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Bystander Theory In Lord Of The Flies

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Recommended: Perspectives approaching bystander effect

Enter the world of an undiscovered island full of running children--the remaining survivors from a plane crash who struggle through their days figuring out how to get rescued. As time goes on the importance of being rescued is forgotten and selfish actions arise. The behavior of the survivors have more in common with psychological theories than just plain savagery. Focusing on three theories--the bystander effect, altruism and the social exchange theory, all connect with the novel and current human issues. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there are many instances demonstrating the bystander effect: a social psychological experience where an individual, usually placed in a group, is less motivated towards a goal to benefit …show more content…

Whether it’s volunteering at a homeless shelter, picking up trash or donating to a good cause, these are all examples of altruistic deeds accomplished to better improve the quality of an individual’s life without any selfish grants or gains in return. The same respect goes to Simon, who in Lord of the Flies displays the most altruistic characteristics as he stays true from the beginning and end of the book. Simon, instead of spending his hours in nature like he wants to, remains by Ralph to build shelter, and even assisting in feeding the littluns, finding “fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest...passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands… The littluns watched him inscrutably over double handfuls of ripe fruit”(56). In addition, when Jack gets his first kill Simon gives away his food when Piggy is excluded. Given the points here, Simon is a character in Lord of the Flies that plays an important, yet quiet role. Often represented as an angelic individual who serves others as needed, and isn’t biased. The evidence of Simon’s altruistic deeds is meaningful because children are selfish, yet Simon is the opposite: without bias, he serves sincerely anyways. In the same way, teachers in modern society do the most to educate and help strengthen growing generations, yet they’re underappreciated and underpaid. Like Simon, who should’ve been more respected for the things he did and sacrificed, teachers deserve the same respect as people in higher occupations. In the article “There’s No Excuse for Low Teacher Pay” by Lisette Partelow, a survey concerning teachers displayed that even though the pay is low, the most desired change is the working environment, despite the fact that the average teacher salary hasn’t raised for 15 years--allowing for even workers without college degrees, like truckers and flight attendants, to earn more. “Teachers report that

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Witness behavior had a large effect on the actions of the boy in the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding. There are many instances throughout the book that lead to the findings of John Darley and Bibb Latane experiments. For example, when all the boys choose Piggy as their target, that was social influence pushing them into becoming a bystander. Many of the situations the boys face are impacted by social influence or diffusion of responsibility. It is through these effects that the boys change, and react in ways they never would have, if not for the influence and diffusion around them .

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Simon is one of the most loyal characters in the novel. Simon is the lone one that helps Ralph build the shelters when the other boys are distracted hunting pigs. When everyone else left Ralph to join Jack’s tribe, Simon, along with Piggy, stays loyal to Ralph. Simon is regarded as one of the wisest and intelligent people in the novel. His wiseness is proven when the character realizes the truth about the beast.

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Every day many of us are faced with the question, “Should I step in and help?”. Some of us immediately think yes and jump in to help, while others believe it is better to keep walking. The bystander effect happens when a person does not stop and help because they think someone else will. In these situations, some people stand up and respond to the crisis, because they are not worried about what will happen to them, but what will happen to the person in crisis instead. In the novel Night and the poem “The Hangman”, the bystander effect took place because people were afraid to bring attention to themselves.

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The Peer Pressure Factor of Lord of the Flies William Golding’s Lord of the Flies paints two stark and opposing images of reality. On the one hand, the novel suggests that certain characters have venerable attitudes, making them seem like the protagonists, like Simon or Piggy. This can be seen from the motivating forces behind Simon’s decisions, or by the civilized behavior portrayed by Piggy. On the other hand, the novel also suggests that a deep built-in mechanism exists in every human being, one that prioritizes survival over morality. Just by observation, the novel demonstrates Jack’s exercise of hunting instincts, his combat of the social recourse from Ralph, his influence on everyone else to join him, and his eventual takeover of the

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Simon was the epitome of innocence, because he never wanted to hurt anyone. He also tried to be on everyone’s side and looked out for the rest of the group. He believed that everyone had the best intentions, and was intuitive to the other’s emotions. For example, after Piggy confronted Ralph, Ralph was embarrassed, so Simon tried to help by, “stroking Ralph’s arm shyly”(Golding 25). He wanted to let Ralph know that he thought he made the right choice and was willing to support him.

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