Lord of the Flies
...rasp any sense of laws, or structure. He was feeling all boundaries leave him; comprehension had left him. The rules gave society substance and a sense of purpose; they made life easier. Rules had been taken, and he did not know exactly what to do next. Rules act in this way in any society. At the same time, it is imperative to recognize that though rules bound, they do not determine quality of life. The quality of humanity exists not in the rules that bound humanity, but in the nature of each individual. Therefore, subtract the rules, and the result is the true nature and character of humanity. Lord of the Flies’ theme is “to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature,” says author William Golding. Defects. Where had these defects come from? The first defect occurred because of the first wrongdoing, or the first occurrence of a broken rule. Using the book as a symbolic comparison to the Bible, this occurrence of a broken rule would be from man’s first sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). In the book, the defects of society took place throughout the boys’ devolution. This included their loss of morality, excusing wrongdoing, their lack of compassion for each other, and eventually, their savageness. On the island, Roger begins throwing rocks at Henry. Roger would not throw stones directly at Henry, only in the space around Henry. “…he dare not throw…protection of…the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization…”(62). Roger was thinking of the rules of the civilization from which he had come; he would have never been allowed to throw something at another person. He knew that this was wrong, but this knowledge soon left him. Even he became a savage in the end, with no regard for any scrap or shred of the civility from which he had come. Adults were also the boys’ link to authority and guidelines. Piggy says, “Grownups know things. They ain’t afraid…They’d meet…and discuss. Then things ‘ud be all right,” (94). Often, the boys made remarks like, ‘I wish my auntie was here’, or ‘I wish my father were here’. They wanted those guidelines that grownups could offer them. The absence of adults is another significance of the nonappearance of rules. Grownups were the boys’ connection to reality. At first, being alone on the island, grownup-less was pleasing, but that feeling soon disappeared. Once again, many abhor the rules, not realizing that they are the foundation of society and the boundaries of civility. Ralph describes himself, Simon and Piggy as ‘three blind mice’ (93). He is referring to the darkness and how they can barely even see each other, and how they have no idea what to do. Within his thought, is a hidden meaning. The three of them are blind mice because at this point in the book, all sense of reality has vanished; rules are becoming vague. This is shortly after Ralph’s overwhelming realization that the world was slipping away. The boys’ clear sense of right and wrong is now cloudy an...