Emotional Subjects of "The Lord of the Flies"
Emotional Subjects of "The Lord of the Flies"
Freedom. Fear. Confusion. All are elements in the minds of a group of young boys who are stranded on a beautiful tropical island. There are no rules, no parents, and no type of authority. Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a clever representation of the two conflicting social orders, democracy and dictatorship. He displays the conflict through a carefully planned thought-experiment between the relationships of the young boys, especially the conflicting attitudes of Ralph and Jack.
Ralph went beyond his fears and took charge almost immediately, providing each child with some sort of comfort and guidance through positive thinking. He has to come up with ways to maximize their chances of being rescued and more importantly, to find ways to survive until then. Think about it. Here on this beautiful island there are young boys who have no adult authority and are unsure about what to do. This is an overwhelming task for Ralph to take on as the 12- year old elected chief. All in all, however, Ralph doesn’t allow his positive mentality to be destroyed by fear.
Ralph is more civilized type who looks out for everyone’s better interests. That is what makes Ralph a good leader. There are tow main focuses here on this island. One of the main things emphasizes informing all of the boys that staying alive on this island is a team effort. The notion of “all for one and one for all” became very popular. With this idea, Ralph did the separation of duties. One group builds the shelters. Another finds the food and finally someone must stay on duty to keep the fire going. Rules were set and enforced. All agreed to do their share. Ralph didn’t want the boys to think that he was trying to be someone that told them what to do. He made sure that he let the boys know that being on the island can be a learning experience and not the end of their lives just as long as they did their part.
Jack, however, challenges Ralph to his leadership. He represents the more daring and wild child. Jack constantly reminds the boys that they are on an island alone and that they shouldn’t follow Ralph’s rules, but this is just his manipulative way of getting them to follow his. This was their opportunity for freedom or it could be their death....