Preview

Lord of the Flies : Relationship Between Two Main Protagonists

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1769 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lord of the Flies : Relationship Between Two Main Protagonists
American president Franklin D. Roosevelt once said that “If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace. “ This quotation fits very well in the novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding in 1954. This story is about a group of young boys from British school, who found themselves on a tropical island after an airplane crash. This story shows how people can easily change when there are no laws or restrictions to prevent them from becoming wild and out of control and that the pure person’s character will come up in situation similar to this one.
We can find many different characters amongst all the boys, but I will try to focus on characteristics of two main protagonists and analyze the relationship between them and also their attitude to other boys. I would like to bring you a brief summary of Lord of the Flies so my description of each protagonist is more understandable.
In the middle of ragging war, a plane evacuating a group of schoolboys from Britain is shot down over a deserted tropical island. There is no one but young boys on the island, no adults, no authority and all of a sudden everything is upon them. There are older boys but majority of little ones or “littluns” as they start to call them. Boys will realize that they need some supervision, someone who will be in charge of them and who will be giving orders so they do not become savages. They agree to make elections and boy named Ralph is elected as a chief. He chooses another older boy named Jack to be his assistant because he is already leading his choir. Now it is obvious that there are two most important characters in the story – Ralph and Jack. We also get to meet one of older boys called Piggy, who has immediately became a target of ridicule because of his appearance. Piggy is fat and wears glasses, which makes him not acceptable for kids´ games. However Ralph is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Lord Of The Flies Summary

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is a novel about a group of adolescent boys who are deserted on an uninhabited island that lacks adult supervision after they are separated from their friends and families during a time of war in Britain. From the beginning, an older boy named Ralph, the main character, establishes a system of leadership within the small group of about twenty to thirty boys that range between the ages of five to twelve years old. Ralph, the oldest, is named the leader but one of the other older boys, Jack, thinks that he could be a better leader because he knows how to hunt which causes the two boys to bicker and argue with each other throughout the entire novel until they are rescued by a naval ship that sees…

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The book Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding after World War II. He describes about the group of boys who survive from the airplane crash. At first, all the boys have never known each other before but when the story progresses, all the characters start to show off their real personalities, and they have very different characteristics and opposing thought to each other. Golding uses the theme of human nature to show how difference the society is and the contents allude to some instinct in human nature in both good and bad way. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954), the theme of human nature is represented by the beast, violence, and religious reasoning.…

    • 118 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lord of the Flies by William Golding tells the story about a group of English boys who are stranded on an island after a plane that they were on was shot down. On this island the boys have the freedom of living without adults. They must find a way to set up a society that is livable in and that maintains order. However as time passes the characters see that those tasks are easier said than done. In Lord of the Flies, there are many different characters that show development and growth. Characters like Piggy, Ralph, and Jack all show signs of maturing and growth near the end of the book. Some of the characters were humane and try to maintain order, but other characters fall into the savagery that is within everyone. This statement is best depicted…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a civilized society, rules play an extreme part. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Golding demonstrates how a civilized society with a series of kind and cruel leaders, and no rules, can slowly turn into a group of reckless, savage boys. Lord of the Flies explains how a group of boys with no rules can slowly turn into a disaster. Golding shares, that without rules cruelty takes place. Every human is not born perfect but they are kept under control by societies rules, as there are no rules on the island, they boys slowly turn into cruel savages.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The worst of mankind can come in many different forms, from little pre-school children, to the deaths and dangers of war. As Thomas Hobbes’ theories state, the nature of mankind is a state of war; all against all. In the novels Lord of the Flies by William Golding and A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the authors both examine a story that takes place under limited adult supervision while in the backdrop of war. In this setting, the characters act out the worst of mankind. In Lord of the Flies, the main characters show the worst of mankind through jealousy, savagery, and fear. Contrary to Lord of the Flies, In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the worst of mankind is shown mostly through jealousy. Violence in the children’s everyday life made the children themselves grow up violent. As Locke said, a human mind is blank until society contaminates. If you grow up in a war zone, you are likely to be more violent and open to conflict than someone who grew up in peace. Having said this, the boys in Lord of The Flies have experienced, first hand how war works. However, the effect of war in a A Separate Peace is much more direct to the story than in Lord of the Flies.…

    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Lord of the Flies, William Golding depicts morals and the boundaries of society in the form of characters. This essay will compare and contrast the differences between four pivotal characters: Ralph, Jack, Simon and Roger. The goodness and order in society is portrayed by Ralph and SImon. The darkness in human nature is explained through Roger and Jack.…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    pag.). The group of people had boarded a plane to attempt to evacuate, but while they were flying in their plane crashed and landed on a deserted island (Knowledge n.pag). The only survivors of the crash were children and they had to survive on the island alone (Knowledge n. pag). They elected the character Ralph as the leader of the group and the character Jack Merridew as the leader of the hunting party, which was made up of his choir group (Knowledge n. pag). Both Ralph and Jack want to be leaders of the island, but because they each have different ideas of what is priority, they have a hard time working together without starting an argument (Knowledge n. pag). Ralph devotes all of his attention to making sure their signal fire stayed lit so they could be saved, while Jack was devoted to hunting and making sure the group had food (Knowledge n. pag). After getting in several arguments, the two groups split up so that they both could focus on doing what they wanted to do (Knowledge n. pag). This caused both groups to have conflict and start a war (Knowledge n. pag). They began to lose sight of their humane side and embraced their savage side (Knowledge n. pag). All of these events are described in great detail by the Marxist…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of British boys stranded on an uninhabited island. Throughout the book the group of civilized boys try to govern themselves with tragic results.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When life throws scary and dire situations at you, some believe it is a test to see a person's true colors, and how that person reacts under extreme pressure and conflict. In situations like these, leaders are born. In The Lord of the Flies, Ralph becomes a frontrunner as the “chief”, or leader in the story. Ralph struggles to maintain a civil relationship between all the boys, but still remains the more appropriate leader, including his civility, his conflicts, and his purpose.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Piggy's Symbols

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Military theorist Carl von Clausewitz once said: “Savage peoples are ruled by passion, civilized peoples by the mind. The difference lies not in the respective natures of savagery and civilization, but in the attendant circumstances, institutions, and so forth... even the most civilized peoples… can be fired with passionate hatred for each other.” In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the boys on the island slowly lose sight of their humanity, becoming more and more savage as the days progress. William Golding illustrates the darker side of mankind and shows how quickly man can turn evil when left to his own devices. Within days of being on the island the…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding is a stimulating novel that tells the story of a group of young boys stranded on a deserted island. The young boys soon realise that some form of leadership must be established in order for them to develop their idea of civilisation. The group’s descent into savagery meets some of the characters inevitable ends, as the society created at the beginning of the novel- crumbles due to Jack and Ralph’s alpha male rivalry. During the novel, one of the characters encounters a surprising turning point that helps him transform into a blood-thirsty savage.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Golding’s Lord of the Flies begins in a place every child dreams of an island without parents or rules where they can finally be in charge of themselves. Given these circumstances, these British students ranging from ages six to twelve began their experience on the island with enjoyment and relaxation. However, these children soon discover the darker side of this tropical paradise when they argue over which tasks are more important. This leads into the discovery of whether they should keep their civility or become savage and escalates to their loss of innocence. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph, Roger, and Samneric face an early loss of innocence and the decision between civilization and savagery.…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Each individual is acknowledged as good or bad, but is there such a thing as good and bad? Golding, who has written the Lord of the Flies, expresses and shows how people react towards each other. The Lord of the Flies shows the image of civilization and influence. Golding articulates each and every individual in detail. Around the 1700’s, two men named Hobbes and Locke had an intriguing conversation, “What are humans?”, “Were we meant to be savages?”, “What would ourselves be without laws?” These questions are yet to be answered by your own opinion. ‘The Lord of the Flies’ has many situations relating to the nature of humanity. The nature of humanity describes the characteristics such as society, influence and individuality.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fear Lord of the Flies

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Human are the most civilized species on this planet. However, what makes people act civilly is constantly questioned. This question is explored in William Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies. In the novel, the fragile state of civilization created by the boys is constantly pitted against the destructive force of fear which motivates the boys to desert their civilized upbringing and hunt first and finally become murders.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    My eyes slammed shut, too afraid to peek at what I might find. I slowly start to open one eyelid, surprised to wake up with the rest of the boys. I realized that no time had passed since I left.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays