So, for my English class, I had to write an essay. I have no idea how to write essays. So here's an essay. Lord of the Flies: An Essay
By: Alex
Some of the most discussed events in the history of mankind are the two World Wars. Many documents, both fictional and factual, portray this chain of events in a more or less direct fashion. In the book “Lord of the Flies”, we can clearly see an allegory portraying the different countries that participated in that war as the main characters of the story. The different “tribes” of the island represent the opposing sides of many conflicts seen throughout the history of politics and war. Not only is “Lord of the Flies” a political allegory, it can also be viewed as a religious one.
In the beginning of “Lord of the Flies” the boys are one group, but with a sort of branch, that being Jack and the choir. Ralph is the chief of the group, but all through the first 2/3rds of the book we see Jack and his rise to power. He slowly develops a following of hunters, and when the time is right, overthrows the ruling authority. The other boys start flocking towards Jack, and becoming his followers. This could be taken as a metaphor for Germany prior to World War II. Just like Adolf Hitler, Jack was a small but noticed part of society. He had his small but powerful following, similar to the Nazi Party, and waited for the right time. Hitler seized power and changed everything drastically, just like Jack did. If we were to assign each main character a role or a country, Jack would obviously be Germany. Roger would be Austria, quick to side with Germany and be a good ally. Ralph and Piggy would be England or the “Good side” of the war, trying to stick up for “what is right and what should be done.” The neutral country Belgium is represented by Simon; who was the peaceful force in the book. He is associated with Belgium because in the first World War, they wanted to stay out of any conflict. Unfortunately for Belgium, Germany invaded to gain access to France. If Germany had not entered France, the war would have proceeded very differently. If Jack and the other boys didn’t kill Simon, they would have discovered what the beastie really was, and maybe Ralph and Piggy would be able to stand up to Jack easier. Even though he was peaceful, and later on, wanted to help, he ended up dying.
All through the book, Jack keeps growing more and more like Hitler through his actions. He convinces everyone on the island except Ralph, Piggy and Simon to join his tribe. Even though his tribe isn’t focusing on the more important things, the boys still join. This is similar to Hitler and the Nazis, even though they were addressing issues only important to the leader, people still followed them. Hitler’s focus was the elimination of the Jews, and Jack’s focus was hunting and getting meat. At the end of the novel, we see the entry of a new character, or a new “country.” The naval officer who comes to rescue the boys could be seen as the U.S.A, because when it seemed that Jack was going to win, the officer came to the rescue and put a stop to the manhunt for Ralph. This can be compared to the time in both world wars when the American army turned the tables on the Germans. In both cases, the Allied/German forces were winning and the outcome looked very grim. If it weren’t for the Americans entering both wars at the end, the Germans probably would have been victorious.
“Lord of the Flies” can also be represented as a religious allegory. If you look closely, Jack could represent God. He attracts the boys with meat, which is a metaphor for heaven. He gets the boys to follow him diligently and promises them sustenance for their following and for them to turn away from Ralph and Piggy, the representation of science and logic. Science and religion have always been great enemies, and the Ralph/Piggy duo and Jack were slightly hostile towards each other from the start. On page 21, Jack states to Piggy, “We don’t want you. Three’s enough.” This could refer to the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This could be saying that in important matters, science is unwanted and not needed. Another point that enforces the thought that “Lord of the Flies” is a religious allegory is the whole matter regarding the beastie. In the first half of the novel, Ralph attempts to squash all rumours of the beastie being real. No one really opposes this until later on, when Jack encourages the fear of the beastie. This is very much like the Christian/Catholic church instilling the fear of the devil and hell into Christians. Jack uses the fear of the beastie and the fear of himself to control the members of his tribe. The elimination of Simon and Piggy give more reason to believe that Jack is a symbol for God/the church. Many, many years ago, people who didn’t believe in the lord or were scientists were burned alive, sentenced to house arrest or sent into exile. Jack proceeds to embark on his version of the Crusades; instead of wiping out “infidel,” he is on a quest to kill Ralph.
So, the underlying question here is, what is William Golding trying to tell us through his novel? Is he trying to tell us that good cannot prevail unless assisted by many other forces? Or is he trying to warn us of the religious people of the world? Could this be a warning, that unless nations unite and stand together in the face of evil, the “light” side will fall? Perhaps if we gave this book to, and asked questions to recent political leaders, our future would have a different shape than it does now.
November 28th, 2008
EDIT by CA: I changed your name in the title my friend. I just dont think having your first and
last name in this is a good idea. Call me over protective, but...well...
