Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
Corruption
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the boys experience a severe loss of innocence and corruption that distorts their view of each other, themselves, and humanity as a whole. Jack, the first boy to face strong corruption, experienced a gradual loss of innocence that began early in the novel, expressed when Golding writes, "He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling" (53). Laughing is a very human action and is often a sound of comfort and joy, while a "bloodthirsty snarling" is an animalistic noise of violence and viciousness. Stating that Jack's "laughter" became this animalistic sound reveals how the boy has lost control of his humanity and has become a terrifying, uncontrollable creature. Even at this stage in the novel, Jack is not the civilized English schoolboy that entered the island, but instead a savage, hostile, bloodthirsty beast. Despite the fact that Ralph directly protested against hunting and Jack's animalistic behavior, he succumbs to his inner beast as well and becomes a savage just like the others, first captured when Golding illustrates, "'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!' Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was overmastering" (101). Describing another human's skin as "brown, vulnerable flesh" dehumanizes both Robert and Ralph, for it transforms them into prey and predator. The lack of rules and control on the island has turned Ralph, the boy who wanted to save and protect all the other boys on the island, into a vicious creature of horror and corruption. Unlike Jack and Ralph, Roger truly pushes the boundary of savage to monster by committing the worst crime imaginable, murder, explained when Golding writes, "...Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever... The hangman's horror clung round him... Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority" (163-164). He consciously killed another human, turning the atmosphere on the island from chaotic and dangerous to terrifying and deadly. Unlike the other boys, Roger truly lost his innocence and identity, and may never be able to be the same quiet, kind boy he was when he first entered the island. The corruption he has experienced has made him an unidentifiable monster that completely lost all his humanity and replaced it with traits from the animal world. The boys on the island experienced inevitable corruption due to their lack of leadership and control, revealing deep insight on human nature, for their true nature was only revealed after society and authority was taken away.
Desire for Independence
In Lord of the Flies, Jack's desire for independence strongly affects the story and changes the course of action, for his arrogance, confidence, and pride in himself is part of the corruption in the novel. Jack establishes his craving for independence very early in the novel when deciding a chief, described when the boy says, "'I ought to be chief,' said Jack with simple arrogance, 'because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp'" (15). Jack's desire for independence does not involve a wanting for freedom as much as a desire to control himself and others. He wishes to have the independence and power to make his own choices and monopolize the community around him, acting as a dictator and a tyrant to get what he wants. His "arrogance" illustrates how his desire for power has changed him and turned him into a person who does not act like just a leader and does not see all people as equals. Jack's craving to be a leader and have power over the group is dangerous for both him and the boys around him, for it ultimately leads for the corruption of all. Despite the fact that Ralph is leader of the group and is in charge of planning out what the boys will do, jack seizes the first opportunity to take charge and leads a chaotic break for the mountain, explained when they exclaim, "'A fire! Make a fire!' ... 'Come on! Follow me!'" (30). His arrogance and quick actions without thought prove that his desire for power is unjustified, for he does not have the skills and ability to lead a group of people to success. As soon as Jack notices a group of people desiring a leader, he quickly takes charge, further proving how strong of a desire he has for leadership and independence from control and authority. Once Jack finally realizes that his competition with Ralph for control in this situation has been useless, he decides to separate himself from the boys and create his own "tribe", explained as Jack states, "'I'm not going to play any longer. Not with you...I'm going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too'" (113). Jack realizes that his power and strength in the group comes from the fact that he is a hunter, for it is a source of protection and food for the boys. He believes that by leaving the boys, he is grasping his own independence from Ralph and Piggy and is free to do whatever he likes. However, later in the novel, he finds himself stealing and relying on Piggy and Ralph for what they need. Jack's dependence proves that despite how much a person believes they are ready to be independent, they will always need a helping hand and will never truly be separated from the forces that once controlled them.
Disrespect
Out of all the characters in Lord of the Flies, Jack is the most disrespectful, for he exhibits the traits of a terrible leader and a horrible person. Without being with the others for even an hour, Jack reveals his disrespectful nature in insulting Piggy, revealed when Jack says, "'You're talking too much,' said Jack Merridew. 'Shut up, Fatty'" (14). Insulting someone for voicing their justified opinions is one thing, but mocking someone for their physical appearance is a more extreme, unacceptable form of disrespect. Jack's inability to show any kindness to Piggy even after just meeting him proves how arrogant, pretentious, and rude he is. If Jack had simply looked past Piggy's appearance and listened to his opinions and tips, the novel may not have had such a gruesome ending. The boy's disrespectful attitude and behavior doomed him from the start, for it is impossible to work cooperatively with a group without respecting every single person in it. Jack further emphasizes how disrespectful he is by making jokes about slaughtering the weak, expressed when Roger and Jack joke, "'You want a real pig...because you've got to kill him.' 'Use a littlun,' said Jack, and everybody laughed" (102). Littuns on the island are the most helpless of the boys and are ind desperate need of protection and comfort. By joking about killing a littlun, Jack reveals just how arrogant and disrespectful he is, for no respectable leader would ever insult and poke fun at the weak. He does not realize that by judging others for their appearance and ability to perform, he proves that he is the worst leader of the group and dooms himself to the fate of corruption. Later in the novel, Jack reveals his immaturity and lack of leadership skills when trying to gain popularity over Ralph, explained as Jack states, "'He's not a hunter. He'd never have got us meat. He isn't a prefect and we don't know anything about him. He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing. All this talk--'" (112). By insulting Ralph and criticizing his way of leading, Jack is being extremely disrespectful and rude, for a good leader should never point out the weaknesses and bad aspects of other people. He had the option of telling the group all the good things about himself and what traits make him a strong leader in general, but instead he just puts down his competition and creates doubt in the minds of the boys. Having respect for others and a good attitude is an important lesson that still applies to all teenagers today, for it is rare that a disrespectful and arrogant person finds acceptance and love among others.
Lack of direction
The desperate need for guidance and reliable authority on the island is reinforced by the lack of direction, for the boys often struggle with the decision of what to do next. After a long period of confusion, the boys realize that they could make a signal fire and immediately rush into the situation, described as they exclaim, "'A fire! Make a fire!' At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten" (30). The boys on the island are so lost and confused that as soon as a goal and task arises, they jump on the opportunity. Their careless and reckless behavior to rush into a situation without planning beforehand reveals their lack of direction, for as soon as they get to the mountain, they realize that they do not know how to make the fire they wanted. Had the boys waited several moments to figure out what to do rather than allow their excitement to control their actions, they would have realized that their plan was not as solid as they originally believed. Later in the novel, Ralph and Piggy find themselves lost in confusion over how to regain control, expressed as Ralph and Piggy say, "'If I blow the conch and they don't come back; then we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued.' 'If you don't blow, we'll soon be animals anyway'" (80). Jack and Ralph's opposing forces create confusion and chaos on the island, for the boys are being pulled in two very different directions. This lack of direction is a very mundane response to the split in the leadership of the island. Ralph's inability to determine what to do next proves how lost and in need of guidance the boys are, despite how strongly some of them may desire independence. Teenagers today can benefit from this novel in understanding and learning that if they are ever lost or in need of guidance they can simply look towards the authority and leaders in their life.
Realization of Truth
Loss of innocence and realization of truth are major parts of Lord of the Flies, for the corruption that the children witness reveals that at their core, when society and laws are stripped away, every human is nothing but a primitive, uncontrollable animal. Ralph's belief that he was able to control his savagery is quickly stripped away when he falls into rhythm with the others, revealed when Golding writes, "'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!' Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was overmastering" (101). Rather than being presented as a dignified human being, the language used in this quote expresses the idea that Ralph is an animal and a savage. Describing the skin of another human as "brown, vulnerable flesh" dehumanizes both Ralph and Robert, for Ralph becomes an animalistic savage while Robert becomes weak prey. Despite how strong of a will Ralph had in protesting hunting and savagery, he ultimately succumbs to the evils of barbarianism, revealing the truth that corruption is inevitable. Ralph quickly realizes this truth, for he feels strong regret for his actions and is horrified at the monster he's become. The truth and evil is more directly revealed through the Lord of the Flies, who proves his existence in all boys in stating, "'There isn't anyone to help. Only me. And I'm the Beast... Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! ...You knew, didn't you? I'm a part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?'" (128). The Lord of the Flies adds to the truth that is being realized, for he describes himself as "a part of" all humans. The Beast, being an embodiment of evil and a symbol for the devil, proves to Simon that there is evil in the heart of all humans, and that every person is doomed to the fate of corruption and loss of innocence once all the protection is stripped away. Simon is the first boy to realize this distinct truth, and Ralph later realizes the evil as a trait of humanity. This realization of truth is a strong explanation for the evil that occurs, both in the world and in the novel. The lesson of containing evil and protecting others from corruption is still relevant to society today, for there are different types of evil that can be prevented by the aid of society, laws, and order.
Rebellion
Jack is a prideful and confident leader that rebels against authority, for he believes he is more qualified, able, and powerful than Ralph. Once Jack becomes fed up with pretending to be under Ralph's leadership and control, he decides to rebel against Ralph's authority and create his own tribe, expressed when Jack states, "'I'm not going to play any longer. Not with you...I'm going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too" (113). The hunter's emotions and strong belief in his strength leads him to the separation of the boys on the beach and allows for the extreme corruption and loss of innocence that occurs later in the novel. Jack rebelling against Ralph's leadership is a clean example of rebellion in Lord of the Flies, for it is Jack's conscious and obvious decision to defy the previously established authority and leadership on the island. Because Jack was unable to look past his self-centered craving for power and independence, he doomed himself and all of the boys to a loss of innocence, for his decision caused a collapse of order and control on the island. Teenagers today need to understand that they must look past their immediate desires and feelings, for it is often that in making a decision to rebel, they merely worsen their situation.