Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Lord of the Flies: Chapter 7


Prompt 3:
Chapter 7 of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, sees rising action still unfolding, readers can feel the story is nearing a climax because the savagery is more communal. Now nearly every person has done something that has shown signs of savagery. The answer to the essential question, ‘Why do some societies fail while others thrive?” becomes evident in this chapter.  If a society loses sight of it’s goal, then the society will collapse.  For example, after Ralph had hit the pig, “the boar was floundering away from them… Ralph was full of fright and apprehension and pride” (Golding 113), the thrill and pride that Ralph got from hitting the pig was sign of Ralph’s human instinct of savagery. Although he, as a leader, didn’t believe hunting was the most important job to be done, once he got a taste of the thrill of killing, he got caught up in the exhilaration and lost sight of the goal.  A struggle for power can also cause a society to fail.  Jack has set his sights on gaining the trust and adoration of the kids through providing food, the most essential requirement of survival.  The power struggle between Ralph and Jack is causing the society to fracture, which will have an effect on the shared goal.


Societies can also fail due to lack of communication of purpose. For example, after they had tormented Robert, they were deciding weather to go back for Piggy and, “By now, Ralph had no self-conscious in public thinking but would treat the days decisions as though he were playing chess” (Golding 117). This is different than the beginning of the novel, as he has stopped acting proactively, instead responding to events as they occur, which makes reaching a goal near impossible.  A game of chess is a surprise game; you never really know what the outcome will be.  This connects to Ralph’s new ideal that he shouldn’t really plan how the society will work he will just let it come to pass. This lack of planning and communication will lead to a loss of motivation and purpose.

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