monarchy, ruled by Jack and the older boys. Roger and his friend Maurice start to tease a littlun named Henry. “Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not to throw.” (62) Roger is scaring the little kid just for the pleasure of it. By scaring Henry, Jack suggests the little kids not to get in his way. Roger has also taken away power from the littluns by teasing and throwing rocks at them. The littluns are the common people, in the society now developing, having very little power or no power at all. The older