Reflection 6: Lord of the Flies

As I begin to become more accustomed with the school year, I find myself in the thralls of more work. Work that is composed of projects, studying, and just down right busy work. One project I currently find myself caught up in is the reading and analyzing of the book, Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies is a brilliant story depicting the struggles of man as .... create a society. Even with the knowledge of right and wrong, man still stray and create a corrupt society/environment in which to live in. William Golding has created a thrilling tale in which several boys have become marooned on an island with no supervision whatsoever. To these schoolboys, it is a dream come true. Yet as the main characters; Piggy, Ralph, and Jack, come to learn their microcosm isn't as wonderful as it first appeared.

The first people we meet on this island, this microcosm is Ralph and Piggy. Two schoolboys who take charge of the emerging mass of children. They gather everyone, and begin to think about their near future, what they are to do on this island. Another prominent character is then introduced, Jack. He proposes the idea of having a leader, a chief, to dictate what happens amongst the group of boys. As this proposition is put to a vote, Ralph is nominated the Chief of the group. As time progresses, we are introduced to Simon, the twins, and the choir (who Jack is the leader of), who struggle with hubris and morality.

Amongst these characters, I admire the initial courage they display when faced with "abandonment" on the island. Yet as we progress throughout the story, we see that the three with sense, and the remainder of morals, are Simon, Piggy, and Ralph. Jack, the choir, and the other boys, soon take leave of their senses to indulge themselves in any whim that fits their fancy at the moment. The lack of resolve the others display disappoints me. When reading a book, watching a movie, or observing characteristics in everyday life, one hopes to see humanity make the right decision and to prove that they are stronger than the stereotypes.

As a character within this story, I believe I would be one of the leaders, at least for a time. If I found that there was too much competition, or others refused to cooperate with one another, I believe I would withdraw from the larger group. I would try to create another group, smaller, and with people whom I could trust.

Amongst the characters, I believe Jack will eventually become the chief among the group. Jack will become chief, primarily because he is the "fun guy". He encourages the hunts that take place, and enjoys having a good time. Whereas, Piggy and Ralph are attempting to leave the island, thus there is preparation and work to be done which disheartens the younger boys. Simon, is quiet, yet opposes much of what Jack does. I believe Simon will not survive very long on the island.

Well there's my first blog post, albeit it's quite dismal eloquence-wise. C'est La Vit