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In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, the author depicts his criticism of the culture in which he lives. He attempts to use his novel as a venue to portray the defects in society by using his characters flaws to show that the origin of humankind is defective as well. By using the personalities of Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Roger, he portrays the different levels of intelligence and ignorance, leadership and following, spontaneity and sensibility that are present on the island on which the boys are marooned. These flaws in persona can be interpreted as defects in character, which can be traced to the defects in the development of human society. In society, often two personalities develop. One of these is a dominant figure.
In Lord of the Flies, both Jack and Ralph covet this role. Ralph considers himself leader because it is he who blows the conch, a shell used to signal meetings, as well as he first summoned the boys to a meeting. Jack, the choir leader, believes that he should be leader because of his hunting skills. The two fight often and this results in the division of the island, with Jack and his followers on one side of the island, and Ralph and his followers on the other. This desire for power is a flaw in their characters because their tempers flare easily, as well as this causes discontent in the community of boys. Ralph is a controlling boy, yet he is passive aggressive, this resulting in his inability to use force when it is required.
Piggy must solidify his attempts at unity and at building a signal fire, and this eventually leads to Ralph's near demise. Jack is forceful and impulsive, as well as controlling, and this leads to the murder of Simon, as well as the murder of Piggy. The other boys follow him partially out of fear, and partially because all Jack wants to do is have fun, and not worry at all. Jack also refuses to follow others advice, and will not let anyone stop him from doing what he wants to do. This flaw will lead to the destruction of the island, also signifying the eventual destruction of civilization.
The other personality that often develops is that of the follower, mostly portrayed in Lord of the Flies by Piggy and Ralph. Piggy, an obese boy incapable of adapting to his new surrounding, has a higher intelligence than the rest of the boys. The epitome of geek, he takes pride in his asthma, and in his possession of spectacles. He trusts very heavily on others, and believes others to be incapable of evil because he himself is incapable of such thoughts. He follows Ralph around because he believes Ralph to be the true leader, the keeper of the conch.
This eventually leads to his death. Roger, an influential boy, wants to be accepted so much that he is willing to murder for acceptance. He idolizes Jack, and wishes to be recognized. These flaws in character portray the weakness of human spirit, and the desperate measures that are taken for recognition. The aforementioned flaws can be detrimental to society. These flaws can detract from the productivity of a culture, and hinder it from developing.
Both dominance and subordination can hinder the progress of development, and lead to demise. The roles played by Piggy, Jack, Roger, and Ralph show that even in a group of schoolboys, greed and ambition can lead to the corruption of a docile, self-sufficient community. This insight into the fate of the world is strongly portrayed in Golding's Lord of the Flies, and serves as an epitaph for modern society.
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Research essay sample on Lord Of The Flies Eventually Leads
