Lord of the Flies Essay

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Lord of the Flies
Analyse specified aspect(s) of studied written text(s), supported by evidence

We live our lives protected by society, knowing that there are rules and expecting those in our community to respect one another. But when things are out of place, when we have to overcome extreme situations, are our values still relevant? What are we capable of doing when there are no rules, when there is no order? One clear example is represented in William Golding's most important work, “Lord of the Flies”, where he sets how to explore a key aspect of human experience: man's inner evil. Reading his book we can see how he exposes that without rules and order, without a punishment to be afraid of, people go back to their primitive nature and act like complete savages. He also states that in extreme situations where survival is the main problem, the evil within us human beings shows and makes us become totally different people. As the author stated in an interview, “Chaos and fear are conditions in which cruelty seems to flourish”. But what I wonder is if this inner evil is actually a part of us, who we really are and what we try to hide during our whole lives. People say that what defines each person is their upbringing and the way they've been taught to act in society. But what if there is no society? We are left with our own judgement of what is wrong and right, we expect to follow our knowledge of good behavior, but the question is: for how long? To represent these situations Golding explores the “darkness of man's heart” through the techniques of symbolism of the conch and the structural development of the hunts.

At the beginning of the book the conch is found, and it becomes an essential element the author uses to show the children's atavism throughout the story. It marks a before and an after in their behavior, but most of all in who they were and what they have become. As we can see in the book, at first there is a human need for civilization, for organization and democracy. They try to bring their own world, their human experience until then and expect that everything will be alright. “The conch lifted... and the shouting died down.” “I'll give the conch to the next person to speak.” Here we can see how they use the conch as a reminder of their moral and ethical values. It is also used for the call of assemblies, the ones that gradually symbolize the continuos fight between two main characters: Jack and Ralph. Ralph owns the power from the beginning, when all the children need an authority model to stick with their past lives. “Him with the shell.” Once again this quote shows the conch's representation of power and authority. But as the story goes on the part of the group that follows Jack change their opinion about their priorities. The urge to be rescued is replaced by the need to hunt and kill pigs. This creates a bigger conflict between both leaders and the final separation of the group. “I'm not going to play any longer. Not with you.” Jack shows how he chooses the easy life with no rules nor moral code, while Ralph still tries to stick to the idea of society and civilization. “If there is no one around to guide children then they go wrong. The people who guide children are their fathers and mothers.” What Golding states in his interview is clearly represented in his book, as he shows how the children regress to a primitive behavior. At the end of course there is no surprise when the conch is shattered into a hundred pieces. Any glimpse of humanity is destroyed, those who remind the children of society and ethics are killed. They don't want to know, they ignore that what they have done is wrong. The conch, that symbolized democracy and order was gone forever, leaving no hope nor rescue of these children's souls. “The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.”

Another method Golding uses to represent the deterioration of the boys behavior is the structural technique of the hunts. At
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