preview

The Individual Vs Society In Lord Of The Flies

Decent Essays

Lord of the Flies (1954), by William Golding is a story about a group of young boys who are stranded on a deserted island. The story is about their survival. The central theme of the book is the individual versus society. The characters in this book represent this theme. Ralph is the chosen leader of the boys, he wants to get rescued as soon as possible. Jack has a different motivation, he wants to be the leader, but the other boys on the island elected Ralph. He doesn’t want to be rescued. Piggy is Ralph’s right hand man. He is portrayed to be physically and mentally different. Simon is the bubbly joyous and innocent boy. He always is kind and nice to everyone. Each of these characters have their own battle against society. The central theme in the Lord of the Flies is the individual versus society. During the novel it is always a story of good vs evil, or civilized versus savages. Ralph, Piggy and Simon represent the civilized, while Jack and his tribe are the savages. The theme is this competition of two human instincts, one is to live by rules, and value …show more content…

At the beginning of the book, he is elected leader of the boys. The boys follow his orders for quite a while, he gives them security and assurance that they will be rescued. He leads the society for quit some time. Jack soon takes over and they boys fall to bloodthirst and savagery. After Jack creates his tribe Ralph, soon declines in position and is left with a decision, join the tribe or be an individual. He knows what the tribe is doing is wrong, so he stands up for himself. Him, Simon and Piggy become the individuals against Jack’s bloody society. Ralph tries to explain to Jack that what he is doing is wrong, but Jack doesn’t listen. Ralph asks the boys if they want to be rescued, but nobody shouted in agreement (p.102, Golding), In the end, Ralph realises that every human being has a bit of darkness and savagery in

Get Access