Gender Roles in Lord of the Flies
Although many are unaware, a rigid and relentless culture of outdated, and misguidedly created gender roles, act as unofficial supreme law of the land, and dictate how our society functions, and who it functions for. The strict structure of gender roles mandates how we behave, how we appear to ourselves and to others, and how we linguistically communicate, all of which play an immensely important role in our society. Even at the young age of four, children have acquired the social competence to declare whether a specific toy is marketed towards boys, or marketed towards girls, just by the outward appearance alone; and while these characteristics are not necessarily harmful or hurtful to a child of four years …show more content…
Off the island, we are told that the boys were formerly British school boys, which suggests that they had learned a strict and proper manner of masculinity. On the island however, the boys learn and accept their new roles from having unfacilitated interactions with each other. Primitive and savage characteristics like wearing face paint and hunting animals, as well as being overall wild and barbaric, become valuable characteristics to the boys, and were often imperative towards social acceptance. The majority of the boys even participate in a tribal ritual to celebrate their first kill, by chanting, “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!” (7.74-76) This ritual inevitably ends with the death of one of the boys; and instead of being punished or disowned, the boys are praised for their savage behavior. This book and the boys’ transition and exploration of their masculinity, perfectly exemplifies how our environment and interactions have such a strong impact on our gender …show more content…
The fact that the majority believes that women are housewives and homemakers, while men are leaders and protectors has a huge influence on our modern world, as well as in Lord of the Flies. This notion was proved when Ralph said in an assembly, “Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” (11.200-2017) After this question was asked by Ralph, Jack spoke up so the rest of the boys could no longer hear him. Later in the book, Jack goes on to become a savage leader, hunting and killing pigs as well as torturing his tribesmen, leaving Ralph powerless. This sequence of events can easily be compared to gender stereotypes and the specific roles that the genders play. As formerly declared, women play a more civil and less physically gruelling role in society than men, so it is no wonder that the boys the boys later decided on the more savage and barbaric option presented to them, instead of the civil and tame option; they associated the former option with masculinity, something that they had a dire need to prove that they had, and the latter option, femininity, something that they’d kill for rather than to be associated with. While the fictional boys in Lord of the Flies, acted like this when the book was written in 1954, sadly, real men continue to act like this in 2017.
Although many are unaware, a rigid and relentless culture of outdated, and misguidedly created gender roles, act as unofficial supreme law of the land, and dictate how our society functions, and who it functions for. The strict structure of gender roles mandates how we behave, how we appear to ourselves and to others, and how we linguistically communicate, all of which play an immensely important role in our society. Even at the young age of four, children have acquired the social competence to declare whether a specific toy is marketed towards boys, or marketed towards girls, just by the outward appearance alone; and while these characteristics are not necessarily harmful or hurtful to a child of four years …show more content…
Off the island, we are told that the boys were formerly British school boys, which suggests that they had learned a strict and proper manner of masculinity. On the island however, the boys learn and accept their new roles from having unfacilitated interactions with each other. Primitive and savage characteristics like wearing face paint and hunting animals, as well as being overall wild and barbaric, become valuable characteristics to the boys, and were often imperative towards social acceptance. The majority of the boys even participate in a tribal ritual to celebrate their first kill, by chanting, “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!” (7.74-76) This ritual inevitably ends with the death of one of the boys; and instead of being punished or disowned, the boys are praised for their savage behavior. This book and the boys’ transition and exploration of their masculinity, perfectly exemplifies how our environment and interactions have such a strong impact on our gender …show more content…
The fact that the majority believes that women are housewives and homemakers, while men are leaders and protectors has a huge influence on our modern world, as well as in Lord of the Flies. This notion was proved when Ralph said in an assembly, “Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” (11.200-2017) After this question was asked by Ralph, Jack spoke up so the rest of the boys could no longer hear him. Later in the book, Jack goes on to become a savage leader, hunting and killing pigs as well as torturing his tribesmen, leaving Ralph powerless. This sequence of events can easily be compared to gender stereotypes and the specific roles that the genders play. As formerly declared, women play a more civil and less physically gruelling role in society than men, so it is no wonder that the boys the boys later decided on the more savage and barbaric option presented to them, instead of the civil and tame option; they associated the former option with masculinity, something that they had a dire need to prove that they had, and the latter option, femininity, something that they’d kill for rather than to be associated with. While the fictional boys in Lord of the Flies, acted like this when the book was written in 1954, sadly, real men continue to act like this in 2017.