Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is an adventure novel about two groups of boys led by two main characters and their journey to survive on a wild and deserted island. The story is set in an imaginary war wrought world. The group of boys, after their plane crashes, lands on an island. Ralph, a boy who embraces order, immediately takes control and is elected leader to lead a rescue party and to build shelters and find food. Jack, another boy, after a while, gets bored of living in wait, and leads a group of boys away to live in the forests, surviving on the pigs that are on the island. The rivalry between the two leaders gets tense, and what follows is a torrent of events that affect both parties greatly. Simon is accidentally killed because he was mistaken for being the beast, Piggy was killed by a rolling stone set by Roger, and Samneric, twin boys, are captured by the Hunters (Jack's group). Ralph ends up alone on the beach, and sees a naval officer. The story ends with Jack and his group still in complete destruction mode to search for Ralph, and Ralph breaking down when being questioned by the officer. Throughout the story, William Golding expresses themes of idealism vs. realism, civilization vs. barbarism, and inner evilness. The contrasting characters in this novel thoroughly convey these themes through their actions and morals.
Everyone has an ideal world. This world is perfect, filled with everything that person wants and needs. Oftentimes, though, this idealistic world cannot and will not happen in reality. Making an ideal world can be understood as a relief for the burdens of life, but it is still important to hold on to reality as you thrive on realism, not idealism. In Lord of the Flies, both Ralph and Jack are making the best of their situation to try and survive. However, in the pair, one of them is embracing idealism while the other lives in realism. Ralph, a boy who wants order, tries to get the boys to get help in a civilized manner. As a peaceful boy who values humanity, Ralph sets a fire for the smoke signal, builds a shelter, and solely waits for rescue. This gives only long term benefits, and Ralph does not realize that his actions are not helping the current situation. Jack, on the other hand, is more aggressive and violent. He kills the pigs for food, offers young boys protection, and makes the group braver and tougher. Jack's problem is that he can't live on this solution forever, but he does live in reality and realize what to do to survive for the day. Ralph, though he has good intentions, idealizes everything until it doesn't happen, while Jack lives for the moment and tries to survive just that day. To be able to live in realism is an honor that rewards people with the true sight of what happens around them.
Civilization and barbarism are ultimately the same thing, with one difference: whether it has order or whether it doesn't. Civilization is simply living in an orderly manner with rules and laws, while barbarism is simply living without rules and laws. During the time when the boys live on the island, Ralph, who likes order, is the boy who advocates for civilization among the boys. He creates rules, regulations, and laws to oppress the savageness of the boys who are on the barbarism team. Ralph's theory is that if one obeys rules, they can control themself. If everyone does this, everyone can live peacefully. Jack, however, leads his group to live in the dense jungle wildly. His theory is that if everyone does the same thing, no one is to blame. Everybody can follow the trend, and no one will get punished. Theoretically, both of the boys' theories can work out well. They both offer the stranded group of boys on the island a way of life, though how they do so varies greatly. And in the end, it is evidence that all Ralph's group has is order, while all Jack's group lacks is order. The connection between civilization and barbarism is pretty simple to comprehend, just figure out the single difference that separates the two apart from each other. Civilization and barbarism are the same and different. The two lifestyles suit different types of people.
In life, many things are often glossed over to be presented in a better light. But still, the inner evilness that we possess remains, just hidden. The beast within is in everybody. Some people let it out while others are able to restrain it and hold it in. The inner evil expressed in this story can never be denied. Both Ralph and Jack have this in them, but they express it differently through their actions. Jack and his gang's inner beast is expressed more in the story. The killing of the pigs is not only for food, but for the thrill of the hunt, as an ancient way of ceremony. They follow the theory of following the trend, just like how everybody joined the Nazi army in post-WWI and pre-WWII Germany; they all wanted to conform to the social majority. The Hunters neglect civilization and use the following of the trend as an excuse to kill. The make-up on their faces covers their weakness, their sense of shame, their sense of shelf, and to get rid of the limits or civilization. The worship is simply an act of scaredness, a sign that though they follow their inner evil, they still know what is right. The inner beast shown in the actions of Jack's group is truly vile, poisonous, and not worthy to repeat. The inner evil in everybody is truly not worth being released. Its results are degrading and hard to restrain.
Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, expresses many life lessons and is worth learning and utilizing in life. The novel explores the theme of idealism and realism and teaches readers how to apply it to everyday life, informing readers and instructing them to stay in the real world and warns readers about the possible consequences of "daydreaming". The novel also explores the difference between civilization and barbarism, showing two main types of living that suit different types of people. The novel also ultimately explores the inner beast in everybody which can be discovered through the relations of this novel. The characters, as they embark on their journey to find themselves and to find a suitable living situation, learn many lessons along with the readers. With the way Golding narrates the novel, we are able to explore the themes of the story on a deeper level, learning how easy it is for a person to abandon all reason and morality, and how hard it is for someone to just stay in the moment in difficult situations. Lord of the Flies is a fascinating novel filled with themes and a wonderful read.
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