Complex Brain In Lord Of The Flies

For millions of years, humans have had the trait of having a complex brain that allows us to make cognitive decisions and produce advanced thoughts that no other living creature can fabricate. However, this feature has been both a gift and a curse to human civilization. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the curse of having a complex brain is clearly demonstrated. The novel takes place in the 1940s and starts by introducing the reader to a group of boys, aged eight to thirteen years old, who after surviving a plane crash, are forced to live on an island by themselves with no adult supervision or guardianship. Throughout the novel, the fear and savage nature of the boys become progressively more and more problematic and lead to several

The internal fear of the unknown introduced through the developing theory of a beast living amongst the boys on the island greatly contributes to a rise in fear and savage nature among the children. During an assembly among the boys, Ralph brings forwards the growing idea of a possible beast living on the island. After calling forward Phil, a young child who claims to have seen the beast, Ralph thoroughly questions him regarding what he saw. Phil, still petrified from his experience, answers by claiming that he saw “something moving among the trees, something big and horrid” (Golding, Lord 85). While Phil’s statement is later claimed to be false, it gives way to a fear that erupts deep inside the boys, the fear of the unknown. Even though there is no evidence truly proving that a beast is living amongst them on the island, the boys see it fit to take every precaution necessary to ensure their safety. They make spears to

After going off on his own and killing a pig, Jack decides to make an offer to the other boys in order to try and convince them to join his new, savage-natured tribe. After returning to his old camp, Jack announces, “Tonight we’re having a feast. We’ve killed a pig and we’ve got meat. You can come and eat with us if you like” (Golding, Lord 140). This offer made by Jack is very convincing and greatly influences the other boys. Several of the boys, even though they know it may not be the smartest or best decision, go to this feast and join Jack’s tribe, condemning them to the inevitable savagery. However, these decisions can be understandable because after performing several tests on the brains of a variety of teenagers, B.J. Casey, a scientist at the school of Cornell University, found that when making decisions, adolescent children are often conflicted between choosing what is rewarding and what is morally right. B.J. Casey explains that “Although teens can make good decisions, “in the heat of the moment — even when they know better,” the reward system can outmuscle the master planner. That can lead to poor decisions” (qtd. in Mascarelli). While going off and joining Jack’s tribe is not a smart or good decision, many of the boys decide to do it anyways. Jack has something that the boys crave above all else, meat. This object is