Mob Mentality In Lord Of The Flies

Imagine, you are walking down the street to get to work when suddenly, someone suggests that you all start a riot. Everyone else seems eager to do it, and you do not want to be the one to back out, so you decide to do it too. Fast forward one month, and you are sitting alone in a jail cell. Individuals are found in these types of situations every day, and many can not find the courage to voice their opinion for many different reasons. Mob mentality is defined as the inclination that some humans have to be a part of a large group, often neglecting their individual thoughts in the process (Tech Target). Individuals who fall prey to mob mentality adopt the behaviours and actions of the people around them. To fit in with the rest of the group,

Adrenaline is a factor within mob mentality because, although a person may know that what they are doing is wrong, the adrenaline is enough to keep them going without thinking of the consequences. An example of this is in Lord of the Flies when Ralph participated in the murder of Simon. Throughout the book, Ralph had been one of the few people who had been friends with Simon, but as he got caught up in the thrill of killing him, he was quick to forget how wrong it really was. The day after Simon died, Ralph regretted killing him. It is easy to understand how Ralph could not overcome the adrenaline rush that came from the murder, and how, in the end, he could not even remember why he killed Simon when he says “I wasn’t scared. I was- I don’t know what I was” (Golding 173). Next, throughout Lord of the Flies, Ralph often commented on how he thought it was very dumb how much time Jack and the hunters spent trying to kill a pig. Ralph never understood the adrenaline rush that Jack got from chasing it down, and then killing it. But, it is easier to understand Jack’s obsession with hunting the pigs when the novel says: “His mind clouded with the memories; memories that had come with 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, taken away

To summarize, the dangers of mob mentality include loss of accountability, which is shown with the Sacramento shooting, which resulted in the loss of several lives, the dangers of the New York City Blackout, ending in looting and vandalism all throughout New York, and in The Lord of the Flies, which resulted in the boys carrying out atrocious acts. Mob mentality also causes an individual to lose their critical thinking skills, which is seen within friend groups in real life, resulting in individuals going against their beliefs, it’s also seen in the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which resulted in the loss of several lives, and lastly, its shown in Lord of the Flies, as the boys blindly follow Jack’s instructions, and give in to the mob mentality. Finally, a danger of mob mentality includes the adrenaline rush, thrill, and power that comes from carrying out the acts in the mob. Examples of this include, Ralph participating in the murder of Simon in Lord of the Flies, Jack being able to go against morals and kill pigs in Lord of the Flies, and Jenn admitting that she remained in a gang because she loved the thrill. In conclusion, mob mentality is extremely dangerous but also easy to be dragged into. Know the dangers before you are herded into mob