Lord of the Flies John Locke vs. William Golding

John Locke vs. William Golding When interpreting what Lord of the Flies is saying about society people tend to look at John Locke to make connections about what William Golding is trying to convey to us. John Locke believed that government was meant to keep society in order and prevent chaos, but in order for it to work, the people had to be cooperative. People have a natural right to life, rebel, and speak, everything under the U.S. bill of rights; he was fascinated by monarchies. In The novel Lord of the Flies we see a small society of children left alone on an island to govern themselves. In chapter eleven the Piggy is killed by Roger because the children have a loss of humanity. With no one governing them and what they do they begin to take things too far. ‘’The rock stuck piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’’ (Golding 181). The conch was a symbol of power and order; it being smashed showed that order ceased to exist. Locked believed that human nature allows man to act selfishly which meant they acted independently and equal. Meaning no one has the right to take another’s life (onlinephilosophy). Golding is revealing to us that if man would be left alone un-governed society would lose its sense of morality. It’s the government’s duty to serve the people and not take from it. The government is meant to protect an individual and its property (plato). Jack does the exact opposite, using his followers to threaten all those who oppose him and use them for self-entertainment. While jack was having an argument with Ralph, Jack exclaims that he is the leader now and demands that people join his tribe. ‘’ who’ll join my tribe and have fun?’’ (Golding 150). Locke saw political revolutions as a right and an obligation because it’s for the betterment of the people which is what differentiates him from philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes (onlinephilosophy). Locke believed that reason reveals law; if you reflect on what is best for you and the others you will come to the conclusion of what are the means of survival (plato). We see that in the beginning that Ralph’s intentions were honorable. His goal was to get everyone off the island even if it did mean lots of manual labor. He gave everyone a role on what was needed to survive and everyone was equal until jack became leader. Golding wrote Lord of the Flies in response to Thomas Hobbes philosophies to exemplify that without the structure of government that we the people become self-interested which leads to a world of disorder. Although some may argue that L.O.F shows that the children still have a form of government and in the end succeed on leaving, it is because characters such as ralph were persistent on the fire which was hopeful. He maintained a goal and thus achieved it through all of the dangers of their small civilization. Works Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print.
"John Locke." Online Philosophy Club. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. .
"John Locke." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Web. 15 Apr. 2012. .
"Locke: Government." Philosophy Pages. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. .

Cited: Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print. "John Locke." Online Philosophy Club. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. . "John Locke." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Web. 15 Apr. 2012. . "Locke: Government." Philosophy Pages. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. .