Halli Hakanson Mrs. Snider Honors English 9 21 February 2023 Power in Lord of the Flies In William Golding’s Novel, Lord of the Flies, a small-scale representation of real-world society highlights how power affects, and is affected by, different aspects of civilization. This novel depicts the events that take place after a group of young boys are stranded on an island. It explores their attempt at establishing a functioning civilization, especially through the actions of Ralph, the designated leader of the group. When Jack, the antagonist, challenges his ideals and seeks to create a new tribe centered around hunting, many boys turn to savagery, leading to the complete destruction of the island. There are also cases in which vital opportunities …show more content…
He uses the power he wields to wisely lead the boys in an organized fashion. Not only does he give different jobs to all the boys, but he also decides to use a conch shell to call meetings with the group. When meeting with the boys Ralph says, “We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting” (Golding 42). His level headedness allows him to use his authority to develop a set of rules for the boys to follow, which is vital to hold the island together. Many of the boys, being in the unfortunate situation they are, do not have the ability to think rationally. Still, they respect Ralph, whom they chose as the leader, and because he is doing the thinking and decision making, they are able to simply do as they are told. This clearly shows how Ralph used his power in a positive way to create a structured civilization, which is much different than Jack’s …show more content…
When he is not satisfied with Ralph’s leadership, he takes matters into his own hands and imposes not only fear on others, but also makes living like him sound alluring to the boys, so he can grow his tribe. After Jack had come back from successfully hunting his first pig, the novel describes his thoughts saying, “His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taking away its life like a long satisfying drink” (Golding 70). While he has proven to be a power-hungry character from the beginning, this simile is a clear indicator that the pleasure he receives from taking control and even killing is unnatural. After discovering the fulfillment he receives from this, he takes it even further, abandoning Ralph’s tribe, and starting his own, so he can indulge in hunting. He then turns to imposing his authority on humans, so that they do his bidding, which led to the murder of two boys, and later to the burning of the island. Evidently, Jack’s abuse of his position has a catastrophic result and indicates that the use of power with selfish intentions corrupts