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Loss Of Innocence In Lord Of The Flies

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A society is characterized by rules, roles and activities that identify the group of people it consists of. From birth and childhood we are taught how to behave by parents or careers, and into adulthood, the structure of society keeps people civilized through the use of laws and order. The loss of innocence is a running theme in the novel, Lord of the Flies (1954), in which William Golding uncovers to be a natural factor. Golding does not portray loss of innocence as something that was acted on the boys, but rather resulted naturally from their increasing openness to the innate evil and savagery that has always existed within them.
Although the construction of childhood has transformed over centuries, it still remains the importance of children’s …show more content…

UNICEF, (2005) defines childhood as the time for children to be in school and at play, in growing strong and confident with love and encouragement of their families and the wider society. It is a precious time in which children should live free from fear, safe from violence and protected from harm and abuse. From the novel, the boys act typically of most children their age by showing interest in having fun and play rather than work. However, over the course of the novel, the display of animalistic behaviour and becoming savage as a result of being away from adults for an extended period of time portrayed the loss of …show more content…

Ralph is the primary representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership in the novel and was elected the leader of the boys. However, as the group gradually gives in to savage instincts throughout of the novel, Ralph’s position gradually declines while Jack’s rises. "That's where they're gone. Jack's party. Just for some meat. And for hunting and for pretending to be a tribe and putting on war-paint." (Golding, W. 1954, pp. 163). This is an example of acceptability in childhood of fun and excitement. The need to play and have fun in Jack's group, even though the boys risk the tribe's brutality and the chance of not being rescued, outweighs doing work with Ralph's

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