Lord of the Flies by William Golding
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Joshua Crossman, Riley Mcmahon, Shreeka Kumar
Mrs. Law
2/23/2017
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is embodied by Government, social studies and Technology ideals to exemplify a zeitgeist about World War II that states that the war made humanity lose its humanity, going from a lawful, civilized society, to one of savagery and hunting for sport.
Zeitgeist is created through the ideals of government and civics, which illustrates the conflicts of WWII. The boys mimic society by forging their own, and as they do so, they create a form of law. Ralph, who symbolizes civility, explains to the boys that they “ got to have rules and obey them” He exemplifies his character qualities when he offers the boys a reminder of who they are. “After all, were not savages. Were English, and the English are best at everything.” (Golding 192)
On the other hand, Jack, who symbolizes savagery and the worst of human instincts, counters with the enticement of lawlessness, assumed control of the tribe of savages, and when Ralph totally loses control of the group, he struggles to regain control, and a loud argument breaks out. Ralph pleads for civility, but “Jack was yelling too and Ralph could no longer make himself heard. Jack had backed right against the tribe and they were a solid mass of menace that bristled with spears.” (Golding 207) Zeitgeist is created through the struggle between Ralph and Jack, as the Allies struggled for power and dominance over the threat of fascism and communism spreading throughout the world. The interactions between the boys and how that exemplified itself through shifts in opinions from both sides parallels how the Allies interacted with each other in order to further themselves in the War. (MLA Citation 2) the interactions The loss of civility ultimately exemplifies the true nature of humanity during the war, as everyone involved ultimately ended up with blood on their hands, while those that remained neutral pleaded for peace among the nations.
Lastly, Zeitgeist is conceived through the ideals of law and government, showing the theme of WWII and how Lord of the Flies illuminates parallels to the War.
Some aspects of the book’s zeitgeist are formulated and built upon the behaviors of the two boys who lead opposing groups, and represent opposing motifs. Ralph representing order and civility, and Jack representing chaos and primal instincts. The relationship between the two or rather the contrast is essentially exactly what happened between the Axis powers and Ally powers.
Long after the conflict has become underway there is a shift in many of the boys in Ralph’s group. They become impatient with Ralph’s civilized and reasonable demeanor as it solicits the placement of rules that make things harder for them. As a way to escape Ralph’s rules and barriers, the boys turn to easier things like chaos and incivility which can be found in Jack’s group. Jack says to the boys that “ ‘I ought to be chief,’ (Golding 228) said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because Im chapter chorister and head boy.’ ” in an attempt to tempt the boys into choosing a group in which choices are governed and ruled by whatever Jack rules valid.
In several cases, Boys can be found seriously considering the choice between the two tribes. Especially right before many of them finally conclude that they will make a massive shift from Ralph’s tribe representing civility to Jack’s tribe representing chaos and instinctiveness “ ‘Maybe we ought to move