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Power In Lord Of The Flies

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Lord of the Flies Essay : Rough Draft

Man is a very convoluted creature who has a wide variety of complex needs; however, there is one demand that all of man desires, that is, power. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding portrays power as an influential force used in a number of ways depending on the intention of it's user; however, the more effective and prevalent use of power will ultimately end up being evil. This is shown through the use of symbols such as the conch and the sow’s head, the juxtaposition of Ralph and Jack’s authority as well as through foreshadowing the future abuse of control and influence. One central aspect in Lord of the Flies is obtaining power. At the beginning of the novel, the finding and using of the conch displays how it is a very critical means of obtaining power and Piggy is the first person to determine this. Similarly, it is decided that whoever holds the conch has the authority to speak and thus …show more content…

The reasoning behind Henry doing this is not simply to have fun, but rather to satisfy his own needs and enforce his power upon other inferior creatures. He treats these powerless critters as if they are his soldiers or slaves. This action of Henry acknowledges the propensity of mankind to regulate and rule over others by imposing his own will on them. Additionally, the fact that a Littlun is exhibiting such a primitive behaviour even further exemplifies how this is present within all forms of man. This passage not only depicts man’s lust for power, but also foreshadows how Jack and Roger utilise their power later on in the story. For example, this passage directly foreshadows the torturing of SamnEric and Wilfred as they are both weaker than Jack and Roger. Foreshadowing, which is used as a tool of insight, gives the reader knowledge regarding the boy's’ thoughts on how power should be used to control others and overall reveals man's lust for power no matter what the

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