Flaws in humankind's general psychological characteristics, behavioral traits, and emotions all impact society. In William Golding's allegory “Lord of the Flies,” a group of schoolchildren stranded on a desert island in the Pacific are transformed into a state of savagery due to the flaws of mankind. Golding states that his novel is “an attempt to trace the defects of society to the defects of human nature”. Through the boys' behavior, Golding reveals that due to fear, power, and the loss of morality, a stable society is doomed to fail. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Fear drives humans to behave irrationally. The main source of fear on the island is the Beast, an invisible but incredibly feared creature. The only character who is not afraid of the Beast is Piggy, who represents reasoning, logic and intellect. This proves that fear is illogical and not influenced by the sense of the human mind. Once “people begin to fear” (102), “the understandable, lawful world [begins] to slip away” (113). It all begins with Simon's death when the other children mistake him for the Beast and beat him to death purely out of fear and imagination. The boys also demonstrate irrational behavior caused by fear when they abandon Ralph (a just, rules-based leader) for Jack (a savage and violent dictator) only to feel more protected from an imaginary beast. Since the boys of Jack's tribe were unable to speak for themselves out of fear, this truly shows that fear is “the essential disease of humanity” (111); not only does it create problems, but it prevents them from being solved. From the weakness of fear, the strength of power becomes a constant complication on the island. The two ideal references of power are Ralph's democratic power and Jack's autocratic power. At first, Ralph is in charge and life in society goes relatively well, although Jack constantly tries to undermine Ralph's authority. Jack shows his desire for control when he proclaims in an assembly that "it's time some people knew to keep quiet and let the rest of us decide" (126), showing his aspiration to be in control of all arrangements on the island. In the end, Jack's wild strength prevails over Ralph's stability, as the other boys join his tribe and hunt Ralph down. The fact that Jack's "hunt and kill" mentality (222) overturned Ralph's impartiality shows how power makes human beings defective; human beings need power and a leader to have rules to follow and have a stable moral life; however, power and control often harm those who possess it, and a cruel effort usually triumphs over a democracy. As with the corruption that accompanies power, the loss of morality can allow humans to commit terrible and undisciplined actions. When you don't have to face yourself, then take responsibility for your actions, committing acts of abomination is horrible. As kids lose their morality, they also lose their humanity. An example of this loss can be demonstrated in Roger. Upon his arrival on the island, he is rather mischievous by throwing stones at Henry, but "throwing them without fail" (78). However, at the end of the allegory, safely hidden behind the savages' face paint, he is far more malevolent. Roger urges pushing a boulder “with a sense of delirious abandon” (222) onto Piggy, causing him to plummet to his death. Behind a painted mask, Roger.
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