Lord of The Flies Essay

The effects of human nature outside of society’s accepted “norm” are witnessed in everyday life. Daily we find ourselves in situations and around people that can be categorized as a ‘pet peeve’. It could be someone honking their horn or standing by as their dog barks, which triggers a mechanism causing anger, unease and even a hate towards them. Unknowingly, we have been programmed to react to these situations and events with negative emotions,  not unlike an involuntary habit that can be attributed to the many problems and conflicts we experience in our society. Many times we realize these actions only after close examination. One author expands on the ideals of human nature and the extent to which we as humans will go when problems and conflicts arise. Author of “Lord of the Flies”, William Golding, suggests that we are accustomed to living in a society based on laws, morals and beliefs every man is expected to follow, and when the society we are familiar with no longer exists, human nature can become unpredictable, volatile and even expose evil within all of us.

Golding introduces us to survivors of a plane crash on an uninhabited island and leaves us to believe there are no adults, only children. Ralph and Piggy, the first characters we are exposed to, understood that they were no longer in their predictable society, and the only way to survive was to implement ideals that their elders had taught them. Together, they gathered all of the children that survived the crash and established laws and ruling similar to those found in their homeland. Ralph, a strong spirited boy, spared no time in signing up for the position of ‘chief’, where he found himself challenged by Jack, a school choirmaster. Jack was also very confident in his ability to lead the children, for he already had experience through leading the choir. After the votes had been cast and Ralph came out on top, Jack and fellow choirboys were assigned to the special task of “the hunters”. Their job was to provide security, and to supply sources of food.

As the story unfolds, we learn that the overconfident Jack is a little uneasy when it comes to killing another living creature. This shows how someone who may appear tough and confident on the outside, can really be an insecure individual trying to find his way in the world. After his abilities are questioned, Jack makes the decision to never be in that position again, even going out of his way to kill every chance he got. As time passed, disagreements in ideals caused tension between Jack and Ralph. For example, by letting the signal fire sizzle out, they missed an opportunity to be saved by a ship that was passing by the island. Ralph and Piggy understood how crucial a signal fire was to their chances of rescue, but Jack and others would have much rather hunted or swam, almost as if signaling that they did not want to be rescued. Jack’s desire for leadership without the questioning of others could only be accomplished if they broke off from the tribe created by Ralph. After another argument with Ralph, Jack took “the hunters” and any other boy that “wanted to have fun” to another part of the island to start their own tribe. These boys were told that they would have freedom with few laws, but as the time passed, we found out that this was a crucial step in the wrong direction.