The Lord Of The Flies: Locke, Machiavelli And Plato Argumentative Essay Examples

In the landmark novel The Lord of the Flies, author William Golding creates an almost mythic isolated island upon which he plane wrecks his main characters. These characters-- all English schoolboys-- have no adult supervision, and are left to their own devices on the island. At first, things are as one would expect them to be: the children play on the beach and explore the island. However, as survival instincts begin to affect the boys, the dynamic of the island changes. Suddenly, there is a divide between the children, throwing them headlong into a conflict between those who would let their instincts for hedonism take over, and those who would build a civilized society in which all the children can live in harmony.
One of the strengths of Golding’s novel is the strong allegorical quality to the work. There is almost no object in the piece that is merely an object; all of the objects are carefully chosen for their symbolism. Some of these objects have symbolic meanings that are much more readily available than others, however; for example, the conch shell is one of the more obvious symbols of the novel. This shell, in the novel, was the initial representation of democracy for the boys. It represented order and civilization; it summoned all the boys from the beaches or from whatever they were doing to participate in the democratic process that they had initially established on the island. Whoever is holding the conch shell is the one to speak, according to the rules that are initially established on the island. However, things quickly begin to devolve into chaos for the children on the island. Initially, the person who holds the shell is given the right to speak, which shows the democratic power.
As savagery begins to dominate and Roger begins to take power, the shell starts to lose its power over the boys, sending the community that some of the boys worked very hard to build into chaos. Indeed, when Roger killed Piggy, the conch shell is crushed, symbolizing the end of the democratic civilization on the island and the dawn of a new era. Locke suggests that individuals are the sum of their experiences, rather than having predestined personalities; the experiences that these boys have on the island are indicative of the different types of personalities that can develop in trying, difficult situations. Some individuals stray towards equality and freedom, while others have instincts for cruelty and control.
After Piggy dies and the power of the conch is broken, everything changes for the boys on the island. Piggy is portrayed as being the most intelligent boy on the island, although others have their strengths; Piggy’s intelligence is represented through the use of his glasses. The glasses are used for a number of things, but perhaps most notably for starting a fire. Fire is something that would have been a lifesaving tool for boys trapped on an island; Piggy’s intelligence and his ability to use his glasses to start fire leads to jealousy on the part of Jack. Jack sends his hunters to get Piggy’s glasses and bring them back; they steal them rather than making any kind of attempt at borrowing or sharing the glasses.
While Ralph is willing to try diplomacy and talks between the groups, the other group is quite Machiavellian, willing to go to any lengths to survive and thrive on the island. Unfortunately, Piggy’s intelligence is a threat to his safety; once the glasses are stolen, the democratic rule that was initiated at the beginning of the novel comes quickly to an end. All forms of intelligence, honor, and cooperation are forgotten in as the law of “might makes right” takes hold on the island.
The “monster” is another fantastic example of how the rule of science and logic ends and the madness begins on the island. As the boys grow more and more savage, their belief in the monster grows; they become more and more savage in the monster’s name, thinking that they are doing the bidding of this beast. It is a symbolic obsession, symbolic of the ways in which societies cling to old beliefs and superstitions regardless of how destructive they can be to the society at large. The beast is symbolic of the savagery that Golding suggests is present in all human beings-- the Machiavellian instinct to survive at all costs, and to take pleasure at the suffering of others. As the boys feed the beast-- by leaving it offerings and kowtowing to it-- the beast becomes more popular, both in reality and within their minds. This is symbolic of the nature of evil and savagery in man, and how feeding a savage nature makes that nature stronger and more powerful.
The idea of the monster ties in directly with the idea of the sow’s head, or the titular “Lord of the Flies.” The sow’s head-- a head on a post-- is symbolic of the power of evil in man. Taken from a literal translation of the word “Beelzebub,” a biblical name for one of Hell’s demons, the sow’s head was initially placed on a post as a sacrifice to the beast. There is a distinct biblical allegory here-- Simon is the only character who seems to understand that the beast exists primarily within the boys, not as a mystical external force of evil. The savagery that the boys are perpetuating is the beast, and each savage offering that the boys make makes the beast stronger in each one of them. The Lord of the Flies represents the devil, and the way that the devil affects man. Simon is often associated throughout the novel with Jesus, and when the Lord of the Flies begins to speak to him, it foreshadows his death for the good of the people in the following chapter.
There are a few significant characters in the text, and each warrants his own discussion. Perhaps the most visible character in the beginning of the novel is Ralph. He is a likable character from the start, very Lockean; he tries very hard to implement a society in which everyone is equal and everyone has a chance to participate. However, the society that Ralph tries to build with some of the other boys quickly seems to fall apart, despite Ralph’s obvious talents for leadership, order, and civilization.
Ralph’s association with Piggy and Simon seems logical from the start; Simon represents the goodness of humanity, and Piggy represents what is possible for science and intellect when properly leveraged. These characters are, undoubtedly, the protagonists of the novel, utilizing skills and personality traits that make them likeable and powerfully symbolic characters. Ralph struggles with the savagery that the other boys indulge, but manages to avoid becoming part of the problem; however, he does come to realize that there is darkness inside everyone, and savagery must be fought from within for goodness to win in the end.
Jack and Roger, on the other hand, represent the darker side of human nature. Jack is power-hungry; he is a Machiavellian prince, concerned only with the power he can amass over the individuals around him. He is cunning and intelligent, although he does not represent the same kind of intelligence that Piggy has. His intelligence and cunning lies in his ability to manipulate those around him into doing his bidding, and most commonly, his method for doing so is to encourage other characters to give in to their natural savagery. He surrounds himself with people who are brutal and cruel, like Roger, and participates in behavior that encourages bloodlust and violence in others.
There are other symbols in the text that are less clear-cut, however. For example, the shelters that are mentioned in the background repeatedly are never completed; these shelters represent safety and security for the boys, but they are never completed and no one wants to work on them. Everyone, of course, would like to use these shelters once they are completed, but the lack of impetus to work means that only Piggy and Ralph spend any time at all on the shelters. The hedonistic proclivities of the boys negates the ability for anyone to finish anything; finally, the weather destroys the last remnants of these structures, reflecting the final destruction of the egalitarian, Lockean civilization that Ralph tried to create with Simon and Piggy at the beginning of the novel.
Plato suggests that there are three classes: the productive class, which would be the workers-- the common people. The next class is the protective class, or the individuals who work to protect the common people. Finally, there is the governing class. Ralph and Jack are part of the governing class, while Roger, Piggy, and Simon are all of the protective class in their own ways. The little’uns are the working class.
The physical ability of the boys on the island also plays a significant role in the text. Initially, Ralph is portrayed as a strong boy; he blows the conch and calls all the boys in from their play, and structures the society. As a result of this physical strength, he becomes the leader of the initial society that is created. However, as time goes on and things start to go wrong in the society, Jack begins to be portrayed by the author as swift and powerful. His agility reflects his cunning and his ability to manipulate.
Jack’s newfound physical prowess and his ability to control the boys reflects Darwin’s theory of evolution: the theory that the fittest will survive, while those that are unfit will perish in harsh environments like the island where the boys are stranded. As Jack gains strength in the novel, he seems to sap Ralph of his power, and Ralph seems to become more and more tired. Piggy’s asthma means that he is ill suited to the island environment, and makes him a target for the boys; Simon’s innocence and goodness are both portrayed as weaknesses, and thus Simon also perishes in the novel.
All the children have savagery within them, and this is clear from the beginning of the novel; however, at the beginning of the novel, much of the action takes place on the beach in bright daylight. The novel continuously gets darker and darker, however, indicating that the darkness in the boys is slowly but surely taking over. The monster-- the savagery in the boys-- only comes out at night, and the novel has many more night scenes towards the end than it did at the beginning.
The survival situation that the children find themselves in in The Lord of the Flies is unique. In the novel, the children are pitched headlong into a challenging environment; they consistently must choose between good and evil, savagery and civility. The different personality types that arise lead to a divide between the children, which throws them headlong into a conflict between those who would let their instincts for hedonism take over, and those who would build a civilized society in which all the children can live in harmony.