Hobbes’ belief in the inherent selfishness of human begins who desire power can clearly be seen when Jack kills his first pig and the boys miss the chance of being rescued. In his most famous work, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes articulates his view on the selfish nature of humans when he writes, “For such is the nature of man, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned; Yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves: For they see their own wit at hand, and other mens at a distance”(Hobbes). Hobbes uses parallel structure to articulate the idea that an individual believes themselves better than all others in a society. Although people may be “more witty”, “more eloquent”
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The parallel structure helps underscore Hobbes’ message about personal beliefs because in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, individuals will always believe themselves to be “better than all others”. This idea is echoed in the novel Lord of the Flies when Jack decides to take the choir boys to hunt for a pig to the detriment of the signal fire. When presented with the fact that Jack’s decisions robbed the boys of a real chance at rescue, he says, “We can light the fire again. You should have been with us, Ralph. We had a smashing time. The twins got knocked over-“(69) The series of short sentences serve to underscore Jack’s excitement about killing his first pig and being able to provide food for the boys. Jack’s easy dismissal of the missed opportunity for rescue because “we can light the fire again” illustrates the selfish nature of human beings which is the core of Hobbes’ philosophy. Jack further illuminates his inner selfish nature when he articulates that the hunters had, “a smashing time”. Jack is focused on fulfilling his inner goal of killing a pig and the fun associated with the activity. He dismisses any other outside considerations regardless of the impact his decisions may have on the fragile society that the boys created
The parallel structure helps underscore Hobbes’ message about personal beliefs because in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, individuals will always believe themselves to be “better than all others”. This idea is echoed in the novel Lord of the Flies when Jack decides to take the choir boys to hunt for a pig to the detriment of the signal fire. When presented with the fact that Jack’s decisions robbed the boys of a real chance at rescue, he says, “We can light the fire again. You should have been with us, Ralph. We had a smashing time. The twins got knocked over-“(69) The series of short sentences serve to underscore Jack’s excitement about killing his first pig and being able to provide food for the boys. Jack’s easy dismissal of the missed opportunity for rescue because “we can light the fire again” illustrates the selfish nature of human beings which is the core of Hobbes’ philosophy. Jack further illuminates his inner selfish nature when he articulates that the hunters had, “a smashing time”. Jack is focused on fulfilling his inner goal of killing a pig and the fun associated with the activity. He dismisses any other outside considerations regardless of the impact his decisions may have on the fragile society that the boys created