Student Essay on Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

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Essay

There are many examples of the need of one person to exercise power over another, and one of the boys needs this the most.

Throughout chapters one through five, Piggy gets picked on a lot. He seems to be an easy target for tormenting because he is chubby, intelligent, and physically weak, causing everyone else to see him as someone who is less significant than them. Piggy is like a pawn in the game of chess; he could prove to be very useful but ends up being treated as useless.

This story so far has mainly been a struggle between two people for power: Ralph, who represents civility, and Jack, who represents savagery. Ralph wants to have the power in order to use it to help all members of the group. Jack wants to have the power to benefit himself. Ralph tries to make a basic communist society in which everyone works for the same reward, whereas Jack becomes a tyrant and controls everyone else.

Jack is the one boy who needs power the most. It is animal instinct to act like a savage, which cause Jack's thirst for power. His thirst for power is much greater than Ralph's desire for civility. At the end of chapter five, Jack has gained nearly mindless control over the majority of the group.