In literature, characters' surroundings can affect them greatly. This is especially true in William Golding's Lord of the Flies. The novel's true villain, Roger, is transformed by the island's complete and utter anarchy. As a result, he begins to act upon his sadistic desires. The Island's lack of adult leadership, hunting mentality, and Jack's savage leadership create an environment where Roger's sadistic tendencies can thrive. Roger wastes no time before causing trouble in his new, adult-free environment. When he saw the littluns playing in the sand and building sandcastles, "Roger led the way straight through the castles, kicking them over, burying the flowers, scattering the chosen stones" (Golding 65). Shortly after this, Roger antagonizes
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After Roger flung a stone at the twins, "some source of power began to pulse in Roger's body" (Golding 209). Shortly after this, Roger commits the ultimate unforgivable sin in the novel: he murders Piggy. "...With a sense of delirious abandonment, (Roger) landed all his weight on the lever" (Golding 214), releasing a rock to knock piggy off a forty-foot cliff. Roger's sadistic goals are fully made clear when Sam reveals that "Roger sharpened a stick at both ends" (Golding 225), and intends to behead Ralph. At this point, it is obvious that Roger has completely given in to his sadistic tendencies, and has fully descended into savagery. Roger went from stomping children's sandcastles to cold-blooded murder. While Roger's environment may seem like an incubator for his sadistic behavior, it didn't work entirely in his favor. Roger seemed to take an immediate dislike to Ralph. Roger was the one to challenge Ralph's claim to the title of Chief and called for the boys to "have a vote" (Golding 19). Fortunately, Ralph wins the vote and is able to act as a civilized voice of reason. If he had not, Roger's sadistic leanings might have matured into horrendous acts much earlier in the …show more content…
The methods of torture varied: "Sometimes it was fists, sometimes it was truncheons, sometimes it was steel rods, sometimes it was boots" (Orwell 516), or sometimes it was an especially sadistic, personal method of torture, such as the torture that occurs in room 101. When O'Brian is torturing and brainwashing Winston, O'Brian sheds light on the mentality of Party members, saying, "The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power" (Orwell 566). This quote suggests that agents of the Thought Police take a special, sadistic pleasure in their work. If Roger had existed in the world of Orwell's novel, he would have had a promising career as an agent of the Thought Police. Torturing political prisoners would have been an excellent outlet for his sadistic tendencies. If Roger existed in the world of 1984, he wouldn't need to worry about a character like Ralph threatening his power. As long as Roger worked for the Thought Police, the all-powerful Party would support his
After Roger flung a stone at the twins, "some source of power began to pulse in Roger's body" (Golding 209). Shortly after this, Roger commits the ultimate unforgivable sin in the novel: he murders Piggy. "...With a sense of delirious abandonment, (Roger) landed all his weight on the lever" (Golding 214), releasing a rock to knock piggy off a forty-foot cliff. Roger's sadistic goals are fully made clear when Sam reveals that "Roger sharpened a stick at both ends" (Golding 225), and intends to behead Ralph. At this point, it is obvious that Roger has completely given in to his sadistic tendencies, and has fully descended into savagery. Roger went from stomping children's sandcastles to cold-blooded murder. While Roger's environment may seem like an incubator for his sadistic behavior, it didn't work entirely in his favor. Roger seemed to take an immediate dislike to Ralph. Roger was the one to challenge Ralph's claim to the title of Chief and called for the boys to "have a vote" (Golding 19). Fortunately, Ralph wins the vote and is able to act as a civilized voice of reason. If he had not, Roger's sadistic leanings might have matured into horrendous acts much earlier in the …show more content…
The methods of torture varied: "Sometimes it was fists, sometimes it was truncheons, sometimes it was steel rods, sometimes it was boots" (Orwell 516), or sometimes it was an especially sadistic, personal method of torture, such as the torture that occurs in room 101. When O'Brian is torturing and brainwashing Winston, O'Brian sheds light on the mentality of Party members, saying, "The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power" (Orwell 566). This quote suggests that agents of the Thought Police take a special, sadistic pleasure in their work. If Roger had existed in the world of Orwell's novel, he would have had a promising career as an agent of the Thought Police. Torturing political prisoners would have been an excellent outlet for his sadistic tendencies. If Roger existed in the world of 1984, he wouldn't need to worry about a character like Ralph threatening his power. As long as Roger worked for the Thought Police, the all-powerful Party would support his