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Lord Of The Flies Critical Analysis

Decent Essays

The novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding is set on an uninhabited island on which a group of boys are stranded after their plane crashes. Golding creates a setting in which isolation, lack of resources, and an imagined beast drives the boys apart and turns them into barbarians. Isolated from the rest of the world, the island proves to be an ideal place for the boys to be wild and violent. The need for resources on the island, like food and fire, split the group in half when the boys cannot get their priorities straight. Furthermore, the frightening idea that there is a monster on the island leads to the boys acting out in fear. Isolated with no rules or adult supervision, the boys misbehave and fight for power. When he first discovers that there are no grownups on the island, Ralph is excited. The group is quick to vote Ralph chief instead of the runner-up, Jack Merridew. However, since Ralph is not an adult, Jack and some other boys refuse to acknowledge and respect his authority. Ralph desperately tries to remain in control as things start to go awry on the island, but to no avail. Ralph eventually decides to call an assembly to discuss the growing problems on the island, like the fire going out, the idea of a monster, and the boys’ constant neglect of his rules. After this rather unsuccessful meeting, Ralph tells Piggy and Simon that “‘[their group is] all drifting and things are going rotten. At home there was always a grownup… and then you got an answer’”

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