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Flaws In Lord Of The Flies

Decent Essays

Imagine if one was asked to compile a list of every flaw of human nature that was demonstrated by the boys in the novel Lord of the Flies. Among the words used would probably be naive, uncivilized, and unfocused. While these words certainly do describe the boys and their poorly constructed society, they also hold the same meaning and truth when they are applied to our own people in our own society. People in both our society and the one described in the novel exhibit many faults and flaws, but this extensive list of faults can be narrowed down to the three most common ones. The three most prominent flaws of human nature are being selfish, desiring power, and not following through with plans. Not following through with plans is one of the …show more content…

Selfishness is a very prevalent theme in Lord of the Flies. For instance, during chapter three, only Ralph and Simon are willing to build the huts. Everyone else is too self-centered to help, as they are busy doing what they want instead of contributing to something that would benefit the littluns. Selfishness is also evident when none of the boys are willing to help the littluns reach the fruit they want, except for Simon. There are very few kids in the novel who never displayed this flaw, just like there are very few people in our society who have never been selfish. There are several different ways that people reveal this flaw, like being unwilling to share something or being too concerned with a personal problem or task to help someone in some way. The most typical acts of selfishness that I’ve seen are not bothering to give a friend advice or help when they need it, not sharing something with someone else, and not contributing to group projects. Admittedly, I have been selfish, too. Quite often, my brother will ask me for help with his homework, but I usually make him wait until mine is done. Sometimes, when my friends text me for homework help, I get all mine done before worrying about them because I am too concerned with my work to put their needs before mine. Selfishness is extremely common and even the most charitable of people probably concede this flaw from time to …show more content…

This weakness is also an unmistakable theme in the novel. There are multiple different parts of the book where one of the boys acts power hungry. In chapter eight, on page 127, Jack is outraged that most of the boys don’t want him to be chief, so he leaves the group. Later in the book, he becomes a leader of his own tribe, where he is even more covetous for power than he was previously. He even beats Wilfred in chapter ten for no reason except for that he can, because he is respected and he is powerful. Ralph is also power-loving to some extent because he does have the desire to be chief and be a leader. However, Jack forces his power on people while Ralph does not. Many people in our own society are greedy for power as well, whether they act on it or not. At school, many fights ensue when one person tries to take control of a friend group or have things done their way. It’s also common for a person to want to be a leader in a group project, and they often won’t let others pitch in or share their ideas. I too have a strong ambition for power often. I like having dominance and control over my younger sibling and I always want to be the one in charge. I am also guilty of trying to take over a group project and having things be done my way. Craving power is very common and almost everyone does it in some

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