Marxist Elements in Lord of the Flies

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The Struggle for Civilization and Power Marxism Elements in Lord of the Flies The two main characters in Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Jack, constantly fight for power on the island. William Golding represents civilization and power through the struggle between an orderly government and savagery. Ralph is the voice of hope on the island, and without that, the boys would have turned to savagery much faster, under the control of Jack. The two boys are prime examples of how civilization works and how it doesn’t work. Each character on the island represents an abstract idea of government (Telgen 188). Ralph, the good-hearted (Telgen 188), is the more practical and sensible leader but lacks authority and is not a good leader in the democratic state (Telgen 188). He focuses on the important things, such as the signal fire, and the boys’ well-being. Jack’s leadership is described as dictorial (Telgen 188). He is very arrogant and aggressive and has no compassion towards others. He becomes so focused on being a savage that he forgets to focus on the important things, such as the signal fire, and causes them to not be seen by a plane flying over the island. Piggy is seen as an outsider and unable to rule because of his disabilities (Telgen 188), such as not being able to see without his glasses. Although he is extremely intelligent and sensible, he is not taken seriously and is not an ideal leader. The conch is a symbol of authority, order, dialogue, and democracy (Telgen 180). For example, the boys take turns speaking with the conch (Telgen 183). Ralph was elected by the boys to be the leader of the island so he usually had the conch (Telgen 176). Piggy’s glasses symbolize hope and order. Without the glasses, the signal fire could not be started. Towards the end of the book, Jack and his followers want to steal Ralph’s last item of value, Piggy’s glasses (Moss and

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