Why Is Lord Of The Flies Important In A Civilized Society

Basic structure and rules are common in society. The world is so used to having rules to follow and common morales keeping everyone in check that it’s unknown what life would be like without them. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, uses a conch shell and Ralph, a leader in the book, to symbolise the idea that without basic structure and leadership a civilized society will collapse. Control is a major component for a civilized society to function properly. Ralph tries to make sure this control is always present, but soon finds he is not able to. Towards the beginning, Ralph takes initiative to organize the making of the fire; “Each party of boys added a quota, less or more, and the pile grew… Ralph found himself on alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other, sharing this burden” (38). Ralph is off to a good start as a leader because he is keeping the boys organized and busy. Ralph

After a while, things begin to collapse. Ralph and Jack engage in a conversation discussing the day’s events when Ralph has an angry outburst; “I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running… When the meeting was over, they’d work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting” (51). Ralph is trying to keep his composure, but the frustration of the kids not listening is overwhelming. What Golding is trying to get across is that a society will begin to slow down and not progress when there is inadequate leadership. Ralph seems to be taking the right steps for proper leading, but it also seems he’s not putting in enough effort to keep the group on track. The boys then go on to live laid back lives on the beach until Jack chooses to make his own tribe; “Ralph examined the ranks of boys. There was no help in them and he looked away, confused and sweating. ‘Who’ll join my tribe?’ [Jack says] ‘I will.’ ‘Me.’ ‘I will” (151). After this encounter, Ralph completely gives up