Who's The Boss In Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies by William Golding demonstrates societies need for rules, restrictions, and leadership as the boys lose control when there are no boundaries. An article from CNN, “Who’s the Boss?” by David G. Allen conveys the importance of restrictions that parents must set for children in order to have them succeed in life which is demonstrated when the boys are left without any rules leading to violence and even death among the boys. “Who’s the Boss?” explains the unavoidable bleak and dark actions of the boys in Lord of the Flies when there are no adult figures.

“Who’s the Boss” from CNN encourages parents to create rules and be the boss for their children which was severely lacking in Lord of Flies for the boys. Diana Baumrind, a developmental psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley states, “A permissive parenting style leads to impulsive behavior, egocentrism, and poor social skills.” The optimal parenting style, according to Baumrind is “authoritative,” where a parent sets rules and expectations, yet still, encourage freedom in controlled environments. In addition, kids from age 2 to 7 are unable to make good decisions, a developmental psychologist, Jean Piaget says a child that age “... naturally engages in egocentrism and "magical thinking" -- believing that they can

When the boys land on the island, they try to create order, especially the older boys who are 12 years old and can reason critically, by making rules like the conch, having a chief, keeping the fire going, going to the bathroom near the rocks instead of wherever you are. Yet, the boys fail because there is no authoritative adult to successfully enforce the rules leading the boys to ignore the rules, which causes chaos. For example, Ralph tries to create order by assigning jobs, but the boys are unable to follow through. Ralph complains to Jack about building the