Lord of the Flies Character Deal With Their Moral Dilemmas As humans we tend to lose our morals when we are around certain people, or in certain situations. Through life we are confronted with obstacles that test our sense of strength and character. How we choose to demonstrate our character is entirely up to each individual; some will choose to benefit and grow while others will choose to fall.
William Golding shows a similar situation as the characters in Lord of The Flies grapple with their moral dilemmas once they are not sheltered by their safe environment.
On the island a well-structured society was formed. The boys demonstrated there strength and character in a diplomatic way. They demonstrated this by electing a leader, having meetings, and having an ordered life like they were used to. The conch was the center of the meetings; whoever had it was the only person allowed to talk.
Pigeon Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
Re-Covered Books: The Lord of the FliesThe conch symbolized leadership and civilization. Unfortunally, later in the book the conch breaks and Piggy dies. " The rock struck Piggy with a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist pg 181." All of civilization and leadership as the boys knew it was gone. This was a major turning point in the story, because at that time Ralph chose to not give up his civilized life, while the others chose to leave behind the life they knew. The boys who turned from what they knew soon started leading a split and chaotic life. There was no longer a since of order and democracy. Instead, the tribe was run by one chief and one way only; to kill and hunt violently. The conch was gone as well as there civilized life.
When placed in a position to prove their strength and power, the boys soon found themselves fighting for the role of dominance. It was important on the island for each boy to demonstrate their strength to one another. Their civilization continued to fall when Roger started out throwing rocks to show his power towards one of the boys.
"Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it as Henry - threw it to miss, pg 62." Later in the book, Roger struggled with his moral dilemmas because he was not in his normal environment and had begun forgetting between right and wrong. As time progressed on the island, Roger again picked up a rock, but this time with the intention of killing Piggy. "The rock struck Piggy with a glancing blow from chin to knee...the body of piggy gone, pg 181." By killing Piggy, Roger displayed his confusion with his own moral standards; this showing another example of a slowly but surely lost civilization.
As if they were blinded by their own actions, the boys began sinking further and further down into a life of violence and destruction. At the beginning, it was hard for the boys to even think of killing anything living, even it was for them to survive. When they first went hunting, they had no idea what a task it was going to be. . "He raised his arm in the air. The pause was only long enough for them to understand what enormity the downward stroke would be. Then the piglet tore loose from the creepers and scurried into the undergrowth, pg31." However, later on, many had forgotten about their old life so much that they had no problem killing. They killed for fun and that is all they cared about. They began to love chanting, saying, "Kill the Beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! pg 152" These examples show us how William Golding tries to reveal how people can wrestle with their moral dilemmas once they are not in a safe and sheltered environment.
This is true not only for the characters in Lord of the Flies, but also for us as humans today. When we are put in an awkward place with different people it is easy for us to change, and sometimes forget about our morals. As humans it takes a strong person to stay the same, and not to forget how you were raised. This book definitely can teach us many things about how different individuals can either grow or fall through obstacles.
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies