How Is Adversity Shown In Lord Of The Flies

Humans have always faced adversity that they have had to overcome in order to get ahead and accomplish something. Lord of the Flies by William Golding depicts a story of several kids, from ages six through kids in their late teens, which find themselves alone on an island where they have to survive. Throughout the story, the characters show how they overcame adversity in order to be rescued from the island. Certain words are used to show the main themes of the story and how they characters felt as they found themselves longer and longer on the island. Several word that are found in the book can help show the progression and concepts that are found in the book, but the three that stood out were society that was symbolized by leadership and the

William Golding writes, “Even the smallest boys, unless fruit claimed them, brought pieces of wood and threw them in.” (Golding 57). Here the author shows how when the community has their mind set on a common goal they can prevail and overcome the odds. They built a fire on top of a mountain by splitting the tasks and as a result the got a form of light, heat, signaling, and cooking. When they were able to agree on a common goal, they were able to accomplish great things, which emphasizes the importance to coming together as a society. However, when they agree on what to do and come together they would not achieve anything and would put themselves in a deeper and deeper hole. On page 99 Ralph, the main character, says, “‘There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out.’” (Golding 99). Jack, the one in charge of the fire, responded by saying, “We needed meat.” (Golding 99). Jack disobeyed the leader’s direction and as a result, they found themselves stuck on the island that they could have left. In this event, their unity and trust broke causing them to miss opportunities that might not come

On page 45 Ralph says, “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking… We’ll have rules.” (Golding 45). Since the beginning, they make rules to keep the society organized and controlled. The conch enforces this idea by showing that in order to speak the person must have the conch and when the conch breaks, the idea is further enforced. Golding writes, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” (Golding 260). Golding puts these two events, Piggy dying and the conch breaking, together to show that this was what helped keep the society in order as Piggy provided the brains and the conch-symbolized law and order. The conch breaking at the same time as Piggy dying makes the reader see that the society is falling apart as rules are not being followed and the society is going out of