Lord of the Flies and The Philosophies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau Organized society is one of the oldest and most extensively studied aspects of human history. During the Enlightenment, the pinnacle of societal exploration, European philosophers were encouraged to question their beliefs and government, which eventually prompted each to form separate theories on how humans and society should interact. These ideas were about society and human nature, and are explored thoroughly in William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, which follows a young group of boys as they succumb to savagery and masochism once separated from the rules of society. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding argues that while suppressing the primitive aspects of human nature
…show more content…
In his novel Emile, or On Education, Rousseau states, “The child is wicked only because he is weak. Make him strong; he will be good. He who could do everything would never do harm.” (Rousseau). By alliterating the two words “wickedness” and “weakness,” Rousseau creates similarities between the contrasting ideas of evilness and incapability. This helps explain that when one feels powerful and capable, he or she could never resort to taking part in evil or villainous deeds. The use of short sentences allows Rousseau to articulate his point with a . He also uses both “All wickedness comes from weakness” and “The child is wicked because he is weak” together, even though they both convey the same idea. The repetition of the point in multiple fashions reiterates the correlation between the feeling of oppression, and wickedness. However, this idea is not apparent in Lord of the Flies, where Jack, even after gaining control over much of the island’s population, still performs brutal and murderous acts of violence, much like after the death of Piggy, where he was described. “He ran forward, stooping. ‘I’m chief!’ Viciously, with full intention, he hurled his spear at Ralph. The point tore his skin and flesh over Ralph’s ribs, then sheared off and fell in the water.” (Golding, 181). The extremities that Jack was willing to go to reinforce his power upon the group of boys is conveyed through him “stooping,” a term commonly used to portray immense fatigue. This also allows Golding to explain that though Jack already had very much power, he was still willing to kill another boy in the name of it, an idea that Rousseau believed is unreasonable. Jack’s passionate call of “I’m chief” also proves that he was well aware of his own
In his novel Emile, or On Education, Rousseau states, “The child is wicked only because he is weak. Make him strong; he will be good. He who could do everything would never do harm.” (Rousseau). By alliterating the two words “wickedness” and “weakness,” Rousseau creates similarities between the contrasting ideas of evilness and incapability. This helps explain that when one feels powerful and capable, he or she could never resort to taking part in evil or villainous deeds. The use of short sentences allows Rousseau to articulate his point with a . He also uses both “All wickedness comes from weakness” and “The child is wicked because he is weak” together, even though they both convey the same idea. The repetition of the point in multiple fashions reiterates the correlation between the feeling of oppression, and wickedness. However, this idea is not apparent in Lord of the Flies, where Jack, even after gaining control over much of the island’s population, still performs brutal and murderous acts of violence, much like after the death of Piggy, where he was described. “He ran forward, stooping. ‘I’m chief!’ Viciously, with full intention, he hurled his spear at Ralph. The point tore his skin and flesh over Ralph’s ribs, then sheared off and fell in the water.” (Golding, 181). The extremities that Jack was willing to go to reinforce his power upon the group of boys is conveyed through him “stooping,” a term commonly used to portray immense fatigue. This also allows Golding to explain that though Jack already had very much power, he was still willing to kill another boy in the name of it, an idea that Rousseau believed is unreasonable. Jack’s passionate call of “I’m chief” also proves that he was well aware of his own