Lord of the Flies

Corey Crook

S. Wingfield

English IV

20 October, 2010

Societal Sanity?

In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, the boys face many conflicts, including conflicts within themselves and among each other. As the boys spend more time on the secluded island, they forget their civilized identities and resort to primordial, barbaric behavior. Tensions grow amongst the boys as they struggle for power and lose sight of the rational lifestyle of civilized humanity. Corruption and conflict emerge in the boys' makeshift civilization and all order and government begin to fail as the boys face troubling situations which even adults would find life changing. Golding shows that without civilization, man will revert to savagery.

From the time Ralph is voted chief of the boys, Jack develops extreme jealousy toward him and envies his position of power; as a result, a struggle for power between the two boys manifests, which help foster the beginnings of a defective society. Ralph symbolizes the order of society, as displayed by his constant reiteration of the rules and requirements the boys are asked to comply with. Jack, on the other hand, is completely against Ralph's concepts as a leader and approaches aspects of survival more primitively. Jack disregards the rules set in place and refuses to participate in activities other than the hunting obsession he develops. Frustrated Ralph shouts, "The rules! You're breaking the rules!" but Jack only responds with "Who cares?" (91). Jack eventually lets his barbarism get the best of him, goes off in a ballistic rampage, and forms his own violent tribe, which eventually ends in the death of Piggy and Simon.

Jack's antagonistic behavior do not end with his altercations with Ralph, but even carry over to Jack's rebellion against society. Jack possesses the quality of barbarism and has a hard time complying with the laws of an already crumbling civilization. He grows sick and tired of participating in the pseudo-democratic society the boys have developed. Jack has hatred for any government he does not control and eventually his rebellion and refusal to follow any orders given by another is clear when he forms his own tribe. When Jack is finally leader, his true colors come out and the primitive instincts of man surface. Blood thirsty and power crazed, he believes "Bollocks to the rules! We're strong- we hunt! If there's a beast, we'll