In general, power contains a broad spectrum of possible outcomes depending on its presence and how the dominance is enforced. Numerous pieces of writing focus on the different concepts of power due to its everlasting significance and multiple possibilities. One of those pieces of writing is Lord of the Flies, a realistic fiction novel written by William Golding. In Golding’s novel, power played a very important role which helped the stranded boys survive and attempt to maintain civilization within the island. A poem entitled, “To A Mouse” composed by Robert Burns also expressed the absence of power through an impotent mouse whose home was accidentally razed by a farmer. During the period of Enlightenment, philosophers like Thomas Hobbes shared …show more content…
Burns wrote, “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,” (37-39). This contributes to the theme by saying that even well thought of plans don’t go as expected. Through these stanzas, Burns implies that everyone experiences conflicts due to the lack of control of how situations will result, identical to what Ralph went through with ignoble actions of Jack and his tribe before being rescued by the naval officer. Burns also associated these unexpected outcomes with the feeling of grief and pain that most individuals experience as well. Golding connected the same emotions as well when, “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy,” (202). These sources showed their relationship by both placing characters in uncertain situations causing them to react similarly with different responses of sadness. The poem is concluded with the speaker saying, “An’ forward tho’ I canna see, I guess an’ fear,” (45-46). In both the novel and the poem, characters are left with a sense of fear due to the uncertainty of their futures. These situations well supported the theme and the ending of Lord of the Flies because it expresses an individual’s lack of power to determine how circumstances will