Pojman views Golding’s novel as an account of Hobbesian morality. The essence of the Hobbesian morality lies in the fact that “human beings always act out of perceived self-interest; that is, they invariably seek gratification and avoid harm.” (Pojman 4). The humans are basically equal and have the ability to harm each other regardless of physical strength. Such conditions trigger the fear and humanity falls into the “state of nature” (Pojman 5), where there are no laws or moral norms. Hobbes believes that the morality is basically the instrument of social control over the society. To avoid the chaos people use the morality as a set of rules that limits the freedom of individuals to ensure that the society and its members can flourish.
The boys are left on the uninhabited island without the adults’ control, so they fail at establishing the social order and fall into the Hobbesian state of nature. As they have been previously influenced by the social norms of the community they grew up in, at first they manage to preserve civilized cooperative society. However, as there is no leader, who maintains the order, the island falls into the state of war. Ralph understands the importance of maintaining the cooperative order, but he does not manage to control the boys, who start forgetting the civilized rules of the society. The morality suddenly collapses, as the boys cross the line between the game and violence. Socially destructive behavior leads to drastic consequences, and only the adults that came to rescue the children restore the order. The purpose of morality and the consequences of its lack are expressed in the novel and illustrate the Hobbesian account of the human nature.
Work cited
Pojman, Louis P. How should we live? : An introduction to ethics. Belmont, CA, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2005. Web.
