Rationalism In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

W.J. Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies” is not a childish book as it might seem at the first sight. This novel contains a more profound philosophical meaning: it asks questions of the essence of human nature and discusses the subjects of the sin, violence and evil that are inherent to every human being. The leitmotif of this story is that the beast is actually inside us. The characters of the novel are ordinary boys who find themselves on an inhabited island totally isolated from the civilised world. On this island they experience an absolute freedom from their parents and other grown-ups: basically, they are shut in upon themselves, and in these conditions, when all the rules and laws of the civilisation are left behind, they gradually
Piggy’s rationalism blocks his ability to understand the multifaced nature of life and makes him simplify life. The dark and irrational side of human nature does not exist for him; his rational mind sincerely does not understand it and, therefore, cannot accept it. That is why when he encounters violence and cruelty of other boys he is not able to identify the reasons for it. Yet, during the last moments of his life, he expresses his confusion with things that happen and tries to change boys’ state of mind by questioning: “Which is better - to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?”, “Which is better - to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?”, “Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” ( ). Unfortunately, he never received a
He is one of the few people on the island whose mind due to his sanity was not darkened by the unlimited freedom that made repressed unconscious desires of others’ break free and the savage rituals that other boys were so fascinated by. Piggy with his analytical mind used to produce smart thoughts and suggest quite clever solutions; however, he was the last person that others deal with for the reason that in most cases his thoughts and solutions did not match the interests of the savage majority. Piggy also represents maturity because he is able to see the situation as adults would see it. Moreover, he is strong enough to resist that madness on the island and stay a faithful companion to his friend till the