More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on violence in lord of the flies
Savagery and civilization in lord of the flies
Savagery and civilization in lord of the flies
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
"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.
Cut her throat. Spill her blood”(69). This chant is violent and cruel as Jack finally gets the kill he was looking for. The boys', specifically Jack's, violent and aggressive behavior while murdering the pig and their lack of concern for it shows
In the novel Lord of the Flies mob mentality is seen in many instances of inhumane behavior and abnormal behavior. When the boys were voting for a leader, “Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air”(23). Piggy did not want to vote for Ralph but since everyone was raising their hand, he did so as well. It was against his interest and natural instinct but he followed what everyone did since he did not want to stand out.
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.
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.
Little boys from the ages of 6-12 display the effects of mob mentality to hide behind their morality. Golding’s experience in World War 2 had drastically changed his view on society and wrote Lord of the Flies to highlight the evils of society. In the book, six to twelve year old boys get stranded on an island with no adult supervision and decide to call a meeting. Ralph, the elected leader, was voted in and lays the framework for their civilized/moral society. He stood for civilization, and attempting to keep a fire up as a smoke signal so they could be found.
Masks, Mantras, and Misleaders: Studying Mob Mentality in Lord of the Flies In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, an intriguing theme is examined throughout the novel: the hazardous nature of a social phenomenon called mob mentality. In a summarized definition of the term, mob mentality is the tendency of individuals to conform to the actions of a larger group. During scenes depicting mob mentality, the boys are detached from their identities and can avoid taking responsibility for their actions as they participate in the group activity. The inclination toward such tendencies is exhibited in multiple scenes in the novel that become increasingly aggressive and violent.
Briella Schleis English 9 Mr. Swalheim Hour 8 Innocence at Risk Mob mentality and peer pressure tend to persuade someone to do things even when they do not want to, just to fit in. The process of people, any age falling into peer pressure or having a mob mentality… interchanges them. Losing the label of being known as innocent could really bring down people's views about someone, and what goes around about them compared to if vis stick to ones beliefs, values, and interests. This does not mean going out of vis refuge, however, it is really just about owning individuality no matter what people say about vis.
Mob mentality has often the power to try and do things people never dare to; since it is a whole group, not a single individual, and within it, the evil is easily exposed to nature. For example, “‘The chant rose a tone in agony “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!’”(Golding 152). The group Jack managed to control became a mob, so the kids did not have a choice but to follow.
William Golding uses the theme that humans are naturally bad at heart, in the book Lord of the Flies to highlight that without the order and respect we choose to live our daily lives with our human nature will ultimately take us into chaos and savagery. Morals are what we choose to live by, this is what keeps us accountable. Morals do not appear overnight. Overtime they are ingrained throughout our childhood. Giving us a sense of right and wrong.
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.
In the book Lord of the Flies, there were two small societies. The main one, which will be the one focused on, was made in the beginning. It was established with rules from the beginning. That then built the social hierarchy that is the group. There are different jobs and positions, these are what separates everybody and made the social hierarchy in Lord of the Flies.
In society, there are many standards that people must uphold to. In western society, it is uncommon for men to have long hair or for women to have short hair. Naturally, people will be conscientious of their differences between other people and try to change them or cover them up, and often times people who do not follow the standard are looked down upon. This leads to people trying to fit into the groups around them almost thoughtlessly. However, when people conform without thinking, it can lead to dangerous consequences.
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.
Throughout the novel of Lord of the Flies, William Golding provides a profound insight into human nature. Golding builds on a message that all human beings have natural evil inside them. To emphasize, the innate evil is revealed when there’s lack of civilization. The boys are constantly faced with numerous fears and eventually break up into two different groups. Although the boys believe the beast lives in the jungle, Golding makes it clear that it lurks in their hearts.
