What has the most effect on an individual or group under stress? In The Lord of the Flies and The Mist characters are challenged to adapt to what has happened to them. Some individuals attempt to remain civil; while others have more radical ideas of what is right for the group. In William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, a group of boys are deserted on an island without any adults. Ralph, the protagonist, is trying to help the boys stay civil and rational; while Jack, the antagonist, would rather hunt and turn to savage ways. In Stephen King’s adaptation of The Mist, a group of citizens are hiding in a grocery store from aliens. David Drayton is being practical and trying to keep everyone safe. Mrs. Carmody’s tirades sway the crowd to her side. …show more content…
In LOTF Ralph is trying to keep the young boys in line and safe. He struggles mainly because Jack’s plans of hunting and feasting are more intriguing and persuasive to the young boys; the “littluns” lack of self-control does not help Ralph’s seriousness of getting rescued. Also Jack promises to kill the beast (ridding them of their fears). Likewise, in The Mist, David understands the enormity of the situation, and he tries to get everyone else to understand what is happening for their safety. To his misfortune, Mrs. Carmody’s revelations and the shock from the intangible events, are convincing enough to attract the people to her way of thinking that this was God's wrath. Mrs. Carmody also believes that praying will keep the crowd safe from God’s wrath. Different from Ralph, David’s battle for power is lost to grown adults rather than young boys. Which is rather ironic because Ralph had the whole group as one at one point, while David did not; however, David’s group stuck with him until the end. In both LOTF and The Mist, the characters form into groups based on what appeals to them and what they experience. Ralph and David fought for what they knew best, where as Jack and Mrs. Carmody fought for what they felt was