Response To The Characters In 'Lord Of The Flies' By William Golding

A recurring theme among leaders in many societies today is that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” (John Acton, a 1700’s English Catholic historian, politician, and writer). In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, this idea of leadership, power, and corruption is put in the spotlight. Jack, one of the boys on the island, forces his way into the leadership position without actually earning it. It is clear that Jack has become corrupt as he turns into a person who is intimidating, egotistical, and selfish. Ralph, on the other hand, is a quality leader under most conditions as he appeals to the boys’ sophisticated side and has a

What are the characters’ emotions, attitudes, and behaviors? What do these indicate to the reader about the character?

wrote this after publishing Lord of the Flies. It is our world, in the form of a story. The two leaders in the story are Ralph and Jack. Ralph starts off a comfortable leader of the boys, but by the end of the book, Ralph and his companion Piggy are alone facing Jack and the rest of the boys. As the novel progresses and the society on the island starts to change, so does Ralph. He begins thinking he has all the answers, but comes to realize that without Piggy he would have never gotten this far. By the end of the book, Ralph and Jack are complete opposites. Jack is about savagery and fun while Ralph is holding on to society, rules, and civilization. Appearing to be a weak leader due to defection of his followers, Ralph is actually dedicated and insightful, only loosing his followers because he could not compete with one category that attracts nearly everyone in the world: fun.

• What are the characters’ emotions, attitudes, and behaviors? What do these indicate to the reader about the character?

First impressions are everything. Without them, true character would never shine through in most people. Characters in stories are most definitely not exempt from this rule, especially when speaking of Jack and Ralph from Golding’s Lord of the Flies. In chapter 6, when entering a new landscape, Jack and Ralph have wildly different reactions. Jack ignores Ralph’s request to stay behind and proceeds to follow him, showing his disregard for the rules. He also begins to roll rocks, exclaiming that “One heave and---wheee---!” (106) which shows his enthusiasm for destruction. One might think this is typical for a 12 year-old boy, but then he runs off with his hunters “heaving and pushing at a rock” (107) until the whole boulder toppled into the water,

It may have taken millions of years for humans to evolve enough to create the sprawling civilizations known today, but it only takes a few months for a group of civil, educated boys to regress back into savagery. In his novel Lord of the Flies, author William Golding depicts a group of young British boys getting stranded on a deserted island sans adults. The boys must look out for themselves, forming a basic governing system and trying to survive. But the challenge soon proves too much to handle, and order deteriorates. William Golding conveys the universal theme of civilization vs. savagery in his novel Lord of the Flies using the literary elements of plot, setting, and characterization.

Throughout "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding, the theme of dissent starts to become prevalent as the life progresses on the island due to constant disagreement and undesirable situations. Similarly, dissent has also played a large role in my life, most notably at my time at school as well as my experiences in my neighborhood. From these experiences, I learned that dissenting from society's expectations allows you to become unique and gain a societal voice, eventually leading in the creation of internal and external reform.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic novel and portrays just how the society surrounding us can corrupt our once pure nature No one is born a killer, no one is born with an intense compulsion to kill, the island that the boys are stranded on has a very unusual, corrupting society; A society that erodes the boys innocence through the power struggle between Jack and Ralph, readers see the transfer from innocent to savagely through the hunting and Piggy’s death.

While having a differing beliefs from others is not always encouraged by society, it allows us to create our own identities. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the theme of dissent starts to become prevalent as the islanders' life progresses due to disagreements and the vast differences between priorities. I can relate since dissent has played a large role in the creation of my unaltered views and opinions, most notably at my time in school while in math class. Despite my desire to get ahead and do things differently, I was always met with direct opposition from my peers and teachers. From this experience, I learned that dissenting from society's expectations eventually leads in the creation of internal and external reform of opinions and customs. This is because dissent allows you to gain a societal voice and reshape your identity.

The different points of view give an understanding of the relationship the protagonists are to their victims.

William Golding's Lord of the Flies "Everything is breaking up. I don't know why." - Ralph What is going wrong on the island and why?

      In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding tells the story of a group of boys on an island left out to self survive. The time was World War II when the plane the boys were in was shot down leaving young survivals on a deserted island without any adults. The whole story is about what happens during their stay on the island representing metaphoric ideas of humanity in each incident as Golding describes. Golding has reportedly said that he wrote the novel in response to his personal war experiences. “ (The war)… taught us not fighting, politics or the follies of nationalism, but about the given nature of man.” (Golding) By looking at Lord of the Flies, it is clear that Golding’s view of

Civilization can be destroyed as easily as it is created.  Without the walls of society, humans are capable of committing actions that they would have never thought possible.  Lord of the Flies focuses on a group of boys who are alone on an island without authority. The novel reveals what can become of humanity without the presence of authority.  In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the protagonist Ralph symbolizes leadership, civilization,  as well as the loss of innocence.  Ralph is the closest resemblance to authority that the boys have on the island.  His appearance plays an important role in him signifying authority, “You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a

All the characters had a different history of life, which makes them what they are and how they act. They used to follow their stablished roles, participating in the environment they are involved. During the movie, there were many moments where the characters asked each other about their behaviors, judging and not accepting the differences. But during the film, they became closer to

Gangs are considered a group of people that have a common link together. Gangs are typically ethnically, racially, economically or geographically based. In William Golding 's Lord of the Flies, gangs rise up within the group of boys. William Golding gives us a glimpse of the savagery that underlies even the most civilized human beings. The bullying and group mentality demonstrated in gangs has resemblances to the characters in Lord of the Flies.