Abuse Of Power In Lord Of The Flies

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Abuse of power through Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies, a novel written by Nobel Prize winner William Golding, demonstrates superior examples about abuse of power and what it reveals about society. For an example, the British Gentlemen is not likely to participate in corruption, but which happens frequently throughout the novel centered on English boys. Firstly as expressed as in the novel Lord of the Flies, abuse of power can be achieved through fear and manipulation. It is seen when Jack, a boy stranded on the island and who later becomes the authoritative figure, introduces fear to the boys’ minds to maintain his power/leadership. Secondly, abuse of power causes the destruction of our society’s democracy. Golding demonstrates this concept…show more content…
First, spirituality destroyed due to corruption is mainly seen in Jacks actions. For one, he uses his power to beat a boy, which appears to be for no reason. “‘He’s going to beat Wilfred.’ […] ‘I don’t know. He didn’t say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He’s been’ […] the newly untied Wilfred was sniffing noisily in the background.” (Golding 176). Beating someone intentionally is seen as rude and ultimately non-spiritual. Even the teachers aren’t allowed to beat students no matter what the reason because it is abuse of power/authority. Therefore it is clear that abuse of power causes the destruction of spirituality. Next, symbolism is used in the novel to represent destruction of spirituality due to corruption. Here Roger kills the sow which they hunted in a very unusual/unpleasant way, that it clearly represents fallen spirituality. “Roger found a lodgment for his points and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. […] ‘Right up her ass!’ ‘Did you hear?’ ‘Did you hear what he said?’ ‘Right up her ass!’” (Golding 149). Roger kills the sow by pushing his spear through it’s anus. This shows destruction of not only spirituality, but also civilization. The British gentleman is said to have a proper decorum and it is seen to be disappeared completely in this situation. Last but not least, destruction of spirituality is seen through the event; Simon’s murder. Simon who was the link between them and spirituality severed means that spirituality is greatly disappeared. “At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws. […] Simon’s dead body towards the open sea.” (Golding 169, 170). As stated above, Simon’s death can be considered as the total destruction of spirituality. Simon’s spirituality is expressed
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