The Lord Of The Flies Literary Analysis

Society can be compared to glue, as it holds humanity together and keeps people civilized. When humans lose touch with society, insanity and chaos is bound to ensue. In William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys are forced to endure complete and total isolation on a remote island. Without any adults on the island, the boys set out to form their own island society. However, as the story progressed, many fatal flaws begin to form within the boys’ society. For example, on day one, a power struggle occurs between two boys, Jack Merridew and Ralph. Furthermore, the boys’ method of rule enforcement proved to be a major problem. Rules slowly crumble, becoming insignificant as the boys further descend into savagery. On top of that,
In William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, Ralph uses a conch shell, discovered by he and Piggy earlier in the story, to represent law and order. For example, only the person who is holding the conch shell is allowed to speak. Without this rule, discussions could turn into shouting competitions, and ultimately be unproductive. While the conch shell enforces the speaking rule for quite a while, the boys slowly lose respect for the conch. For example, at a meeting where Piggy was attempting to share his thoughts, Jack blatantly interrupts him. He says, “You shut up, you fat slug!” (91). Ralph responds, “Jack! Jack! You haven’t got the conch! Let him speak,” (91). Jack considers this a challenge to his authority, and says, “And you shut up! Who are you, anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do,” (91). Jack shows absolutely no respect for the conch and the rules it represents. Ralph, while he does make an attempt to enforce the rules, he does not go any further than simply yelling at Jack to stop talking. This shows a considerable issue with the enforcement of rules in the boys’ society. No one is willing to enforce rules to their full extent. Further examples of poor rule enforcement come later in the story, when Ralph and Piggy visit Jack’s tribe. The conch, as stated previously, is extremely symbolic of law, order, and reason in the boys’ society. Destructions of the conch would mean
In William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, a clear issue is shown by the complete and total absence of punishments for rule-breaking. Late in the story, Piggy and Ralph fall victim to this undisciplined rule-breaking. While Ralph and Piggy are asleep, Jack and his tribe raid Ralph and Piggy. As Ralph and Piggy rise from their slumber, Golding reveals what Jack wanted out of his raid. Golding writes, “Far off along the bow stave of the beach, three figures trotted toward the Castle Rock. The chief led them… From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses,” (168). Jack stole Piggy’s glasses, as well as severely beating him and Ralph. The robbery and battery of Ralph and Piggy is certainly in violation of the rules set by Ralph. However, Ralph never thinks to try and punish Jack for his actions. Rather, Ralph decides to go to Castle Rock and simply ask for Piggy’s glasses back. This is an example of a severely inadequate punishment, as Jack faced no consequences for his actions. However, the worst example of a crime that went without punishment is yet to come. Ralph and Piggy are at Castle Rock with Jack and his tribe, enjoying a feast. Jack’s tribe commences their hunting dance at the feast. Suddenly, a shadowy figure stumbles out of the woods while Jack’s tribe, as well as Ralph and Piggy, are all wildly dancing and cheering. The figure is mistaken for the