Lord of the Flies – Final Paper
In the novel, the author makes direct comments on life and society through the use of allegory. After finishing the story and thinking about all of the possible symbols within and what themes they might relate to, look over and choose one of the following topics to establish a link between the themes of Golding’s novel and the modern world to explain how the ideas represented in the allegory are still relevant to our time.
YOUR OPTIONS (and you can propose/evolve from this):
The Development of the Teenage Brain
If the characters were older, how might they solve some of their problems better? How do they reveal “typical” characteristics of eleven year old males?
Is aggression/dominance expected?
Would it be the same for females?
Are the “littluns” behaving typically?
Bullying
How could Piggy have avoided being a victim?
How could others have helped the hunters to not bully?
Why does Jack “not want to play anymore”?
Is Jack being sadistic? Roger? Is this to his advantage in terms of survival? What are the characteristics of the island that encourage bullying?
Spread of Fear
What parallels can be made between individuals and nations? Does it allow for the survival of their society?
Does it bring them to their destruction?
Is it a necessary evil?
Coming into Power – Leadership/Government
Is democracy shown? Fascism? Communism? Anarchy? Utopia? How can the island serve as a microcosm?
Philosophical – Questions about Humanity
Look into the philosophers – Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes Which philosopher does the story align with?
Do flaws in human nature lead to flaws in society?
Were they innocent before they landed on the island?
Are rules a necessity?
Survival
What character traits foster being a successful survivor in a group? What does educational, sociological, biological, and historical research show about how communities form from randomly selected people (like students in a class, survivors of a plane crash)?
Look up biographies/histories like: Mutiny on the Bounty, Pitcairn Island, Shackleton/Antarctica, etc. What similarities are shown? Does the television show Survivor use the best techniques (tribes, alliances, etc.)?
How do leaders emerge? Maintain their leadership?
Do people need to join together in order to survive? What social constructs are necessary?
Current News
Select a current news story—global, national, or local—and draw parallels between that news story and the text
● How do the psychological shifts the characters in the novel resemble psychological shifts in the people
involved in your news story?
● How does Golding’s representation of man’s destructive nature mirror the destruction you see in the news
event you selected?
● How does society fail/prevail in matters of human survival and the greater good of the populace?
● How do the morally and/or ethically correct people in your news story experience the same treatment/fate
as Simon or Piggy?
● How is power attained and maintained? Do the leaders in your current event use tactics resembling Jack’s
or Ralph’s?
● How has the issue of fear and its balance with reality played a role?
