Lord of
the Flies (contains
spoilers)
Having
just read Lord of the Flies and something Golding himself said about it,
I fully understand why right-wingers feel threatened by it and have banned it
in certain places.
“The
theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of
human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the
ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently
logical or respectable. The whole book is symbolic in nature except the rescue
in the end where adult life appears, dignified and capable, but in reality
enmeshed in the same evil as the symbolic life of the children on the island…”
They will, of course, claim that it’s because of the violence toward children and the graphic descriptions of the victims. But in reality, I believe they know their behavior is unethical and damaging to others, but power is the objective and the willingness to commit murder is excusable in the pursuit of power.
There’s so
much symbolism in Lord of the Flies and I’m quite sure many people have
written, ad nauseum, about it. One of the most intriguing events is the
self-destruction created when Jack pursues Ralph and ends up setting the island
ablaze, guaranteeing the rescue of his perceived enemy and the littluns, and
ending his own and the savages chances of going home. I believe—and I could be
wrong—that Golding was thinking of the recently ended world war when he wrote the
novel. Although the story takes place after the end of World War II, the rise
to power of Jack reminds us of Hitler: the hunter providing meat, the ruler fixing
the economy; the incitement of violence against those deemed “lesser,” the
genocide committed against “undesirables.” The parallels are obvious.
There are relatable, archetypal parallels that can be applied to almost any human interaction or time in history. I've read posts on “Nextdoor” about break-ins, thefts, encounters with the unhoused, porch pirates, and mail thieves. The comments invariably contain some version of “get a gun, protect yourself” and “I have a [gun of choice], I’d like them to try that with me.” Always threats of violence to obtain power over your adversary. The comments also contain condemnation of the current city government, the police, the system. Anyone offering actual helpful advice is often scorned.
On a much broader scale, I’m seeing Jack as Donald Trump: not fit to lead; arrogant; corrupt; cult-inducing; inciting violence—even murder—in the pursuit of power; not morally ethical in any way. And Ralph is Joe Biden: while certainly not perfect, is intelligent; compassionate; willing to take advice from those more knowledgeable; sometimes a little confused, but ethically moral, a leader, trying to do the right thing in the face of the cultists spreading lies and doing their damnedest to derail anything designed to actually help people. To help everyone, the way Ralph was trying to keep the fire going so they had a chance at being rescued.
What gives
me hope, in light of this archetype, is that the morally bankrupt, like Jack, usually
end up lighting their own funeral pyres.
