Power in Lord Of The Flies Essay

Lord of the Flies

Once a person tastes power, his thirst and desire for power grows, and if he obtains enough power to rise up and bring others under his authority, he will eventually come to realize the heights of his influence. Then he will be able to determine what kind of leader he will become. He will either choose to become a dictator, wanting an authoritarian power, or become a liberal leader by using his power to create a fair society among those under him. It is a tough decision because once a person realizes that he has an unlimited source of power, nothing will stop him from doing whatever he wants, be it good or evil. Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding makes the point that if a person is given too much power, he will end up reigning with an authorative rule, and thus, use his power for his own benefit. However, Golding also shows that anytime there is a dictatorship, there will be those who remain uninfluenced and unaffected by it and will rebel against it.

Golding uses different characters to demonstrate the various usage of power in a society. He uses the character Jack, to demonstrate the usage of power by an authoritarian leader. At the beginning of the novel, even though Ralph turns out to be the leader amongst the kids, Jack also becomes the leader of the hunters leaving him with some power, too. As he gets to taste power on the island, he seeks more. One of the ways Jack obtains more power is by manipulating Piggy. This is shown when he shouts, the conch doesnt count on top of the mountain, so you shut up!(42). This is significant because it shows the reader that Jack can actually control someone and has enough power to shut someones mouth despite the fact his power cant reach Ralphs power. Furthermore, Jack leaves the group when he has desire and eagerness for further power. He decides to make his own tribe and all of the biguns except Samnerik follow him. Golding shows this when Jack says, Im going to be chiefAnd after a moment they followed him (133). By this time one can see that Jack is close to becoming superior and total dictatorship over his new tribe. He no longer uses his name; instead, his tribe members refer to him as Chief. When Jack gives order to his followers, they say, The Chief has spoken (141). Golding narrates, and Jack, painted and garlanded, sat there like an idolPower lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape (150). Through this, Golding implies that the tribe members see him as an idol and would do whatever it takes them to obey their Chiefs orders. He always used to be the second leader because Ralph, at that time, had more power than he did. However, now that Jack has his own tribe he has the ability to control others. This further demonstrates Jacks totalitarian power. As Jack obtains more power in his tribe, he uses it for his own benefit. Jack controls them, rules them, becomes their idol, and manipulates them. For example, when they do something incorrect, he hits them. Jack threatens Samneric in order to force them to become part of the tribe, or he would kill them. They have no choice, thus, they accept his offer. At this point, Jacks power reaches its peak and he has no limitations and is not bound to anything. He can do and act as he pleases, but due to his overwhelming influence and power, even he himself cannot control his power. Golding uses Jack to demonstrate to the readers that no person should have absolute power; rather the power should be equally divided among several individuals.

In order to show readers that there are people who still have hope in a dictatorship, Golding uses the character Ralph. Even though Ralph becomes a leader at the beginning of the novel, he is a weak character; he is dependent on others. One day Ralph notices that Jack takes his tribe members, wheres Maurice? Where's Bill and Roger? Piggy? Are you the only one left?(131). Through this, one can see that Ralph is preoccupied about losing, not his power, but his members. This is significant because it shows the reader that Ralph is going to take action to bring everyone back. From here on, Ralph becomes more self-determined and gains more courage to retaliate. However, there are times when Ralph becomes self-conscious, especially when Golding narrates, Ralph examined the ranks of boys. There was no help in them and he looked away, confused and sweating (151). It becomes evident that Ralph has become powerless and weaker than before. What this means is that Ralph is now helpless and he alone has to fight with Jack to reunite the original tribe. During the feast, Ralph is not tempted to join Jacks tribe; he does not betray his own tribe. Golding shows readers through Ralph that there is still hope. Even in the midst of corruption, unbalanced power, and hostility, there are people who still remain good, like Ralph, and those are the people the society should bring to power. Throughout the novel, Golding never takes Ralphs power completely away. Furthermore, Golding does not kill Ralph; he survives, until the very end. This could be because even though all his followers leave him, he remains a democratic symbol in the novel.

Finally yet importantly, the third character that Golding uses in his novel is Piggy. Piggy is, for the most part, powerless throughout the novel; he isnt allowed too much power because he is the most intellectual kid on the island. Many kids tell Piggy to shut his mouth, like Jack, who often says things such as, Who cares what you believe, fatty!(90). Here the author illustrates that Piggy is very uninformed and easily teased, meaning that his power is lost. This is significant because it shows the reader that whenever Piggy wants to make a point, or speak through the conch, everyone disregards him. Golding also writes, I got a right to speak. They looked at him with eyes that lacked interest in what they saw, and cocked ears at the drum-roll of the fire. Piggy glanced nervously into hell and cradled the conch (44). One can see that everyone disrespects Piggy and doesnt care what he says. This shows that Piggy is always let down, though he stands up for himself. Piggy symbolizes the people with knowledge and education who know the rules and follow them. Many of them have a high possibility of becoming a ruler, but ironically, most cant because they are threatened by a more physically powerful people who are also eager for power. Toward the end, Jacks tribe kills Piggy to shut him up, so that he wont speak up and be conspicuous. Since Piggy represents knowledge, Golding shows that if a society allows a corrupt leader take all the power and leave the rest of the people without any freedom, knowledge is going to be killed. Golding shows that in a society where a corrupt leader holds power, knowledge and ideas are suppressed since they fear that the knowledge could bring about a revolution.

Goldings main purpose is to show readers that when an individual is granted too much power, it will be too much for him to bear, and thus, he will fall and use his influence in a selfish manner. In addition, Golding shows through his novel that when corruption is present, there will be those who will fight against it, in an effort to correct the wrong. Some of these people will fall and many will loose hope, but there will be at least one determined person who will not give up and destroy the corruption. Overall, Golding makes the point that power is not something to be trifled with.