preview

Pessimism In Lord Of The Flies

Good Essays

Pessimism is defined as being “the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes” and the belief that “all things are naturally tend to evil.” This term is one often used to describe Lord of the Flies, a novel from the author William Golding. Lord of the Flies tells the tale of a group of English schoolboys that crash landed on a deserted island. At first, the group attempted to maintain civility, however, as fear and jealousy overtook their minds, many of the boys became savages of the island. Due to the novel’s prominent theme of former occupants of civilized society turning to chaos for survival, Golding’s views are often viewed as being overly negative. However, those who believe this overlook the aspects to Golding’s writing which prove that even when there is no stable law and order, good will prevail in some. This part of Golding’s views is emphasized throughout Lord of the Flies by the fact that Ralph, the main character, defied the savages, Sam and Eric refused to betray Ralph, and Ralph was ultimately rescued. One of the greatest plot points nearing the end of Lord of the Flies is the breaking apart of the schoolboys. At the beginning of the novel, Ralph was voted as chief in order for the group to have a leader. However, another power-hungry schoolboy named Jack decided he wanted to take charge, as he did not agree with Ralph’s obsessiveness over getting rescued, wanting to hunt and feast instead. As Jack leaves Ralph’s companionship,

Get Access