Thomas Hobbes said,"Life in the province of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short". In Master of the Flies, William Golding examines the doings of british school boys when stranded on a tropical desert island without any construction of society. Throughout the new the boys substantiate the theme that in a land of nature, humans will default to their inherent violent instincts.
A disorderly and dangerous society will get when no order, structure, or rules are in place. Changes in Ralph, Roger, and Labourer are examples of this inborn violence.When the boys land on the island, all they need to do is have fun. Ralph attempts to preserve place and keep the rules of society, but he does eventually capitulate to violent, physical instincts. He jumps in the urine and plays alike the other boys before he gets up and tries to form the boys.When the boys vote him chief because of his leadership skills, he takes his role seriously and acts responsible. He stresses the grandness of rules and order,"We ought to give more rules. Where the conch is, that`s a meeting."(p. 42).Later in the novel however, even his sound judgment and responsibility cannot contain him from being part of the primal savage dance. He also succumbs to violent tendencies when hunting. He joins in with the other boys when they, "leapt on the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore" (p161). In general he becomes more cruel and violent. He does not offend anyone with malicious intent but when fighting Jack he does respond violently.During the fight he,"hit Jack in the bear and made him grunt"(p. 184). Ralph is a skilful leader and can act responsible. He wants to be honest and act morally but sometimes even his honorable intentions cannot control his wild instincts.
In the source of the novel, Roger behaves like there is still structure and society.The boys only just landed on the island and he had not yet fully understood that they were only with no adults or rules.From late in the new we knows that he is evil and violent, but in the first he shows how even horrible people can do well when there are still rules and order.When the boys are faced with a leadership dilemma Roger says,"Let`s take a vote"(p. 25).Later in the novel he is throwing rocks at one of the small boys.Some of the effects of fellowship are still present however and, he throws to miss; ".there was a distance around Henry_ in which[Roger] dared not throw" (p. 69).As the novel progresses Roger turns more and more evil and violent. He has no sensation of good and wrong and he revels in other people`s pain.When devising a spear,"Roger sharpened a stay at both ends" (p.133).With the rules and construction of society gone, he becomes a wild animal, capable of killing for the fun of it. He rolls rocks on top of unwitting victims with"delirious abandonment"(p. 193), enjoying the tone of power.When there is no company or order, Roger becomes inherently violent.Jack is learned by order to be rules and maintain order.When isolated on the island with naught to prevent society or upload those rules, he becomes a vicious animal capable of many cruelties.When stranded in the beginning, he shows he understands the importance rules, "We`ve got to make rules and obey them. After all, we`re not savages"(p.35). He even shows support for society,"We`re English; and English are better at everything. So we`ve got to do the good things" (p.36). Even though Ralph is fairly chosen as the leader,Jack is always jealous of his post and fights over how the boys are lead. He revels in his hold over the hunters and is always in battle with Ralph. Eventually he tries to overthrow Ralph and gather followers,"[Ralph] just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing" (p. 126).Later in the novel his attention for rules, reason and order completely fly out the window.He does not care about being rescued nor securing resources or shelters.With no order to hold his wild instincts, he releases his savage violence on the other boys.He beats another of the boys in anger.Roger says,"Jack is`going to beat Wilfred. He got furious and made us tie Wilfred up_for hours`" (p. 164).With no society present, Jack unleashes his inner animal and becomes dangerously violent.Jack`s violence is likewise give in his obsession of hunting.In the first he finds it hard to defeat another animal,"because of the outrageousness of the knife descending and cut into living flesh" (p. 33).Even after he kills his first pig he tries to arrest innocent but this is when his wild and brutish tendencies begin to appear.As the rules of society fade,he yearns for more killing and violence. He wants it very seriously and seems very cursory and dispassionate about the act of killing, as if it is but natural.When in a conflict with Ralph he throws his shaft at him,"viciously, with good intention" (p. 185).There is no order to continue the rules and make Jack accountable for his actions so he has no trouble with murdering Piggy or Simon. He becomes more and more savage, painting his present and inspiring hunting frenzies in his tribe. Without society he has baffled all regard for other humans, and has become a ferocious monster.All of the changes these character represent the ferocity and savagery that can grow in all humans when there is nothing there to hold them. Many believe Lord of the Flies to be an anti-war novel because it shows what can happen if we have wars and destroy society.Humans are inherently violent animals and when set in a land of nature, those instincts arise spreadingchaos. Jack, Ralph, and Roger all show the potential for a dangerous society to get if there are no rules and structure. By using a stranded group of boys and an deserted island, Golding shows the risk of spirit in a land of nature can in fact be".nasty, brutish, and short".
* All page references are from the Penguin Pub Co. version of Jehovah of The Flies
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