Corruption In Lord Of The Flies, By William Golding

A recurring theme among leaders in many societies today is that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” (John Acton, a 1700’s English Catholic historian, politician, and writer). In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, this idea of leadership, power, and corruption is put in the spotlight. Jack, one of the boys on the island, forces his way into the leadership position without actually earning it. It is clear that Jack has become corrupt as he turns into a person who is intimidating, egotistical, and selfish. Ralph, on the other hand, is a quality leader under most conditions as he appeals to the boys’ sophisticated side and has a

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” Abraham Lincoln. Once you give a man power, it all goes downhill from there. In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there is one group of boys on an island. The boys elect one chief, Ralph, but another bigun thinks he’s a better chief. So the other boy, Jack, leaves and forms a new tribe with most of the boys. After a little bit of time, the groups start to fight resulting in a couple of deaths. Why would people follow a corrupt leader like Jack? They follow them because they feel like the new leader can help them better than the old one, they think that the leader can provide for them and it doesn’t matter who that leader is, they will follow them because there’s no one else to follow.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” Abraham Lincoln. Once you give a man power, it all goes downhill from there. In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there is one group of boys on an island. The boys elect one chief, Ralph, but another bigun thinks he’s a better chief. So the other boy, Jack, leaves and forms a new tribe with most of the boys. After a little bit of time, the groups begin to fight resulting in a couple of tragic deaths. Why would people follow a corrupt leader like Jack? They follow them because they feel like the new leader can help them better than the old one; they think that the leader or ruler can provide for them and it doesn’t matter who that leader is, they will follow them because there’s no one else to follow.

One’s behaviour can have an substantial impact on a society's outcome. There is a common notion that humans are nurtured to be peaceful and civil. However this belief is contradicted by the action of the boys, in William Golding’s, “Lord of the Flies”. A group of schoolboys are abruptly thrown out of their controlled and civil circumstances into an inhabited tropical island in the middle of the Pacific. The novel is Golding’s attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature, by using symbolism to delineate this theme. Golding’s extensive use of symbolism, such as the conch, the signal fire and the painted faces helps demonstrates the defects of society. These symbols are used by Golding to illuminate the subsequent effects on the boys’ behaviour, which undoubtedly illustrates the defects of human nature on society.

Someone who is abusing the power that is given to him or her defines corruption, however, the word in its self is more than a simple idea; it is an intricate network. Since people’s views about ethical and moral behavior affect the way corruption is examined, the word has a slightly different meaning to each person. Additionally, misconduct across various societies is viewed differently due to social and cultural borders. The criminal justice system has had many instances where corruption had affected the outcome of a case and has inserted itself into the legal process.

Corruption can come from many different people. When the same group of people are always in government it becomes a situation where this group of people runs government. And when someone wants to be elected they might do whatever the group of people wants to be in there favor. The Federalist paper number 68 it says “He might otherwise be tempted to sacrifice his duty to his complaisance for those whose favor was necessarily to the duration of his official consequence” (Hamilton). There are also people from foreign countries that want to be the leader of America just for the benefit of their home country. They

Man is born completely innocent but they get corrupted by the society that surrounds them. No one comes into the world evil but instead they get corrupted and change into a different person. Society molds people into who they are, for the better or the worse. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding it exemplifies how man is born innocent and gets corrupted by society.

Haruki Murakami once said “My biggest fault is that the faults I was born with grow bigger each year.” What are the greatest faults located in the consciences of humans? There are many different faults, some related to individuals, society, or certain demographics of people. I believe that the most destructive faults are found within, hard-wired from birth. In my opinion, they are anger, greed, and the unilateral methods of dealing with such emotions. There is an ineffable quantity of examples of these faults found within myself, society, and even in the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

In Lord of the Flies written by William Golding the corruption of the once innocent boys' developed agresively. Ralph, a cunning and socially attractive boy, is the first chief chosen by the rest of the boys on the island and tries his hardest to be a good leader. Piggy, a smart and unnacepted outcast of the group, tries his hardest to fit in and figure thins out on the island. Sam and Eric, two twins who act as one whole person, think a lot alike. Jack Merridew, a strict and harsh savage, becomes a devious ring leader and destroys the good on the island. Roger, a mysterious follower to Jack, helps destroy thinngs on the island. Simon, the first to see the Lord of the Flies, is murdered by Jack. The Littluns, the youngest souls on the island, are also in the mix of the corruption on the island. All of these children are slowly corrupted on the island. Although children are usually

In definition, corruption is "dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power". All too often is corruption a characteristic of chaos and represents a lack of order. In Lord of the Flies, corruption first starts to emerge when Jack abuses his role as leader of the hunters and does not fulfill his duties. He is dishonest and constantly makes up excuses as to why he has not done anything to help the group. Corruption can later be seen when Jack, who was initially enthusiastic about rules, treats Piggy with contempt for his support of the rules.

As long as Man has existed, so have the cruel evils that only humans are capable of inflicting. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies tears the façade of order from the shell of humanity to reveal the hidden, shadowy nature that lurks beneath. When the darkest depths of human nature are revealed, a primal fight for survival erupts on this tropical island, and not everyone survives.

When given, or exposed to power, people may become corrupt. In J. J. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring it is shown that when people are tempted or given power they may become corrupt. We can see this through the characters Frodo Baggins; the bearer of a powerful ring, Gollum, the previous bearer, and lastly it is shown through Bilbo Baggins another bearer.

I am glad I read this book because it does not sugarcoat humanity. The instance when Simon hallucinates the conversation with the Lord of the Flies captured my feelings towards the book. Initially, I felt it was going to be just like another Hunger Games novel with children killing each other. However, Lord of the Flies explores this concept of immorality that I did not notice in the Hunger Games. The description of the scene between the Lord of the Flies and Simon made me nauseous. I felt I was going to throw up the rice I was eating because I know the smell of rotting meat and the image of flies. The mere thought of flies and their hairy backs already creates an uneasy feeling within me, so Golding’s description of the scene appealed to me

Kelly Clarkson once said “everybody has a dark side”. Each human on this vast earth has unique qualities and experiences that makes them who they are. Some grow up with loose morals and others, with strict morals. However, no matter how civilized, strong, brave, intelligent, or introspective a person is, everyone has evil deep inside. It takes a certain environment to bring out the worst types of evil, the evil that drives out all signs of civilization and make one hunt and kill. Once that evil does emerge it leaves behind a new person in it’s wake, similar to what happens on the island in Lord of the Flies. In the novel Lord of the Flies, Golding uses symbolism to develop the theme that it is human nature to resort to the evil that lives inside,

In practice, it is the environment in which public servants and private actors operate that causes corruption. Public administration in developing countries is often bureaucratic and inefficient. And a large number of complex, restrictive regulations coupled with inadequate controls are characteristic of developing countries that corruption helps to get around.