What Is The Difference Between The Cold War And Lord Of The Flies

In societies we must always question how we can create order and keep peace. We strive to avoid destruction and bring order and peace. In the novel The Lord of the Flies and in The Cold War era, societies strived to construct a perfect world. They needed to do this in order to survive and protect their people.
Societies are destroyed when there is a desire for power. In the novel The Lord of the Flies, Jack violated the rules the boys created when he stated, “Listen, all of you. Me and my hunters, we’re living along the beach by a flat rock. We hunt and feast and have fun. If you want to join my tribe come and see us. Perhaps I’ll let you join. Perhaps not” (Golding, 140). Jack strived more for power than he did for the order and peace they
build to last on the island. He longed for the control that Ralph had over the boys and was envious that they all chose him. He even manipulated the younger boys into believing he would defeat the beast that haunted them all, knowing there was no such thing. Before the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union were once allies in 1945 when World War II ended in victory for both American and Soviet forces. However, within just a few years they grew into enemies. Both countries wanted economic, military and political dominance over the other. America took the leadership of all the Capitalist Countries while Soviet Russia took the leadership of all the Communist Countries. As a result, the U.S and Russia became rivals to each other. The U.S could not tolerate the communism ideology of Soviet Russia. Also, Russia could not accept the dominance of the United States of America upon the other European Countries. The competition between them led to what is now known as the Cold War. Societies must maintain order in order to survive. The boys on the island created a set of rules and jobs so no one became too powerful and they could live on the island until they were rescued. It appeared the most important rule was the responsibility of setting the signal fire. Earlier in the novel, Ralph directs the boys to set a signal fire in order to catch the attention of passing ships. The fire grows out of control and causes the disappearance of one of the younger boys. Ironically, in the end of the novel, the fire does rescue them though it was Jack’s attempt to hunt and kill Ralph. Fire becomes a symbol of hope as well as destruction. During 1989 and 1990, the Berlin Wall was one of the biggest symbols of the Cold War. In 1961, the Communist government of East Germany built a wall from barbed wire and concrete between east and West Berlin as an attempt to keep fascists out. In the beginning, the Berlin Wall brought many advantages. People had health care facilities and free public transportation as well as full employment, food and rent. People believed that communism was fairer than the capitalism in West Germany. However people realized the rights they were missing because of communism like the freedom to speak, and to vote and travel to the West. The government owned their belongings and they soon realized the major disadvantages the system had. In 1989 the east German Communists Party announced that people were able to cross the border whenever they chose. Crowds ambushed the wall and tore it down piece by piece they night. Free elections opened to expel communist ideologies. To this day the Berlin Wall remains a major symbol of power for the communists as well as disadvantage for everyone else.
Societies are created to protect people. In the Lord of the Flies, the boys knew they wouldn't survive long without the knowledge of the elders. Ralph, Jack, Piggy and others had to ensure the young ones would be alright. They set up rules to hunt and create places to sleep so they would last on the island. When it came to the beast, the young boys felt unsafe and in danger. Jack used this rule of protecting them to his advantage. He convinced them he would keep them safe if they were loyal to him. In the Cold War, small countries ,such as Cuba, chose to be an ally with a certain side for political, military, and ideological purposes. We must imagine disaster to prevent it.
By predicting the effects that our action will have, we can try to adjust the actions we take. In Lord of the Flies, the boys elected a leader and chose jobs because they knew the effects if they did not. They are first rule was declaring that only the person with the conch can speak. By doing this they were avoiding that any one person has too much or too little of a voice. They also ruled that each group will have a task like hunting, building huts, and setting a fire to catch the attention of rescuers. They understood without giving these responsibilities, they would have nowhere to sleep, they would starve or never be rescued. However no matter what they did, the worst thought, the thought of a beast or monster kept them up at night. The younger boys especially were paranoid of something else on the island. During the cold war, a time in America known as the red scare Americans feared the worse. They were paranoid of leaders such as Mccarthy. People were terrified of his method of ridding communism. An online article, “The Red Scare” stated McCarthy,” leveled charges of disloyalty at celebrities, intellectuals and anyone who disagreed with his political views, costing many of his victims their reputations and jobs” (History.com). Many Americans lost their jobs and reputations as a
result. In both the Lord of the Flies and the Cold War era, people strived to create a peaceful civilization. However, people strived more for power or tried to bring disaster to society. Often times however, the burden was left on innocent civilians who continued trying to make a perfect world.