In the novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding, mob mentality is the main factor in the loss of civilization amongst the boys’. Mob Mentality is when people become followers and do what they ordinarily would not do if they were by themselves, instead of in a group. Which happened in this case; Jack felt embarrassed when Ralph scolded him for not catching a pig yet. Jack decided to prove Ralph wrong, which led to the hunters becoming obsessed with killing one. When they did, the hunters started chanting “Kill the pig.
"At once the crowd surged after [him], ...screamed, struck, bit, tore," (Golding 169) these words demonstrate a repercussion of mob mentality. This phenomenon refers to the behaviours that one exhibits when in a group situation or mindset. Besides literature, it can be seen in everyday such as the riots in Vancouver or the short-lived popular trends. But how does this occur in the first place? Well, the existence of mob mentality in the modern world and in Golding's Lord of the Flies both suggest that the situation occurs because people are influenced by by their peers, the environment, and by their emotions.
Mob mentality is the unique characteristics that occur in a large group (Smith). Mob mentality causes people to take in the ways of the group, despite their own ideas or concepts (Edmonds). When a large group congregates and is upset about a certain thing, a lead rioter can fling a whole group into a state of rage (Edmonds). Often times, people take part in a mob after a comprehended unfairness to cause destruction and steer clear of recognition (Edmonds). Another reason many take part in a mob is to achieve a group goal (Edmonds).
Mob mentality is a term used to describe how certain negative characteristics surface when people are combined in large groups (Smith). Mobs usually portray an aggressive image, since people feed off of other’s negative emotions toward the victim of the mob. People were influenced by mob mentality for many reasons. Being apart of a mob alters people’s thinking, since they feel invincible whilst in the middle of a mob (Edmonds). People think that if they are in a group of people they will not be held responsible for the crime being committed (Edmonds).
William Golding once said “We have disharmony in our very natures. We cannot live together without injuring each other.” William Golding firmly belied that humans are totally depraved beings. This view is rather clearly portrayed in his book Lord of the Flies. William Golding’s beliefs about the total depravity on man were shaped by his experiences during World War II.
Mob Mentality could play a major role in the book “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding because of its specific group context. First, to begin with, being in a group can make people do things they otherwise would not do. In the context of the book, if the group began bullying one boy it would be easy to take it too far and injure the boy as no one in the group would feel responsible. I believe the lack of responsibility caused by mob mentality is one of the biggest dangers in “The Lord of the Flies.” The second way it relates to the book is, the tendency mob mentality gives people to copy the people around them.
Lee also shows the real-life issue of mob mentality. Mob mentality is when people act in contrast from their normal self while in a group of people. Studies have confirmed that people act differently in a group to fit in, because they are emotional and angry (Edmonds). People also think that if they act out in a group, they are less likely to get caught (Edmonds). Numerous characters in the book To Kill a Mockingbird have experienced mob mentality in one way or another.
William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies is about a group of young boys, aged around 6-12, that crash land on an uninhabited island, and without adults, they fail miserably. In E.L Epstein’s article “NOTES ON LORD OF THE FLIES” Golding reveals in his novel that the flaws in human nature lead to a flawed society; which is seen in society (Epstein par. 3). Lord of the Flies provides an example of how imperfections in human nature start to surface when people are in a groups. One imperfection is their tendency to do violent and demeaning things as a mob.
In this world, some people already know what mob mentality is, but some people don’t know what it is, so now I will tell them what is mob mentality. Mob mentality is when people get influence from a group and turn that people to violent. In a large group, people who have mob mentality usually have the same behavior and characteristic as another. Mob mentality makes people feels aggressive which means crazy and chaotic which means confuse in a group. Other people also use herd behavior and herd mentality to tell their similarity behavior.
According to Source C, social psychology gives us that deindividuation, identity, emotions, acceptability, anonymity, and diffusion of responsibility are prominent causes of mob mentality. It also says that “the larger the group or crowd, the more likely there will be deindividuation and diffusion of responsibility.” Deindividuation is the phenomenon that when people are in a crowd, they lose their consciousness and their everyday personality. According to Source D, this is “what compels people to do things in a group setting that they would never do on their own.” Source E infers that a “human’s natural desire to be included and accepted as part of the majority” causes this to happen.
When people are in a group, they feel more anonymous, and less likely to be caught doing something wrong. A concept that Arthur Miller shows clearly in The Crucible. According to the article this causes people to feel superior and untouchable. As the “grouping” article states “They may also feel a diminished sense of personal responsibility for collective actions.” Because of a person’s fear of being responsible for wrong doing, indulging in such groups makes them feel as though they will not be caught or they feel seemingly invincible from penalty.
The issue of mob mentality happens frequently as people depend too much on one another and easily get influenced by what the majority of the people think and decide. The internal or hidden pressure among the group is another factor that leads to why people follow the majority. As everyone started to change when “All at once the crowd swayed towards the island and were gone-following Jack. Even the tiny kids went and did their best among the leaves and broken branches” (Golding 38). Once Jack had become a stubborn dictator, one by one people started to follow him.
Mob mentality occurs in The Lord of the Flies, especially when order is given to a group of people. “All at once the crowd swayed towards the island and were gone-following Jack. Even the tiny kids went and did their best among the leaves and broken branches” (Golding 38). This passage is showing leadership. The reader are also showing how Jack is the leader and everyone follows him and his orders.
Medical Experiments During Holocaust by SS During The Holocaust, SS performed a number of experiments on jews, experiments like, “hot Bath” in which the victim would be placed in a tub of water, then the water would slowly be heated, some victims died from shock. Other tests were more extreme, almost like torture like “the Sun Lamp” which a victim would be placed under a sun lamp until most of their skin would burn off, some people believe this to be the worst experiment. To sum up the experiment, they were testing the “boiling point” if you will of human skin. “Heinrich Himmler suggested to Dr. Rascher that he try to use women to warm the frozen men. He suggested that the victim and a woman copulate.
Human behaviors are easy to be changed by the experiences and environment. As the time passes by, the changed behaviors can be worse or better than before. However, most people become worse because of the specific experiences in their life time. In Lord of the Flies, the changes of behavior are occurred obviously in the characters of Jack, Roger, and Ralph.
