People who disregard human life in order to increase their own power and dominance over others are often accused of “lacking humanity;” however, this desire is the most human thing about them. Human nature is often described as a benevolent force that compels us to do good and be selfless, but William Golding suggests otherwise in his novel Lord of the Flies. Initially, the boys attempt to maintain the rules of society they are accustomed to, but overtime, their innate need for dominance, either in the form of power or violence, increases, transforming the boys, or at least the ones that are not killed, into savages. By the end of the novel, no remnant of society exists among the boys. Jack’s, Ralph’s, and Roger’s desires for domination throughout
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As leader of the hunters, Jack is tasked to find and kill pigs. Overtime, he becomes obsessed with his new role, and his carnal craving to kill increases. Initially, Jack is an inefficient hunter, as his civility compels him not to kill, but he willingly gives up this aspect of himself in order to satisfy his desire to dominate the pig. After he covered himself with paint similar to that of a warrior, “He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” (64), allowing Jack to easily to kill the pig. In order to fulfill his desire kill to the pig, Jack had to forfeit what society has taught him and embrace a new, tribal side of his identity. Killing the pig temporarily fulfills Jack’s need to dominate, but makes him a savage in the process. This desire only increases, making him more of a savage overtime. While Jack continues to hunt pigs, his jealousy of Ralph’s power increases. His desire for total power and domination motivates him to split from the main group of survivors along with his mob of choirboys turned hunters. Unlike Ralph, who is a democratic leader, Jack is a dictator with total power who exerts his dominance using violence. Realizing that Ralph has the upper hand as his band of survivors is unable to create fire, Jack makes the decision to steal the only source of ignition on the …show more content…
Roger avoids the main conflict of power between Ralph and Jack, but by the end of the novel his relentless desire to kill and cause harm to others far trumps Ralph and Jack’s need to control the island. When Ralph spats with Jack over Piggy’s glasses, Roger “with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever” (180), causing a boulder to push Piggy into his unfortunate grave in the sea. By killing Piggy, Roger breaks one of the most important virtues of society – do not kill. Roger decides to kill Piggy, whose physical limitations prohibit him from being a threat to any of the others, not to protect himself or even gain power, but to fulfill his irrational desire to kill. Roger is eager and excited to end Piggy’s life, and feels a “delirious abandonment” of society’s rules rather than guilt during the process. Although the boys are rescued shortly after, Roger has stooped to a level of savagery that not even Jack or Ralph has reached. If no one came to rescue the boys, the level of savagery among them would only increase, as the severely weakened society would allow them to uninhibitedly pursue their desires to dominate. Golding uses Roger as an example of this, as Roger easily accomplishes his desires to kill and hurt
As leader of the hunters, Jack is tasked to find and kill pigs. Overtime, he becomes obsessed with his new role, and his carnal craving to kill increases. Initially, Jack is an inefficient hunter, as his civility compels him not to kill, but he willingly gives up this aspect of himself in order to satisfy his desire to dominate the pig. After he covered himself with paint similar to that of a warrior, “He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” (64), allowing Jack to easily to kill the pig. In order to fulfill his desire kill to the pig, Jack had to forfeit what society has taught him and embrace a new, tribal side of his identity. Killing the pig temporarily fulfills Jack’s need to dominate, but makes him a savage in the process. This desire only increases, making him more of a savage overtime. While Jack continues to hunt pigs, his jealousy of Ralph’s power increases. His desire for total power and domination motivates him to split from the main group of survivors along with his mob of choirboys turned hunters. Unlike Ralph, who is a democratic leader, Jack is a dictator with total power who exerts his dominance using violence. Realizing that Ralph has the upper hand as his band of survivors is unable to create fire, Jack makes the decision to steal the only source of ignition on the …show more content…
Roger avoids the main conflict of power between Ralph and Jack, but by the end of the novel his relentless desire to kill and cause harm to others far trumps Ralph and Jack’s need to control the island. When Ralph spats with Jack over Piggy’s glasses, Roger “with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever” (180), causing a boulder to push Piggy into his unfortunate grave in the sea. By killing Piggy, Roger breaks one of the most important virtues of society – do not kill. Roger decides to kill Piggy, whose physical limitations prohibit him from being a threat to any of the others, not to protect himself or even gain power, but to fulfill his irrational desire to kill. Roger is eager and excited to end Piggy’s life, and feels a “delirious abandonment” of society’s rules rather than guilt during the process. Although the boys are rescued shortly after, Roger has stooped to a level of savagery that not even Jack or Ralph has reached. If no one came to rescue the boys, the level of savagery among them would only increase, as the severely weakened society would allow them to uninhibitedly pursue their desires to dominate. Golding uses Roger as an example of this, as Roger easily accomplishes his desires to kill and hurt