Obviously, the biggest conflict throughout this book is the struggle between Ralph and Jack, or good against evil.
Ralph, or good, could arguably win. In the end, the naval officer asks who is in charge, and Jack backs down when Ralph steps up. This shows that even though Jack started his own tribe, he recognizes that Ralph can take care of the group better than he can.
However, I think that Jack, or in this case evil, wins overall on the island. By the end of the book, Ralph is literally alone. Sam and Eric, his last living companions, are forced to join Jack's group, and they're tortured until they give Roger all the information he wants. They even give his hiding spot away when he tells them in private. Ralph is forced to run across the island alone while being chased by the savages. By the time the officer gets there, evil is chasing good off of the island with the use of fire. So, in general, I feel that Golding's point in Lord Of The Flies is that all of us have the capacity for evil, and if unchecked, evil will win.
-Courtney Neuenschwander :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with Courtney because back in the Enlightenment period a philospopher named Rousseau belived that people were born good, but was corrupted by society and its surroundings. This is an example of Jack, Roger, and others in his tribe. In the beginning of the book Jack was good and by the end he changed into a savage because of his surroundings.
ReplyDelete-Aaron
I also agree with Aaron and Courtney, The book begins good vs. good. As the nature/wilderness (surroundings) comes into play; the kids start to show their true personalities. Ralph (1 exception) can stay sane without adults he can be civil while stranded on an island. Jack, however, shows his true identity and becomes evil; with the nature and freedom turning him into an animal. As the book plays out, I believe Jack becomes more of the leader. Jack controls his followers creating more animals, being with him from fear. Ralph stays more like a democracy and less like a dictatorship, but Golding shows that in his opinion that everyones evil like Courtney said, and without a barrier whats the point in being nice, if your not getting hurt. If you don't care about your conscience it can be easy for some, and with a changed environment things definitely change.
ReplyDelete-Nate