Power In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

According to Dr. Wade W. Nobles, "The essence of power is the ability to define someone else's reality and make them live according to that definition as though it were a definition of their own choosing." In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, power is used as a gadget to influence the behaviors of others. Power is attained either by accomplishments or by brutality. Golding shows how humanity is easily corrupted by power. Power often leads to overwhelming of moral of an individual. Beating up of Piggy and breaking his glasses demonstrate power contributing to immoral actions. Since the beginning, the boys have bullied the whiny, intellectual Piggy whenever they needed to feel powerful and important. However, their harassment of Piggy

Complains from a powerless figure about a leader like Jack, drives Jack to violence. “He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach” (Golding 71). As Ralph steps forward to help, “Jack smacked Piggy’s head... Piggy’s glasses flew off and tinkled on the rock [which breaks one of the lenses of his glasses]” (Golding 71). Jack doesn’t stop there, he taunts Piggy by mimicking his “whine and scramble” (Golding 72). Ralph and Jack have a heated conversation afterward. At last, Jack admits his responsibility in the failure of the signal fire, but never apologizes to Piggy. Usually when one is involved in a heated situation, it is natural for one to feel overwhelmed with power because of his desire to justify his actions. It is human instinct to justify one’s actions with one’s own perspective, but we have to make sure that it doesn’t consume us to the point where we lose ourselves. During the fight with Piggy, Jack

Jack’s inhumane nature comes into display again after Simon’s death, as power completely shifts to Jack. He starts punishing boys because of will to show control over others. At one point of the novel, Jack to show off his power orders the boys to “tie Wilfred up and beat him” (Golding 159). Despite of the boys acknowledging the reasons behind, they still follow his order. To enhance his influence and power over the group, Jack uses the boy’s fear of the figures of the beast. With the prominence of the beast, Jack gets the boys more under his rule. Jack tells his tribe that they shall guard against the beast and “take fire from the others [Ralph’s tribe]” (Golding 162). As fire is an essential factor of their survival, Jack desires to attain it to augment his power but knew Ralph and his group held possession over it and was not going to give it away easily. Jack along with Maurice and Roger badly attack Ralph and his companions to take the power of fire, Piggy’s glasses. Jack now had the power over hunting as well as fire, rescue and provision --- the two fundamental needs for survival. Jack, with absolute power, reinforces to atrocities without having anyone to answer to. It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain