Hobbes Lord Of The Flies Literary Analysis

Great Essays
I believe that they boys in the Lord of the Flies would have stilled fallen into the State of Nature even if the boys were accompanied by their mothers mothering. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, we see a group of schoolboys from Great Britain who’s plane has crashed landed on an unhabituated island. The pilots are killed in the plane crash leaving the schoolboys stranded on the island without an adult present amoung the them. They are left with the task of trying to survive in the island in a human and civilized way without the boys falling into the State of Nature. The boys will gradually descend down into a State of Nature and splitting into two tribes. One tribe will represent a group of boys trying to preserve …show more content…
First and foremost, the only way that the boys can create fire on the island is through Piggy’s glasses. His glasses ultimately becomes a symbol in the novel as it symbolizes science and innovation in society. Hobbes’s theory proclaims that every human has the right to everything on earth and will create conflict within every human since they are trying to get everything for themselves. The theory can be implied in the novel when Jack’s group goes on an attacks Ralph’s group and takes Piggy’s glasses which is the only source for fire. Which then leaves Ralph’s group without the ability to create any fire within their own group. Conflict is then created within the group of boys when Ralph and Piggy visit Jack’s group in attempt to get Piggy’s glasses back which then Piggy is killed by the boulder in which Roger pushed. This is a clearly showing Hobbe’s State of Nature as Jack tries to take the ability to make fire from Ralph which then create conflict with the boys leading to Piggy’s …show more content…
The first “law” they proclaim, is that whomever holds the conch shell is the only one who is allowed to speak in the meetings they have. The conch shell becomes a symbol of authority on the island since for the only who possess the conch shell in their hands, is the only allowed to speak. Furthermore, they hold an election within each other to elect a leader for the group. This scene holds evidence in an attempt to be civilized group of humans and not at like uncivilized humans for the are trying to place some ground rules. The boys are attempting to show Virginias Held care theory by them creating or attempting to create rules like of that of a society. Ralph is elected as leader of the group; however, Jack thinks he would make a better leader so in reaction to the results, Jack breaks off from the group to go and create a different group on the other side of the island. At this point in the novel, Jack’s group start to fall into savagery or the State of Nature whereas Ralph group tries to preserve the laws they proclaimed in the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Later, they kill their first pig, changing the hunting group's mental state from a civilized perspective to a savage perspective. Then, the group begins to split; those who were once following Ralph turn to Jack out of fear because of his hostile nature. Soon, they began to kill off those who didn't agree with them. First, Simon was mistaken by for the beast and killed by the rest of the group. Later Piggy was killed, when Roger pushed a boulder off the mountainside.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Society as we know it is very civilized and organized, or so we think it is. Nothing is more fragile than society, so we use other means to keep it stable. Savagery will inevitably take over resulting in the deterioration of knowledge without successful intervention of a higher power. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, savagery takes over the boy’s society as they lose their knowledge of the society they all were once a part of. The knowledge deteriorates as the group of boys move more towards savagery and they cannot escape this rapid change without the help of higher power.…

    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Albert Camus says, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” William Golding wrote the Lord of the Flies, a story that’s set during World War II. In the Lord of the Flies proper British boys get shot down in a plane and crash on a mysterious Island. The island is a symbol of Eden. When the young boys realize that there aren’t any grownups on the island, they cheer, but future anarchy and a struggle of power shift throughout the novel expressing a need for an authoritarian figure.…

    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lord of the Flies by William Golding is classic loss of innocence novel that has been taught in schools for decades, and will continue to be taught for years to come. A group of young boys crash land on an island with no supervision and are stranded there will little hope of being found or rescued. In the book, William Golding uses a dangerous island setting, rich symbolism, and a overall extended metaphor to relate the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The island is the first part of the book and a very important one.…

    • 1112 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Which is more important: order and stability or sovereignty? One would anticipate the former, but that is not always the case. Without supervision, people can become erratic. The absence of propriety has consequences. In The Lord of the Flies written by William Golding, Jack’s most important trait is savagery as shown by his actions and words.…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When a group cannot agree, it is impossible to satisfy everyone within its’ needs. In the novel “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, the tribe of boys struggle to accomplish the necessary tasks in order to create civilization. Without universal agreement from the stubborn leaders of the group, the boys cannot survive or create a successful, well-working society. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack, the opposing leaders’, attempt to form a society that ultimately fails because they cannot achieve the necessities for survival. In order to create stability, a group must first establish a leader to create a clear and focused goal.…

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lord of the Flies Essay In the novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, many scholars, critics, and even Ralph (a main character in the novel) have asked, “What causes society to break down on the island?” The answer is believed to be ultimate savageness, the fear of the unknown, and the struggle for power. In the beginning of the novel, Jack is not quite cruel yet.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young British boys are left stranded on an island, after their plane crashed. With no way of escape other than hoping that a passing ship will spy their smoke signal. At first, all is well but as the story progress, so does the boys descent into savagery. Ralph and Piggy try to rein back the boys let loose under Jack’s control. Although it may appear the boys are abandoned on an island, they also make a conscious decision to abandon civilization by committing savage acts and not taking responsibility for their actions.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the Lord of the Flies, the level of maturity that which individuals reach, solemnly relies on the experiences they have encountered and in what ways do they react. Ralph having to lead the group in reasonable thought expresses the maturity that was gained. The impact of killing and the deaths of living creatures resembled the loss of innocence in the novel. The boys having to encounter the deaths of their close friends and having to persevere through those times, signifies the change from their juvenile ways. Due to the isolation the boys were placed in on the island, they gained maturity from having to hold leadership and think for them selves, as well as encounter death.…

    • 1596 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Tyler Lin Ms. Cler World Core 14 October 2015 The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself Humankind has evolved over the course of millions of years, advancing from an early hominid to the modern image of man. The human race has come considerably far, and what helped them get this far were their complex brains, utilitarian inventions, and communicative societies. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of English schoolboys are stranded on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean.…

    • 1616 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Hobbes Lord Of The Flies

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Nathan Ang Ms. Cler World Core Lit October 9th, 2015 Hobbes’ Ideas Within Lord of the Flies The majority of mankind, especially adolescents, have felt an inexplicable urge towards violence and uncivilization. Humans constantly crave violence, as boxing is one of the most entertaining and violent sports. War is the product of human hunger for power, and results solely the devastation of society and civilization. Thomas Hobbes, an Enlightenment philosopher, includes the concept of mankind’s natural “desire of power” in his most prominent work, the Leviathan (Hobbes).…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Right off the bat, the boys attempt to set up an organized system, but at the…

    • 1123 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Golding uses the conch shell as a symbol to illustrate the deterioration of the boys and more specifically, their government. The conch symbolizes…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After a while they realized that the conch didn’t mean power, food did, and I could get them that food. Everyone came to join my tribe except for Ralph, Piggy, Samneric, and Simon.” With a maniacal chuckle I added another bit of information, “But Simon wasn’t around long after I made my own tribe.” “Were these boys your friends? What happened to Simon?”…

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Laura Hart Mr. Fornshell & Ms. McClure Humanities 150 February 2017 Who has the power? In Charles Johnson’s, Middle Passage, the difference between Hobbes’ and Locke’s views of government are well illustrated in the story. Hobbes’ belief that an absolute monarch is the best way to maintain a peaceful society is very similar to what Falcon believes about the leadership of the Republic.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays