A Crumbling Society In Lord Of The Flies

A Crumbling Society
The novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding tells the story of a group of boys abandoned on an island to fend for themselves. In the novel, a group of young English boys trying to escape war get stranded on an island after a plane crash. Initially there is order, but as time progresses things begin to fall apart and the island is reverted to a much more primitive state. This movement away from a normal, civil society over time shows what the disconnect from the larger civilized world can do to people, especially young children who have never been on their own before. The novel demonstrates that civilized society keeps man from reverting to a more savage, primitive state. Initially, after arriving on the island the boys begin to set up

One of the first things the boys decide is that they need a chief. While deciding on who should be chief one of the boys says “ ‘Let him [Ralph] be chief with the trumpet thing’ “ (Golding 22). In any modern society, including the one the boys came from, there is a person designated as the head or leader. The boys collectively electing Ralph as a leader shows their ability to make decisions together. Additionally, it shows their desire to make the unfortunate situation of being stranded work as well as possible. After the election of Ralph as the leader of the island, he decides it 's necessary for the rest of the boys to have a specific role to fill in order to help society run as smooth as possible. Seeing a boy named Jack, who is the leader of a choir, would be good fit for a leader Ralph decides to allow him to decide what he wants to be in charge of “ ‘Jacks in charge of the choir. They can be-- what do you want them to be? ‘Hunters’ “ (23). Once again the boys have done as they know, and what they know is a society set up to be as efficient as possible. Each boy having a role will help the island work smoothly and help to keep order. Now that the boys have established the basic duties of