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Lord Of The Flies Reflection Essay

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In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Jack displayed many of the philosophical ideas Thomas Hobbes had about humans. Hobbes believed people would take selfish actions when given total freedom. Jack portrayed these ideas throughout the novel. The philosophical theories of Hobbes were displayed in the selfish actions Jack performed throughout the novel.
In the novel, there were many factors involved in the setting of the story. The kids on the island had survived a plane crash, but now they had to survive the island. When they first arrived, the island seemed like a safe place; the weather was warm and they had fruit to eat. None of the boys seemed to have suffered any injuries from the plane crash when they arrived on the island. Even though the novel said that the boys arrived on the island from a plane crash, nobody had discovered any wreckage from the plane. The lack of wreckage suggests that the world around them is non-existent, which means the boys are completely free. Even though the jungle itself was not dangerous, the boys made it dangerous when they were given freedom. While the island gave the boys freedom and food, the boys used the freedom in a dangerous way. Because of these dangers, the island was not considered a paradise.
Jack Merridew reflects Hobbes’ view on society. Hobbes predicted that humans would act with selfish intentions when given freedom. While Jack was conditioned by society to behave well, he bullied Piggy as soon as he got a taste of freedom. He often bullied Piggy because he wanted to establish his dominance. Jack told Piggy to “Shut up”, telling him that he was “talking too much” (Golding 20). Jack did not care about anything Piggy had to say. Instead, Jack wanted the tribe to listen to him. Even as they are forming their little society, Jack spoke out when he was not supposed to. Almost immediately after Ralph announced the first rule, Jack broke it out of excitement. Hobbes had predicted that people were naturally bad and would break rules when given unless there was a severe punishment (Locke Hobbes Overview). Jack proved this to be true when he spoke out with no fear of any remorse. These are some of the ways Jack displayed Hobbes’ philosophy about society.
Later on,

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