The novel Lord of the Flies, written by
William Gerald Golding, is a remarkable piece of literature that discusses many
important topics while remaining an enjoyable read. One of the important topics that is discussed
in the novel is human nature. Many
aspects of human nature is depicted in the book, but one major is the
development of a man's personality and character. This aspect of human idiosyncrasy is
portrayed through the development of Ralph, the main character and protagonist
of the novel. Ralph's development from
innocent, irresponsible, playful adolescent to a tough, self-reliant man shows
how the hardships and turmoil of life can greatly effect a person's character.
The story takes place on a deserted island
after a plane crash strands a group of adolescent boys. The boys are forced to learn how to live on
the land without any resources or adult assistance. The group chooses Ralph as their leader and
gives him the responsibility of guiding the group. Ralph's main enemy and adversary is Jack, the
appointed leader of the savage hunters.
The boys go through many trials and hardships while on the island
including the dangers of the jungle, finding food, and remaining a functional
group.
The novel's main focus is on Ralph and his
experiences on the island. As leader of
the group, Ralph has a great deal of responsibility and must learn how to work
with this responsibility. Through the
course of the story, Ralph changes from an adolescent child to a mature person,
but ends up breaking down at the end of the novel. This aspect of Ralph's character is a way
that Golding depicts human behavior in society, which is the main theme of the
book.
As the novel begins, Ralph is portrayed as
being a normal adolescent who is irresponsible and negligent. Even when he is chosen as leader, he still is
depicted as an inexperience boy. One
example of this childish action is seen at the beginning of the novel when
Ralph plays games while doing serious work.
By doing things like this Ralph tries to show the freedom the boys have
without any adult supervision. These are
not the acts of a responsible leader and is something that Ralph soon comes to
regret.
With progression of the story, Ralph's
attitudes change as he becomes more responsible and mature. He realizes the importance of being a
responsible leader and begins to guide the other boys more. Ralph begins to try to convince the others
that they act with the groups best interest at hand and tells them to be more
responsible. He tells them to build
shelters so that they would be safe from the weather. He also tells them to keep the signal fire
burning because it is their only hope of being rescued. The other boys do not listen to Ralph's
suggestions and begin to act as savages
Ralph becomes the defender of civil behavior and common sense.
By the end of the novel, Ralph begins to
breakdown after the others ignore his views.
He begins act more as a savage and strays from the ideals of civil
behavior. His savageness is portrayed in
a ritualized hunt of a boy, where Ralph is among the people who kill the
boy. In the last chapter, Ralph is the
one who is being hunted and must become totally self-reliant. He ends up being reduce to tears as he cries
over the "end of innocence."
At this point, Ralph's character has totally changed from a boy to a
man.
The maturity that Ralph goes through shows
how human nature and character can be drastically changed during times of
hardship. He evolves from a fragile,
irresponsible boy to a strong, self-reliant man. He falls from the pressures of leadership but
still learns to survive.
No comments:
Post a Comment