Power In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

As a base of human desire and need, power has always been one of the number one desire of mankind since the dawn of time. To place yourself above others, or gain control over your followers or a situation brings safety and comfort to a leader. A well written example of this concept lies within the twisted world created by William Golding in his, “Lord of the Flies”. Throughout the story, Jack seeks power above all else, and stops for nothing in this lustful quest of dominance. We can get a glimpse of Jack’s desires through his iron grip within his choirboys, how he clashes with Ralph, and how Jack’s actions bring about a deeper symbolism underlying within the story.

“They were black and iridescent green and without number; and in front of Simon, the Lord of the Flies hung on his stick and grinned. At last Simon gave up and looked back; saw the white teeth and dim eyes, the blood—and his gaze was held by that ancient, inescapable recognition” (Golding 138). Once an offering to the “beast”, the pig’s head swarming with flies that had been severed by Jack and placed on a stick, manifests into the Lord of the Flies, representing pure evil. Simon, embodying the goodness of man and peace stumbles upon the head. The interaction between Simon and the Lord of the Flies is almost an interpretation between good and evil. The strong symbolism in this book gives a deeper meaning and a definite truth

(Law and Order) "We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything. So we've got to do the right things." (Golding 42)

Power is key part of the book “Lord of the Flies”, the topic of power in the book can relate to a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., “I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right, and that is good.” In the book there are two characters that can somewhat relate to this quote, one character affirms the quote and one refutes it. Ralph is the character that affirms the quote he uses his power to help the community not use his power to command the community. Some actions that Ralph takes that shows are “If we have a signal going they'll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that's a meeting. The same up here as down here.” This shows how Ralph tries bring the

People today believe that to be powerful you have to be known and rich. While that may be partly true, an individual is powerful if they possess the ability to show responsibility, courage, determination, and initiative.

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies presents a story of a group of boys who become stranded on an island together, and in their struggle to survive; some begin to fight for power. Having power makes them feel in control of their situation; however, this power struggle quickly begins to consume them. Golding uses the power struggle between Ralph and Jack, the two main characters, to illustrate the power struggle between good and evil.

Power can be beneficial to a society but it can also be poison. In Golding’s Lord of the Flies a plane full of schoolboys crashes on a deserted island with no civilization and no adults. The boys, left the manage themselves, vote on a leader, create a plan to maintain a fire, and build shelter. Theoretically the boy should be safe until they’re rescued, but with every government there is controversy. After the boys begin to adapt to the island the head of the hunters, Jack, begins to grow unhappy with this leadership. Using symbolism Golding creates a government and a place of power that is bother very desirable and very dangerous that is present in many novels like Orwell’s Animal Farm. Jack’s constant struggle for power and validation illustrates

Symbol: The long hair represents how long they have been on the island. The “painted faces and long hair” symbolize savagery. Jack paints his face and it makes him feel as if he is one with nature to symbolize his savagery.

Power made the characters in Lord of the Flies deviate from their moral compass. “ On page 260 of the novel, Jack says “ “See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that!

In the novel the boys are removed from civilization and must learn to think for themselves. The character of Piggy is used to represent goodness and civilization. While the boys on the island must learn to govern themselves and freely choose their actions, Piggy’s naturally mature instincts, ingrained by civilization, begin to rationalize the situation and how the boys can work together to survive. Piggy’s beliefs and values were modeled on that of the authoritative adult world, what he assumed to be best. He enjoys contributing to a working civilization and for the good of society: “Piggy was […] so full of pride in his contribution to the good of society […] that he helped to fetch wood.” (8.118). Piggy’s human defect lies less in the recline into savagery, but rather his meekness to speak up for the greater good of the society. His intellect approach to life, modeled by the attitudes and rules of the adult world, is something he believes everyone should share. He is however weak and lacks the courage to stand up to the growing evil on the island. At castle rock Piggy attempts to stand up for himself against Jack after having his glasses stolen but he is unsuccessful. He

Although the boys treat Piggy like an outcast, Piggy talks to the group when he has something important to say, but is passive in his remarks and reactions. Piggy accepts how the group treats him, and he does not stand up for himself when mistreated. Instead, he tries to hold his emotions inside. For example, after Jack tells Piggy to shut up and calls him fatty, Piggy does not retort back but, “...he went very pink, bowed his head, and cleaned his glasses again.” ( 21). As demonstrated in the passage, Piggy is hurt by the boys referring to him as “fatty.” However, he does not directly address the group, but tries to state his case to Ralph who does not sympathize with him and further hurts his feelings; hence, “Piggy’s glasses were misted again- this time with humiliation.”( 25). Piggy’s passiveness allows Jack, the antagonist, to use him as an example to further lead the group by fear and bullying.

Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds. “A stone.” “No. A shell.”

Neha Chataut Mrs. Walls September 3 2015 5th hour Lord of the Flies by William Golding Part I: The theme of power is discussed all throughout the book. The boys first start fighting for power is when Piggy and Ralph first meet each other. There is a sense of wanting to be dominant and the most powerful, and eventually Ralph wins that fight.

All individuals are powerful in their own ways, some more than others. People show their power through their abilities and their talents. In the book, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the kids have to take charge and act responsibly like adults because they have to build shelter, hunt, have order, and stay civil. Leaders emerge out this group of kids that use their power in different ways. Throughout the book, these children gain power in different ways, through their courage and ability to lead.

In William’s Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, power is a notable theme that can be found throughout the entire novel. The theme of power is notably represented in the form of items and symbols that Ralph and Jack used during their time on the island. These items are used by Ralph and Jack to a certain extent in order to control their groups; however, they both use these miscellaneous items for different purposes (Gedleh)2. Ralph uses certain items that represent symbols in order to create a more lawful rule, while Jack uses several items in order to create something similar to that of a dictatorship (Burns 1)4. These items are unique from one another and play a role in the shifting of power from the two groups (Burns 2)4.