O Lord of the Flies Analysis

A Portrayal of an Unbalanced Society and its Impact in Social Stability: A Lord of the Flies Essay

Research Question:

How does Golding convey the relationship between social structure and stability in Lord of the Flies?

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Body Paragraphs 3

Conclusion 7

Work Cited 8

Introduction

Since the beginning of civilization, the stability in societies has been disrupted by unordered social structures, which are greatly influenced by poor or tyrannical ruling methods. William Golding directly faced war while working as an officer in the Royal Navy during World War II, and wrote a book in 1954 which criticized the relationship between stability and social structures. This story is one of a group of British boys, who become stranded on an island and are faced with internal dilemmas between their conformity to order and the rise of their own primitive instincts. Ultimately, through the use of symbolism and characterization with references to the historical context in which the book was written, Golding conveys the relationship between social structure and stability, in his novel, Lord of the Flies.

Body Paragraphs

By creating parallels between the descent of savagery on the island, and the rise of Hitler, Golding highlights the nature of social structure and its role in maintaining stability. In Lord of the Flies, the social structure is established in Ralph's democracy; however, this is soon disrupted by the rise of Jack's tyrannical regime, with ideals that align to those of the nazi-party. Through the course of the novel, "We witness the demise of Ralph's parliament and the ascendancy of Jack's totalitarian, primitive regime based on savagery, hunting, and primal drives" (Crawford). Crawford argues that Golding uses the change between Ralph's somewhat democratic social structure to Jack's authoritarian regime that promised safety, but only led to savagery. This savagery mirrors what happened during pre-Nazi Germany, where the citizens lived in a state of hysteria and Hitler promised the country stability and prosperity, ultimately gaining power; only to end up creating a tyrannical government that killed millions. In the book, we see clear examples of Jack's false promises, especially to the littluns, and how he uses them to create an "utopian society". Upon establishing a "government" with the conch, Ralph maintains order by assigning responsibilities to all of the boys. However, many don't see a point in that, Jack takes advantage of this and finds himself an opportunity to rise to power, by proclaiming: "We hunt and feast and have fun. If you want to join my tribe come and see us" (Golding 140). Golding uses this to illustrate Jack’s tactics, in changing a social structure, with references to the strategies used to promote the Nazi-party. Similar to Hitler, Jack promises change by arguing that Ralph's newly established "government" lacked certain values, such as absolute freedom, and a sense of overall happiness. He affirms his strength by making promises, such as: "my hunters will protect you from the beast" (Golding 150). Mirroring what Hitler did with the Jews, Jack uses the beast as a scapegoat for the island's problems , a strategy proven to be efficient as he then becomes the chief of his new tribe. But as a result, both on the island and during Nazi-Germany, the ultimate consequences of such ruling methods were more fear, death and chaos.

In his novel, Golding uses symbolism to represent the relationship between social structure and stability, by illustrating how the absence of an external authority and the dominance of primitive instincts in a society can lead to the destruction of social order. Throughout the book, fire holds dynamic symbolic meanings , starting off as a key for rescue, but slowly shifting to a symbol of power and destruction, which Jack uses to control the group: "Jack's fire, which is certainly profane [...] is not created afresh but stolen" (Rosenberg 131). Here, Rosenberg conveys how the fire is used, in order to represent the rise of an unbalanced social structure through the use of savagery. Another symbolic event, which greatly highlights the consequences of an unstable society in its safety, is Piggy's death, where his "bespectacled head, the source of reasonable planning, breaks open [...] after this event right reason no longer exists; for this fall destroys the conch and, [...] kills Piggy" (Bufkin 48). Here, Bufkin argues that the fall of a balanced social system on the island culminated in the character's death and the conch’s destruction. Piggy uses the conch as a symbol of social stability and democracy, but when he dies and the conch shatters, it's a turning point to complete savagery. In essence, the symbolism surrounding Piggy's death, the destruction of the conch, and Jack's use of fire, illustrate how the collapse of order may lead to a rise of savagery.

Through Ralph's dynamic characterization, Golding effectively reflects on the impulsivity of human actions and the consequences of disorder in societies. Initially, Ralph is perceived as the symbol of order, the one who imposed democracy in the vote and became the first leader on the island, the one who used the conch as their symbol of order, and the one who made sure everyone contributed to their collective survival and wellbeing. Still, despite his conformity to order, even Ralph "begins to feel the bloodlust within himself", going as far as joining "the dancing frenzy after the killing of a sow" (Neighbors). Neighbors argues that even the most ethical individuals can be taken by the urge of savagery, in a social structure with an unbalanced sense of authority. Here, Golding's portrayal and characterization of Ralph are used to convey this possibility. Even if being one of the most ethical boys, he is also drawn to the violence presented by Jack, only abandoning the desire to practice such acts of savagery, after Simon's death. When faced with the hunter's feast, Ralph admits a desire to live like Jack, carefree and without rules, "I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage", even after saying that, he doesn't join