“Having rejected God, man can look only to himself. Having rejected reason and consent, what remains within himself is only savagery and force” (Spitz 192). All civilized societies, despite their differences, share three principle foundations: a government, an academic institution, and a church. It is when these foundations are rejected that a society begins to crumble as man behaves according to his sinful nature. This demolition of society is apparent in Wiliam Golding’s Lord of the Flies. While the boys in this novel ignorantly refer to the mythical monster of the island as the “beast,” critics claim that the true beast responsible for the corruption on the island is found within each of the boys. Although the beast in Lord of the Flies
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Shortly after the plane crash, Ralph discovers a conch and, with the help of Piggy, realizes its significance. Ralph’s desire for a well-constructed society becomes apparent the instant he blows the conch to call the rest of the boys on the island. He becomes chief over the boys through their democratic consent, and his possession of the conch immediately becomes the symbol of authority. This conch is blown by Ralph repeatedly throughout the novel to call meetings among the boys and, when held, allows each boy the opportunity to speak. However, the conch gradually loses its significance when Ralph’s authority is questioned by characters such as Jack: “[Ralph] isn’t a proper chief… He’s a coward himself” (Golding 126). Similarly, in any society, a government begins to lose its power when anarchists provoke people to see the arbitrary nature of …show more content…
He is the only boy on the island to desire isolation and seek divine authority (Freidman 209). In his moments of isolation, Simon resists the beast through the construction of his church and the time he devotes to prayer (Spitz 191). Simon’s spiritual convictions can be noticed in his care for the littleuns: “Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands” (Golding 56). Just as the church often helps those in need, Simon cares for the younger boys who cannot feed
Shortly after the plane crash, Ralph discovers a conch and, with the help of Piggy, realizes its significance. Ralph’s desire for a well-constructed society becomes apparent the instant he blows the conch to call the rest of the boys on the island. He becomes chief over the boys through their democratic consent, and his possession of the conch immediately becomes the symbol of authority. This conch is blown by Ralph repeatedly throughout the novel to call meetings among the boys and, when held, allows each boy the opportunity to speak. However, the conch gradually loses its significance when Ralph’s authority is questioned by characters such as Jack: “[Ralph] isn’t a proper chief… He’s a coward himself” (Golding 126). Similarly, in any society, a government begins to lose its power when anarchists provoke people to see the arbitrary nature of …show more content…
He is the only boy on the island to desire isolation and seek divine authority (Freidman 209). In his moments of isolation, Simon resists the beast through the construction of his church and the time he devotes to prayer (Spitz 191). Simon’s spiritual convictions can be noticed in his care for the littleuns: “Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands” (Golding 56). Just as the church often helps those in need, Simon cares for the younger boys who cannot feed