Rousseau Lord Of The Flies Essay

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a telling of humanity’s capacity for violence against each other. Consequently, this violence occurs by a group of schoolboys fighting for survival. In Lord of The Flies, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “Social Contract” theory is prevalent in its theme of “the darkness of man’s heart” (Golding 225). Characters, specific plot points, and the focal conflict often reflect the theory with vague or explicit detail.

Firstly, Lord of The Flies’, characters often reflect certain aspects of the “Social Contract” theory. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “Social Contract” theory is forfeiting all “unlimited natural freedoms” to gain order, security, and prosperity in a society. Piggy’s character represents the order of the group

In the first chapter, Piggy and Ralph ally. With other boys joining the group, the creation of their “society” begins and, subsequently, a union exists between them all. While they all depended on each other, the group’s relationship was not caring for each other. This lack of a bond indirectly causes the departure of many older boys, in favor of Jack’s hunter group. The slow collapse of Ralph’s group follows since there are not enough people to do the many duties within the camp. The betrayal by the older boys depicts their ability to be immoral. William Golding perfectly depicted the danger of evil and immorality, showing the catastrophic aftermath when in these states. To illustrate, “Golding arrived at the conclusion that humanity inherently possessed the potential for immorality and evil that was a danger. “Man is a fallen being.” he wrote.” (Koopman 7). Jack’s group’s growth can be seen as a success, his hunters exist within a pseudo “social contract”, in which they band together to defeat one common enemy, but ultimately do not exist in a way that accurately depicts the “social contract” theory. The final chapter reveals how Jack alongside Roger treats the hunters. “Roger spoke ‘If you’re fooling us-’. Immediately after this, there came a gasp and a squeal of pain.” (Golding 213). Roger seems to be assaulting one of the

The theory is that humanity has forfeited all its unlimited freedoms for order and security. “Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains.” (Rousseau 49). The “chains” refers to the morals tied to every person's consciousness. It may vary depending on the person, however, it weighs heavily on everyday decisions. This is illustrated by the central conflict of convoluted morals in the novel. The boy’s diets at the beginning of the story can exhibit their moral conflict. Their diets consist of fruits and plants, but no meat for the reason they cannot overcome the thought of killing an animal. “The pause was only long enough for them to understand what an enormity the downward strike would be.” (Golding 28). In truth, when Jack attempted to hunt for the first time, he was unsuccessful. Jack knew it was morally wrong to do so thus, he physically couldn’t get himself to strike the piglet. Incidentally, an unspoken agreement between the boys gave them a basis for forming a group with them all desiring some type of normalcy on the island. They grouped because they all wanted a rescue. They could not have stayed together, but it was necessary for their survival at that moment. They found themselves relating to each other and feeling somewhat normal. When this begins falling apart, the group splits leaving Ralph as the only original member. With no one behind him, Ralph struggles