Conflicted Forces In Lord Of The Flies

“Conflicted Forces”

In Lord Of The Flies, William Golding uses distinctive characters that share different morals and views about civilization and nature. In Chapters 1-3 of Lord Of The Flies, Golding uses Piggy and the group of boys as “two continents of experience, unable to communicate” who find themselves “in love and hate” (55). Piggy and the group of boys are all facing the same problems on the island: need of food, shelter, and rescue. However Piggy is the only that seems to know what they should be doing. When the boys make the unreflective decision to make a signal, and soon start a fire on the island, Piggy was the only one to realize that “ the first thing... [they] ought to have made was shelters” (45). The boys are impulsive with

He finds himself limited in contrast to the other boys. He can’t swim, unlike Ralph who takes pleasure in his swimming skills. These characteristics establish his weaknesses, and result in his incapability to assume leadership roles. Moreover, Piggy silences his opinions in hope that the boys will include and accept him in their activities. When Ralph is building the shelters with Simon, Piggy instead is off with the other boys. This action symbolizes his lust of acceptance from the boys. Piggy decides to play, rather than working to finish the shelters, because he wants to participate with the others. Although Piggy is the most mature one, he follows the majority of the group. He takes on this role to avoid being an outcast. Another instance of the characters’ aspect of being in love, displays itself through Piggy’s specs. Although the boys do not respect Piggy, the boys depend on him. Piggy’s specs serve as an instant way to make a fire for the boys. Ralph also takes in Piggy’s advice on blowing the conch in the beginning of the novel, and building shelters for the group. In conclusion these examples aid in representing Golding’s concept of “two continents of experience, unable to communicate” that lie “in love and hate”