Cold War Vs Lord Of The Flies Essay

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In 1954, the novel Lord of the Flies was published by author William Goldberg. The novel told the story of a group of British boys crash landing onto an uninhabited island. Power struggles emerged between the two main leaders, Jack and Ralph. Jack tried a more dictatorial approach to how to try and control the boys. While Ralph used a democratic approach with the end goal in mind of getting rescued (Golding, 142). The time Golding published his novel, 1954, a time of tension called the cold war was in full swing after World War Two. On one side was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic which was ruled by the dictator Joseph Stalin a year before the publication (History.com Staff). The other side of the tension was the United States …show more content…

The cold war ties into Lord of the Flies. Two takes on power and control were given. On one hand, Jack represented a selfish dictatorial system. He had an extreme demand for respect, he was willing to harm in order to strike fear in his group, and his group’s practice of a savage-like dance shows a more autocratic system. Then on the other hand, Ralph represents the polar opposite, representing a democratic system. Ralph implored the idea that everyone had a right to speak, he also encouraged a homey atmosphere, furthermore he tried desperately to get rescued. These two contrasts, teach a very different way of power and control. Jack’s way shows a way of life with meat and with a safe society (Golding, 152). Although, the group will leave and fear and can be hurt. This way being more of the natural order of humanity. Ralph’s way shows a way of life with everyone voicing their opinion and with a homey atmosphere. Nonetheless, there is a lack of meat and security in Ralph’s way of life, and this way is more reformed and structured. Again this all ties back to what is taught by Lord of the Flies. Two ideas are presented for the reader to decide which form of government is better. Each side has its pros and its cons. Nevertheless, Lord of the Flies provides an argument for both the