How Does Golding Use Power In Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding in 1954, shows that evil is an inescapable consequence of human nature, manifested when humans are manipulated by fear and driven by the desperation to survive. This triggers the innate response in humans to act in a savage manner, as demonstrated in Lord of the Flies where Golding illustrates this concept of unrestrained evil through a young group of boys. This is shown through human’s possession of power, withdrawal from society and decision to act upon self interests. Power allows evil to surface in humans through its acquisition and use when fear and survival instincts are integrated. Throughout the novel, the constant struggle for power is clearly established, resulting in an overthrow of

Society separates the savage instincts within humans, without which our innate evil emerges. The effect of the boy’s sudden freedom can be explored in the characterisation of Jack and Ralph. Jack is portrayed as impulsive and power seeking where his reoccurring loss of leadership creates tension and heightens his desire to take Jack’s power. Initially, Jack grasps the necessity for society, but this disappears as he embraces hunting as leverage to influence the other boys. “Jack began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling,” uses imagery to correlate his actions to an animal’s, showing the early effects of limitless boundaries on humans. The later shift of leadership to Jack highlights the impetuous decisions humans make to ensure survival. Just before the conch is shattered, the personification of power and authority in “power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder,” shows the simplicity for Jack to rule revealing his intimidation. On the other hand, Ralph is presented as sensible and rational where his ability to adhere to social morality, “I’ve got to have time to think things out,” demonstrates civility. However, he too becomes enthralled by the experience of hunting and killing due to society’s disappearance. The metaphor, “something flittered there in front of his mind like a bat’s wing.,” signifies the island’s influence on everyone, including Ralph. He lets the island and its freedom manipulate his mind, conveying that, without society, humans are subject to act savagely from which evil arises. Therefore, evil will surface in humans in conditions without society when persuaded by fear and survival