Golding's Lord Of The Flies example essay topic

Trapped on an abandoned island with no adult supervision, a group of children battle not only nature, but one another to survive. Freedom is everywhere for the children and decisions must be made. The choices they make reveal a savage side that mirrors many of the flaws of mankind. William Golding's Lord of the Flies epitomizes several faults concerning the greed which rules society, mankind's perpetual prejudice, and governmental mismanagement. Golding displays various faults in society that relate to the greed possessed by many of the characters in Lord of the Flies.

The greatest example of greed that Golding shows revolves around the lust for power. This desire is apparent throughout battles between Jack and Ralph which lead to Jack's intimidation and eventual control over Ralph. This is demonstrated when he proclaims", 'I'm going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt can come too' " (Golding 127). Much like the rest of the world, instead of resolving the conflict in a mature way, the power-hungry boys fight.

This causes a deep division within their group, and thus destroys their only chance of survival. Many of the leaders and government officials of the world battle for control in deceitful and devious ways- much like the characters in Golding's novel. The children in Lord of the Flies, as well as much of the public, have an all-consuming desire for personal pleasures which causes them to be wasteful. Jack, one of the more dominant characters, associates fun with the slaying of a pig and even pronounces", 'We " ll kill a pig and give a feast' " (133). As the "hunters", Jack and his group become obsessed with the thrill of hunting and slaughtering animals. The alternate idea of utilizing the more plentiful fruits and plants of the island becomes unimportant to them, because of their desire to hunt, thus wasting a valuable resource.

This is visible not only on the island in Lord of the Flies, but in today's society as well where people are never satisfied with what they possess, always wanting something better or more advanced and in the process wasting valuable things. The boys become more and more savage as their greediness grows, which eventually contributes to their downfall. Not only is greed prevalent in the children's minds, but a growing prejudice against one another develops as well. As seen around the world, the children on the island begin to discriminate against those less powerful youths.

Many of the older boys believe "they (younger kids) could never manage to do things sensibly if that meant acting independently... ". (96). As Golding points out, society looks down upon the younger, less experienced generations as being less competent and unqualified for many of the tasks taken on by the older generation of people. Another bias present in Golding's novel is the prejudice against people that look different.

The children in Lord of the Flies show prejudice against "Piggy" because he is overweight and thus considered to be inferior to them. As Ralph reveals Piggy's nickname, "A storm of laughter arose and even the tiniest child joined in" (21). This illustrates the public's easy willingness to quickly demonstrate their bias against people who do not fit into the "common, ordinary" group of individuals often displayed in the media. Discrimination is visible everywhere in society- homes, schools, jobs- and Golding points out this flaw as it plays a major role in the deterioration of law and order on the island as the novel progresses. Prejudice is one of the great faults in Lord of the Flies, but there are many defects in the government as well. One of the faults in government is the lack of fair decisions made for the general populous.

The leaders in Golding's novel do not always do what is most beneficial to the children on the island. In a battle for power Jack asks", 'Who " ll join my tribe and have fun?' " (150), and Ralph responds", 'Where are your shelters? What are you to do about that?' " (151). In this battle Ralph acts childishly with only his own personal goals in mind instead of working for the general good of the group to keep them together. Government officials, as well as leaders, many times do not perform their duties adequately or equitably but rather are more self-serving in their decisions. Also, often the government is not just in making fair decisions in times of crisis as do the children in Lord of the Flies.

After the split the boys do not try to compromise but rather have a fight. Ralph announces " 'That was Jack and his hunters. Why can't they leave us alone?' " (167) after a fight for Piggy's glasses. Just as the boys continue to argue after the split rather than compromise, the government makes unintelligible decisions during emergencies -like war or terrorist situations- that might be controlled. The shortcomings in government bring about many dire consequences not only in Lord of the Flies but society as well. William Golding's Lord of the Flies demonstrates several flaws dealing with society's greed, mankind's perpetual prejudice, and governmental mismanagement.

Without adherence to laws, order cannot be maintained. The choice not to follow laws contributes to the children's demise and savage behavior. Most importantly the choices reveal society's imperfections. The question remains, are people products of their society, or is society a product of its people?