Order is walking on a tightrope; the leader must stay in control or what is once successful, ends up toppling over. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a plane crash strands a group of British schoolboys on an island. The boys, especially Ralph and Piggy, make a system of rules based around a fire and a conch shell. However, that order soon goes away, as fear and destruction take over. At the end of the story, order is completely gone, and if not for getting rescued at the last moment, then the mayhem that takes over the island would be permanent. The conch shell, the beast, and the fire, help to illustrate that if society exists without order, then chaos will ensue, and society will crumble.
The shell in Lord of the Flies represents rules, …show more content…
Landing on the island, the boys discuss the possibility of rescue. Ralph speaks up with an idea: “We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us...We must make a fire” (Golding 38).The boys decide to take their rescue into their own hands, putting it on themselves to control a factor of their rescue. Ralph’s idea sets up a system of watching the fire that should lead to the boys eventual rescue. They control the fire, and as such it should help them greatly. This control helps the boys create order when they start out. While the other boys hunt, Ralph and Piggy spot a ship. They expect the fire to bring it over, but they realize the hunters let the fire die. Ralph makes a recrimination, “You let the fire go out...there was a ship” (70). The hunter 's control the fire, and letting the fire die indicates them losing that control. Jack doesn’t apologize for letting the fire leave the hunters’ command, but instead retorts, “The job was too much. We needed everyone” (71). The loss of control prevents the boys from the possibility of rescue before more death and destruction could take over the island. This loss of control also shows order slipping, as Jack openly disobeys the chief, Ralph, and one important part of order is respecting authority. After Ralph’s group gets torn apart, Ralph …show more content…
The shell provides rules, but when those rules break, order slips. The beast establishes fear, which, unchecked, takes over the boys, and leads them to do horrible things. Finally, the fire is a way for the boys to control their own fate. When they let it get out of control, order goes away. Imagine living in a world where laws arise and fall within days, and fear runs rampant; order is necessary, and without it humans would fall
The shell in Lord of the Flies represents rules, …show more content…
Landing on the island, the boys discuss the possibility of rescue. Ralph speaks up with an idea: “We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us...We must make a fire” (Golding 38).The boys decide to take their rescue into their own hands, putting it on themselves to control a factor of their rescue. Ralph’s idea sets up a system of watching the fire that should lead to the boys eventual rescue. They control the fire, and as such it should help them greatly. This control helps the boys create order when they start out. While the other boys hunt, Ralph and Piggy spot a ship. They expect the fire to bring it over, but they realize the hunters let the fire die. Ralph makes a recrimination, “You let the fire go out...there was a ship” (70). The hunter 's control the fire, and letting the fire die indicates them losing that control. Jack doesn’t apologize for letting the fire leave the hunters’ command, but instead retorts, “The job was too much. We needed everyone” (71). The loss of control prevents the boys from the possibility of rescue before more death and destruction could take over the island. This loss of control also shows order slipping, as Jack openly disobeys the chief, Ralph, and one important part of order is respecting authority. After Ralph’s group gets torn apart, Ralph …show more content…
The shell provides rules, but when those rules break, order slips. The beast establishes fear, which, unchecked, takes over the boys, and leads them to do horrible things. Finally, the fire is a way for the boys to control their own fate. When they let it get out of control, order goes away. Imagine living in a world where laws arise and fall within days, and fear runs rampant; order is necessary, and without it humans would fall