Lord of the Flies Essay
Many people act differently when they lack society. Many boys in Lord of the Flies experience this over time. The boys arrive on an island at the beginning of the story. They begin to develop violent traits due to the lack of government and order. There are very few boys that do not develop these traits, but the majority do. So, this plot could be connected to some of Thomas Hobbes’s beliefs. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher during the English Civil War (Williams). Many of his beliefs could reflect what he experienced over the course of the war. In the story, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, demonstrates some theories of Thomas Hobbes.
Thomas Hobbes believe people compete with each other in order to obtain power. This belief reflects what he saw during the English Civil War. There was a shift in power from monarchy to an increase of power in England’s parliament. This is similar to what happened in Lord of the Flies. Ralph and Jack kept on competing for power. On Page 22, an example of competition is exhibited, “This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch. Jack started to protest but the clamour changed from general wish for a chief to an election by acclaim of Ralph himself.” During any voting process, competition will always be involved. In…show more content… In the first part of the story, the boys in the story start competing with each other. This trait continues throughout the book. Eventually most of the boys trade away their liberty for safety due to a rumor of a beast. Soon, people who do not believe this get discriminated against, which causes a start of a “war.” Eventually when the boys return to “society,” they reflect on what they have done. Most of the boys regret what had happened. This connects the our lives because many people might act similarly, if they got in a similar situation. So, this is important to know in order to understand our
