Similarities Between The Maze Runner And Lord Of The Flies

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Order versus chaos is a common theme in the movie The Maze Runner and the book Lord of the Flies. The Maze Runner movie is an adaptation of the original novel created by James Dashner in 2009; however, the movie was directed by Wes Ball. It explores a futuristic reality where a group of teens with no personal memories are teleported into a giant maze. Lord of the Flies is a novel originally published in 1954 and written by William Golding. The plot concerns a group of boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island. Both texts delve into the creation of order and chaos through symbolism and the conflict between two important figures, which leads to chaos. In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the protagonist Ralph to symbolize democracy and civilisation …show more content…

The beast itself is a biblical parallel between the snake in the Bible and Beelzebub (the beast) in Lord of the Flies. Throughout the book, Golding shows the boys losing more and more of their morals as they give into Beezelbub and commit heinous crimes. Resembling how the snake in the bible influenced Eve to eat the apple, representing her succumbing to her desires and original sin. Golding explores this idea through Ralph, whose descent into insanity comes from the influence of the beast to perpetrate sins. Shown through the killing of Simon, which sent Ralph into a panic, further exhibiting the death of goodness on the island. "Ralph stopped. He was shivering. ‘That was Simon. That was murder". Although the concept of the beast was not implemented until much later in the novel. In The Maze Runner, Ball introduces the grievers, in the beginning, showing the challenges that the characters will have to overcome. Unlike in Lord of the Flies, the Gladers do not influence the characters in any way, and their only purpose is to kill the Gladers who venture into the maze. The Beast in Lord of the Flies displays the chaos within the ordered structure, and the grievers in Maze Runner could show the potential of order within the chaos. Ball shows this through the antidote of the griever's sting, allowing for regaining memories. With this Gladers can understand what is happening, allowing for hope and creating chaos in WCKD’s