Examples Of Immaturity In Lord Of The Flies

Immanuel Kant, German philosopher and central figure of modern philosophy, once said, “Immaturity is the incapacity to use one's intelligence without the guidance of another.” Immaturity is driven by ignorance and can lead to action without analysis of consequences. Immaturity consumes thoughts and actions and leads to a distorted perception of right from wrong and societal expectation. Although the boys’ survival instincts are put on trial in the novel “Lord of the Flies”, the primary contributing factor in the boys’ struggles on the Island is their immaturity. Throughout the mounting of the sow’s head, Simon’s ascent up the mountain and Piggy’s death, this grave immaturity is demonstrated. First and Foremost, the boys’ vast immaturity is most prominently shown in the mounting of the sow’s head scene. In the beginning, the boys began hunting merely for survival. They were simply trying to hunt a meal for them to eat. However, as immaturity began to rise amongst the boys and they began to become obsessed with hunting, it turned into a competitive game. Their own immaturity …show more content…
For example, after the separation of the two tribes, Ralph and Jack have an increasingly violent feud. The more their personal immaturities swell, the more hatred they have towards each other. In this scene, Ralph and Jack begin to physically fight; however, piggy tries to break it up. After having his glasses stolen by Jack’s tribe, Piggy is already impaired and at a disadvantage when a large boulder comes down the hill. Ralph and jack both dodge the boulder, but Piggy is too late in his response and becomes crushed by the boulder. Piggy tried to be mature and solve the conflict and ended up dead. The loss of Piggy, who was the main voice of reason throughout the entire novel, truly shows that immaturity can consume voices of reason in every