Childhood And Adolescence In Lord Of The Flies

In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding the author portrays that children are not completely innocent. Golding’s representation of childhood and adolescence also shows us the attitudes children have towards participating in work. In Lord of the Flies Golding portrays that children are not completely innocent. Golding shows us that children are not completely innocent when the boys always choose to engage themselves in things that pleasure them such as playing in the water rather than doing work. The children also prove that they are not entirely innocent

During the majority of the story the school boys are supposed to be spending time working on building fires, hunting for food or building shelters to sleep in but they choose to play instead. One major part of the story that really shows us the attitudes children have towards working is when almost all of the boys choose to leave Ralph’s hard working group to go join Jack’s group to play and have fun. In conclusion, the children would rather choose to engage themselves in things that give them pleasure rather than do hard work that could potentially increase their chances of survival and being rescued. Due to the lack of adult supervision Golding shows us that children tend to lose track of their innocence. Without any source of adult supervision on the island the children are left with no other option but to look for leadership and authority from another child. For instance, in Lord of the Flies the boys choose Ralph to become chief (Golding 22). Throughout time on the island the children begin to become more and more violent towards one another. Without authority from an adult the children become dangerous and begin to be a threat to each