Isolation In Lord Of The Flies

What happens to a group of young, preteen boys while stranded on an island? William Golding expresses this through his novel, Lord of the Flies. Often children are considered dependent and helpless, but while on an island they become adult-like. They face an adult situation and in some ways become adults. They are forced to make major decisions and build strong relationships, two things you’re your average elementary school boy could not pull off. They make their own choices, both positive and negative, and create their own rules and government. This leads to too much freedom for the boys, and it forces them to make some awfully detrimental choices. The boys have fallen to the pressure of isolation, for example Jack and his boys have killed

They have lost all sight, and completely forgot that they’re trying to be rescued. Unsurprisingly, they end up killing another boy. This mostly affects Jack and his group, because they are focused on hunting and partying. Throughout the entire book, Jack is too focused on killing and controlling the others that he absolutely forgets about wanting to be rescued. Because of this, the boys have become bloodthirsty savages, they all chant, "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!" (152). In a flurry of violence, the boys mistake Simon for a beast and kill him. Simon was recently hallucinating and stumbles into the circle of savages. They chant around him and believe that he is a ‘beast’. After this many of the boys including Jack, fail to recognize that they murdered Simon. The only sensible boys are Ralph and Piggy. Inevitably, Roger is controlled by his wraith, described as ‘delirious abandonment’. He springs Jack’s trap, a boulder, killing Piggy. "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" (181). Roger could not resist the urge to launch the boulder down the hill and kill yet another boy. The boys have lost all control of their actions, becoming even more uncouth and

Jack, especially, is blinded by his pride. He believes he should be treated like a god, and the boys obey his every command. After they kill a pig, the boys are eating and partying. He receives this treatment, "Before the party had started a great log had been dragged into the center of the lawn and Jack, painted and garlanded, sat there like an idol. There were piles of meat on green leaves near him, and fruit, and coconut shells full of drink" (147). This only creates more problems within their small community. Ralph and Piggy question Jack about how they will survive the rainstorm without shelters. Therefore, because of their over the top party they forget to build shelters, exposing them to the harsh and brutal weather conditions. Jack commands the boys to dance; this gets them into a trance like state. The boys are so deep into this trance that they mistake Simon for a ‘beastie’. Jack’s cockiness has no limits, later on he must display his dominance to Ralph. He orders the boys to tie up Samneric, of course the boys listen. Jack leans into Ralph, quiet and confident, and says, “See? They do what I want” (179). Jack now knows how to get under Ralph’s skin. This creates too much tension; it surprises me the boys make it off of the