What Is Mob Mentality In Lord Of The Flies

Masks, Mantras, and Misleaders: Studying Mob Mentality in Lord of the Flies
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, an intriguing theme is examined throughout the novel: the hazardous nature of a social phenomenon called mob mentality. In a summarized definition of the term, mob mentality is the tendency of individuals to conform to the actions of a larger group. During scenes depicting mob mentality, the boys are detached from their identities and can avoid taking responsibility for their actions as they participate in the group activity. The inclination toward such tendencies is exhibited in multiple scenes in the novel that become increasingly aggressive and violent. Indicators of herd mentality in the story include the loss of
inhibition

The chant, and the dance the boys perform along with it, give them an activity to perform that unifies them; an easy thing that they all can do that makes them feel part of the group. The chant and the dance recur throughout the novel, beginning as harmless roughhousing but escalating until it borders on mob violence. A scene that aptly demonstrates this takes place in the jungle as the boys hunt for a boar. In a mock reenactment of a hunt, Robert is in the center of the circle of boys, pretending to be a pig. The excitement of the mob and the desire for violence is felt by all, including Ralph, who, “carried away by a sudden thick excitement, grabbed Eric’s spear and jabbed at Robert with it” (Golding 114). The boys begin to circle
Robert and chant, “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!” (Golding 114). The chant and the dance inspire excitement and bring out the violence in the boys because it unites them and allows them to be violent without consequence. The chant also transforms violence into a sort of ritual for the boys and indicates that the boys enjoy acts of violence when in a mob setting, rather than individually.
An additional symptom of mob mentality in the book is a large group of

Thus begins an exciting dance that escalates into mob violence once Simon accidentally enters the center of the ring and is brutally murdered by the others. In this example, Jack’s leadership instigates the rabble, and in their dance, the boys become “a single organism” (Golding 152). Similar instances of the boys’ willingness to follow the directions of a leader can be observed multiple times in the writing. Scenes like this are an example of mob mentality because the crowd following the actions of a leader often initiates the mob. When following the initiator, one is granted anonymity and the liberty to give in to savagery and the lure of brutality.
In summary, certain scenes in Lord of the Flies explore the consequences of mob mentality and the ease with which individuals can be drawn into violent behaviors when they remove themselves from their identities by painting their faces, transform acts of violence into something appealing and ritualistic, and conform to a misleader that initiates a mob. The treacherous obscuration of the mob shrouds not only our identities in uncertainty, but also