William Golding's Lord Of The Flies Essay

The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding illustrates how young boys -- each who symbolize different parts of society -- without the restraints of civilization ultimately cause their own demise because of their flawed nature and the development of their attributes throughout the story. The novel is about a group of boys--who had never met each other before-- whose plane crashes on an island during wartime and they need to find a way to survive until someone can rescue them; the boys try to form their own civilization in the absence of any adults but, over time, the primal nature of the boys causes them to collapse their civilization and form a new, unrestrained civilization. The conflicts between the two main characters -- Ralph, who is

During the rising action, Jack has multiple arguments with Ralph -- a man versus man conflict -- mostly over power and each of their individual responsibilities. Jack fits Golding’s symbol that he is a dictator because he tries to have all the power for himself and he does not want to share his power with anyone. Without the laws of a society -- no matter how flawed it may be -- and without fear of repercussions, the true nature of humans can be seen as, in Jack's case, he cannot limit his desire for power. Jack gains new responsibilities as the story progressed which increased his power such as tending to the fire, having his own group, hunting, forming his own tribe where he is chief, and having the ability to make his own fire. During the entirety of this story, Jack’s power grows exponentially and he gains more control over the island with each responsibility that he gains. Jack becomes a strong dictator and follows Golding’s message that people are selfish and want everything for themselves when the laws of society are not holding them back; Jack is a prime example that since human nature is naturally flawed, the society that they create will become as flawed as they