"The Lord of the Flies" by William Golding.

Essay by amandachick323High School, 10th gradeA+, May 2003

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In the novel, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the story can be viewed as a contrast between democracy and anarchy. Ralph is elected by the stranded boys to be their chief. Governed by rationality, he tries to be a democratic leader, watching out for the good of all, (building and maintaining the fire), listening to the concerns of all, (even the fears of the littluns), and protecting them all (building shelters). To remind the others of his leadership, he wisely uses the conch as a symbol of his authority. Jack, another boy on the island, does not like the democracy and its rules. He tries to convince the other boys to vote Ralph out of office and put him in the leadership role. When the boys refuse to elect Jack, he responds in anarchy. He deserts the democratic way of life, takes a part of the island for himself, and gains followers through strong arm tactics.

He and his savage hunters raid the democratic headquarters and steal the last trace of their civilization (the fire and the glasses) and break the conch (their authority). Then Jack begins to rule selfishly for his own good and pure pleasure. Like a dictator, he makes his own laws regardless of the consequences, administers out punishment as he sees fit, encourages savagery amongst his followers, and demands loyalty to the point of slavery. Although democracy does not survive on the island, neither can anarchy.

Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and the littluns all represent different kinds of people in a society. The first character introduced in The Lord of the Flies is a young British boy named Ralph. Ralph is a twelve-year old boy who tries to build a strong society of young men. He believes that everyone deserves a right...