Exposure to violence can breed violence even in those who oppose it. In the story, Lord of the Flies that is exactly what happens to the characters. Ralph loses his composure, Jack turns into a blood crazed savage and Ralph becomes part of the demented hunters. The aggressive atmosphere that thrives on that heinous island conquered the good character of the boys. Jack was the first of the boys to show signs of aggression, then it turned on his hunters, and then it took control of Ralph.
One of the most evident themes in the novel would be loss of innocence. It is constant throughout the book that the innocence of the boys is quickly being destroyed. The books obvious context of civilization versus savaging is essential to show where the innocence is lost. But because civilization is lacking, the boys become cruel and barbaric and even kill each other. The loss of innocence is evident in most characters of The Lord of The Flies.
I do not like it, but I kind of understand it. Roger dropping a boulder on Piggy is not a surprising thing for this cruel boy to do, so I understand it even while I hate it. And when Jack orders his tribe to kill Ralph, I know Jack simply wants to eliminate any impediment to his absolute authority. What I find most appalling and terrifying is how quickly these proper boys who know how to follow rules were transformed into murdering savages. Piggy asks “What are we?
This made the tragic murder of Simon seem to be a game and not an atrocity, this attitude towards murder should terrify the reader because if they view murder as a game what would the view mass murder or genocide as? My point is further emphasised by roger murdering piggy with a sense of “delirious abandonment”. Delirious implying that at this moment all Roger is feeling is a sense of euphoria in the barbaric act of murder him showing this immense joy should terrify the reader because a remorseful murderer you can feel pity for but someone who revels in the act of murder would terrify you. Roger us established as representing the innate evil inside humanity but could he represent fear as well? Well on one side it could be argued that when he was throwing rocks at Henry to miss it was because he was still conditioned by society and therefore saw wrong in
You talk. But you can’t even build huts – then you go off hunting and let the fire out”. Had the fire been going the ship might have seen the smoke and rescued the boys. This makes Ralph very angry and a clear division is made between Jack and his hunters and Ralph. Because of the savage nature brought out from within the boys, they make an irrational choice to hunt rather than the reasonable choice of keeping the fire going.
The character of Jack in Lord of the Flies serves to highlight the uneven cruelty and power distributed through society. His character depicts a battle between good and evil, this theme is one that was influenced by Golding's own experiences in World War two. Jack represents the breakdown in society and how the “blood thirsty”, savagery in human nature can cause the fall of man and lead to autocratic tribalism. Jack’s craving for power is made evident right from the beginning of the novel. when the boys decide that they “ought to have a chief”, Jack jumps at the chance with “simple arrogance”, and states that its because he is “chapter chorister”, and can “sing C sharp”,so in other words, for no valid reason at all.
His importance has lead to him ordering his hunters to forget about the beast so that they wouldn’t have any nightmares. This is illustrated when he says ‘Jack paused cradling the conch’ This suggests that he wants to have things his own way and is mostly concerned about himself Jack is presented as a violent and impulsive character. He tries to assert power and authority over the boys with threat and violence and he is selfish, only thinking about what he wants at
LOTF- without MLA The Lord of the Flies helps one inherit the real thought behind William Goldings view on the true meaning of evil and savagery, painting images in ones mind while reading and writing as the characters become gradually more and more evil. Jack, Ralph and Simon are all affected by the innate evil of the boys on the island. The dehumanization, obsession with power and murders are all examples of savage behavior, which affects the characters as they slowly drift away from civilization and society. When the boys first arrive on the island, Jack is still trying to stay civilized but he eventually plunges into savagery. When Jack and Ralph first encounter the pig tangled in creepers, Jack has the opportunity to kill it but he hesitates.
William in his classic novel Lord of the Flies successfully used symbols to create a powerful theme of order versus chaos. Ralph tried to keep everything together but the boys become carried away and out of control.
If the boys weren’t trapped on the island, they would not be forced to grow into a slaughterer. Furthermore, another conflict that acts upon the boy’s tremendous transition is lack of authority. The boys set rules and restrictions when they make their presence on the island; “We’ll have rules… lots of rules!” (33) The boys eventually learned to manipulate their freedom: “You’re breaking the rules!”(91) “Who cares?” (91) The lack of authority made it impossible to keep the rules enforced. Things worsened due to lack of restrictions: “Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever… the rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee…” (181) Lack of authority severely triggers the boy’s transition. Hence, if there were more authority the boys could not stand a chance for such dreadful change.