"Lord of the files" by William Golding

ESSAY QUESTION: DID THE BOYS ON THE ISLAND ACT THE WAY THEY DID OUT DUE TO MENTAL DEFECT OR PROBLEMS WITH THE ENVIRONMENT?

My essay is entitled "Difficult Environment." It talks about the living conditions the boys from LORD OF THE FLIES had to suffer through.

"Difficult Environment"

It has been debated over a great deal of time as to whether or not the boys from Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, act in such a peculiar and unruly manner as a result of the environment in which they are stranded, or if it is, indeed, due to pure mental defect. Their personal conduct, however, is definitely a direct result of their living conditions and the environment.

To begin with, the boys have no kind of adult supervision or mature guidance on the island. Because of this, there is basically no one to keep them all in line.

Pinguicula vulgaris, a species of Butterwort

Lord of the Flies (1963 film)

Film poster for Lord of the Flies - Copyright 1990...

When children are placed in an area that is parent-free, they equate it to being rule-free, so they tend to take full advantage of the lack of rules and let loose. Why should they follow all of the annoying rules that their parents enforce if they do not have to? Ralph, the elected leader, tries to save the boys from living in complete and total anarchy, but perhaps that is what they are destined for. There are no punishments on the island, so the boys basically run free and do as they please, without fear of any future penalty.

The children are also surrounded by the same people in a somewhat confined space over a great deal of time. Behavior that seems rather out of the ordinary is bound to take place. They have to deal with the same people day in and day out. They cannot go...