The lord of the Flies is a
novel by English novelist William Golding. The novel features the experience of
group of young boys aged 6 to 12 on an island as a result as a plane crash.
Initially, they tried to live a civilized life, patterning their organization
after the adult model until this pattern eventually collapsed after they turned
savages. The cruelty and their blood thirsty nature disrupt their initial
democratic arrangement.
It is widely believed that the
events of the World war II where the brutality of man towards fellow man led to
the destruction of many lives and property; Influenced Golding in the course of
writing the novel. The novelist employed allegory and symbolism to point out
the flaws mankind’s. the novel concerned itself with human nature, the boys on
the island were a microcosm of human society, the boys initially tried to
adjust to their new environment but in keeping with man inherent sinful nature,
no sooner had they arrived than arrived than they begin to degenerate into a
bunch of savages; hunting, attacking and killing. One another Golding uses this
adventure to probe into the heart of man. The novel presents the age old
question age of whether goodness and evil are innate characteristics or if it
is learned behaviour.
The boys on arrival set up a
machinery for governance they elected Ralph as Chief, they made Jack head of
the choir; they vested in the choir the duty of keeping the fire, hunting, and
keeping the fire burning. Within a few chapters Jack is already jockeying for
power. Later in the book there is an underlying hint that Roger is increasingly
desirous too. With this the novelist establishes that leadership is a tenure
string that is easily cut by those who wish to usurp it.
After anarchy ensured on the
island and Jack weird the testimony to the adage that says a power corrupts
absolutely. He assume the statues of a Dictator, he used power arbitrary. His
abuse of power mirrors the way power is being abused in the adult world. The island
represents the progression of the mind normalcy to acute psychosis.
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