In Lord of the Flies, William Golding depicts morals and the boundaries of society in the form of characters. This essay will compare and contrast the differences between four pivotal characters: Ralph, Jack, Simon and Roger. The goodness and order in society is portrayed by Ralph and SImon. The darkness in human nature is explained through Roger and Jack.…
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a book about the slow decay of order within a society that cannot sustain itself. In the story a group of young british schoolboys find themselves on an island after their plane crashes. The reader does not know the exact time period that the story takes place in, or even if it is supposed to take place during a real world event, but it seems to either take place sometime around the second world war, the cold war, or some hypothetical third world war. Either way, it is fairly clear that some war is taking place during the period the book is taking place. The story begins with the group of boys having some semblance of a community and…
When a group of British school boys land on a deserted island someone has to step up and lead. A leader should have many noble traits. In the book Ralph is elected leader, in the beginning he was not much of a standout but later in the book we found Ralph has great leadership skills: he tries to keep the peace, was stern when he needed to be, and held everyone accountable for their work.…
Two aspects of the Freudian Theory are the id—the state of mind that acts on instinct—and the superego—the state of mind that acts as one’s conscience. In Lord of the Flies, Roger can clearly represent the id, whereas Simon acts as the superego of the group. Acting on one’s superego can easily be associated with innocence and good, which is illustrated in the novel. In chapter one of Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Jack climb up the mountain with Simon. As they reach the top, the boys get a clear, beautiful view of the island. It had a “circular horizon of water” (Golding, pg.21), and was “roughly boat-shaped” (Golding, pg.21). The setting was described in a way that was similar to paradise; “the air was thick with butterflies” (Golding, pg.21),…
In Lord of the Flies William Golding uses allegories to illustrate the human psyche. Different characters are used to represent different parts of an individual 's mental structure: the impulses of the Id, the rationality of the Ego, and the moral understanding of the Superego. Golding carefully describes each character 's actions to coincide with each part of the psyche. Jack, Piggy, Simon, and Ralph are characters in the story that represent the psyche.…
Of Golding’s characters, the ones from Lord of the Flies are some of the most well known. Throughout the novel each of the lead characters acts as one of the key facets that make humans human. Arguably the characters representing the most visible aspects of the human mind are Ralph and Jack because of their intensive struggle. Ralph and Jack represent the struggle between civilization and savagery – while on the psychological field they take the form of man’s ego and id (Ralph being the ego and Jack as the id). To spite Ralph more than any other reason, Jack says, “Who’ll join my tribe and have fun?” (Golding…
Often in our lives other people affect us in both negative and positive ways. In the case of Lord of the Flies, the kids influence one another while on the island, in mostly negative ways. These influences cause for mental changes in the brain. Most of the time, mental changes affect physical changes. However, in some rare occasions it is the other way around. While on the island the boys go through numerous physical and mental changes. Although mental changes are somewhat more significant than physical changes, physical changes are still very much apparent and can sometimes cause for mental change.…
The author of Lord of the flies, William Golding, uses literary elements such as characterization to support his argument that man’s capacity for evil is revealed in his human nature. Golding uses his main characters- Jack and Ralph- as examples of inner evil. Jack is shown as unjust, mean and self-involved when “[he] took a step and…stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach” (Golding 71). Additionally, Golding describes Jack as asticious, inimical, and down-right terrible.…
How strong a community stands is determined by the qualities of the people within it. In William Shakespeare's Romeo&Juliet and William Golding's Lord of the Flies, it is debatable whether one's human qualities serve to break or build the society around them. Unquestionably human qualities destroy a community rather than serving to build it. By examining the outcomes of anger ,immaturity, and fear, it will clearly prove that human qualities tend to break community.…
When life throws scary and dire situations at you, some believe it is a test to see a person's true colors, and how that person reacts under extreme pressure and conflict. In situations like these, leaders are born. In The Lord of the Flies, Ralph becomes a frontrunner as the “chief”, or leader in the story. Ralph struggles to maintain a civil relationship between all the boys, but still remains the more appropriate leader, including his civility, his conflicts, and his purpose.…
Erotic- This is the pleaser people get from having relationship with others. They like to be liked by others and feel needed. Erotic make people want love and to be loved.…
Each individual is acknowledged as good or bad, but is there such a thing as good and bad? Golding, who has written the Lord of the Flies, expresses and shows how people react towards each other. The Lord of the Flies shows the image of civilization and influence. Golding articulates each and every individual in detail. Around the 1700’s, two men named Hobbes and Locke had an intriguing conversation, “What are humans?”, “Were we meant to be savages?”, “What would ourselves be without laws?” These questions are yet to be answered by your own opinion. ‘The Lord of the Flies’ has many situations relating to the nature of humanity. The nature of humanity describes the characteristics such as society, influence and individuality.…
Lord of the flies has been called “a fable in which the characters are symbols for abstract ideas,” and there are many ways in which the characters can be viewed. One way, for instance, is comparing them to Sigmund Freud’s theory of id, ego, and superego: the boys being like a metaphorical person, where Jack is the id, Ralph the ego, and Piggy the superego. It is an appropriate allegation because of the fact that id, ego, and superego all have specific traits that match those of these three characters.…
Fairness, fear, and intellect; it can all be found today in present society. Moral leaders who rule with the voice of law, choice, and the standards of civilization; evil tyrants that manipulate the power of fear so that their subjects are forced to succumb to their rule and authority; and finally the intellects with their sheer brain power and keen thinking to convey ideas of how society ought to be governed. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the characters of Ralph, Jack, and Piggy are attached to symbols to convey their authority, which can represent different types of leadership and power in modern civilization.…
Are the defects of society traced back to the defects of human nature? The defects of society, and how it relates to the defects of human nature can be explained with the savagery that drives the defects of society and the same savagery that drives the defects of human nature. In this story, Lord of the flies, Golding shows the id, ego, and superego within the characters in the book. Golding represents the id with Jack, whereas the id says "I want, and I want it now," and Jack constantly wants and needs power, and wants his way in every situation. He represents the ego with Ralph, whereas the ego says "Well, maybe you can have some of it - later," and Ralph tries to be or is the remediator by always trying to make everything go right, and trying to enforce rules. Golding also represents the superego with Piggy, whereas the superego says "You can't have it; it's bad for you," and Piggy yells at the people disobeying the rules, and demands that the others can not do the things that they do.…