The Foundation Of Society In The Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

The foundations of a society are various institutions that aim to guide the populous into a healthy and fulfilling life. Pragmatically, the reason to keep the population happy is to keep them productive. This is why when the structure of society degrades, or indeed is removed all altogether, we can see a decline in happiness and thus, productivity. So then what happens to the individual as the core of society falls and it is up to a choice few to create order among themselves. We can see an example of this very scenario inside of the novel, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A choice few will thrive in this environment as they seize power and gain some satisfaction through this, however what will happen to those who crave the structure of an organized society and wish to hold onto the ways of old? One such character is the young boy who acts as leader for some duration of the novel: Ralph. In The Lord of the Flies, Ralph is influenced by the lack of society through the loss of his innocence, his beliefs on the nature of man, and his loss of self-control. Ralph is influenced by the lack of society through his loss of innocence. He directly mentions this at the end of the book when he comes across the naval officer: “And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (Golding 290). Throughout the novel Ralph goes