IntroductionThe three ideas I used were, Democracy vs. Dictatorship, Humanity and Human Nature and Innocence vs. Experience. Democracy vs. Dictatorship connects with Ralph (as the democratic leader) and Jack (as the dictator)and is compared to democracy being overthrown. Humanity and Human Nature is connected to the boys obtained savagery and immorality. It is then related to war, the effects of war and isolation caused by war. Innocence vs. Experience relates to Simon symbolizing innocence, Jack and Ralph symbolizing experience and Ralph realization of the end of innocence on the island. I chose these topics because I thought they were the most important themes in the book. These the ...view middle of the document...
These factors show Jack as a dictator. A crucial event in the novel is when Jack overthrows Ralph democratic leadership and replaces it with a dictatorship society. Near the end of the story, Ralph and Piggy are left as the only ones who believe in democracy, while the rest have gone under Jack authority. This Lord of the Flies event relates to the once democratic North Korea, but then overthrown by communist leader Kim Il-sung. North Korea (now communist/ dictatorship) symbolizes the dictator Jack and his followers. South Korea (democratic) represents the impartial Ralph and Piggy which still believe in democracy. North Korean troops later invaded the south (this symbolizes Jack and his follower hunting Ralph and Piggy) but neither side won. In the end of the book, Jack nor Ralph won the war. The conclusion was filled with pessimism.Humanity and Human NatureWilliam Golding offers a very pessimistic outlook on human nature. The morals of the boys on the island quickly go from civilized to savage. Civilization is destroyed and societal expectations have no meaning to the boys since they have been isolated from their previous structured and lawful lifestyle. Isolation causes even one of the most civilized characters, Ralph, to resort to his savage instincts. This quote shows Ralph acquired bloodlust after being exposed to such a hostile environment: "Ralph was fighting to get near...the desire to squeeze and hunt was over-mastering." (Golding 104). This isolation leads to the transformation of a war battlefield on the island and through out time a transformation into savages. This situation is similar to that of a movie called Blindness. Blindness plot consists of people becoming infected by a disease where they go blind. They are then sent to quarantine camps, isolated from society and forced to make their own government. The people sent to quarantine found it increasingly difficult to continue living a civilized life as conflicts arose, murder and immorality began and savagery took over. Blindness shows aspects of war as does Lord of the Flies. The boys are stranded on an island and isolated from society. The island represents the battlefield of war and the boys represent the isolated soldiers. The boys, previously civilized, are exposed to hostile environments and murder. Soldiers experience these situations at war. Their morality is then compromised therefore leading to savagery. The quote I previously explained includes Ralph having a desire to squeeze and hunt. Compared to war and bloodlust, soldiers may have a desire to shoot and kill. The boys have one main thing in common with soldiers of war, both have a dominant need to survive.Innocence vs. ExperienceBefore the boys reach the island, they were innocent. Innocence is a term used to indicate a general lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, sin, or wrongdoing. It can also refer to naivety and lack of understanding. It is the opposite of experience. Simon is the symbol...
