Lord of the Flies: A Political Allegory on Human Nature & Civilization - Essay Sample

Introduction

Multiple critics have rendered the novel "Lord of the Flies" as merely a political allegory. Their stance on the content of the work regards it as a commentary on the existing inconsistencies between the aspect of totalitarianism and liberal democracy. The critics argue from different perspectives of human nature, evil or even human civilization. The ideologies from the contexts reveal the suggestion that the author has about the three aspects.

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On matters human civilization, the novel suggests that there exist an opposition between the liberal democracy and the aspect of totalitarianism. The suggestion is evident on how he book brings the contrast between Ralph's group within the beach and Jack's tribe while at Castle Rock. The book regards the former as a powerful group from how the author demonstrates the extent of success portrayed by the assembly among Jack's group. Besides, the other allies within the group along with the ordered systems have been presented to be prioritizing the continuation of the signal fire within the mountain. They support the ongoing fire to ensure the welfare of all the group members. On the contrary, Ralph's group has a different strategy of depicting solidarity which is different from the former group. While at the beach, Ralph asked Piggy, "How does he know we're here?" (Golding 156). From the reaction of Ralph when he sensed that Jack's group had known where they were, the existing opposition on human civilization is clear.

Therefore, the overarching theme in the novel is the existing conflict between the impulses of human concerning the aspect of savagery alongside the regulations of civilization. The conflict is dramatized throughout the book hence validating the suggestion of the presence of opposition in human civilization. Ralph represents the civilization of human while Jack portrays the savagery in society.

The Suggestion of the Novel on Human Nature

The novel regards human nature as an essential aspect of human life as it considers name and naming as crucial activities. For instance, Jack represents evil and violence which are among the elements of dark sides of human nature. Therefore, the novel suggests that human nature has two different sides which can only be identified by certain occasions. In the book, most characters have names that create an allusion to other works of literature while giving some critical insights into the key events that are presented by the author. The novel suggests that naming is an essential activity in shaping human nature from how it shows the portrayals that name like Sam and Eric, Piggy, and Simon represents in their groups.

For instance, "The Lord of the Flies" uses the name Jack to represent the unification of the boys that fall under his group by the set rules. Besides, the name implied motivation that the "outsiders" find when they join the group. Also, it represents the wrath that the group members who underestimate Jack's authority undergo. In the statement, "The Chief has spoken," describes the extent at which the group members should honour declarations by Jack (Golding 133). Generally, Golding's suggestion on human nature and human civilization reveals the inescapable facts on the existence of humanity as civilization can easily hinder the full expression of human.

Work Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Penguin, 1987. https://books.google.com/books?