Essay- Is the Island a Microcosm in “Lord of the Flies”?
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English Literature
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GCSE
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Lord of the Flies
How far do you agree with the idea that the boys form a kind of microcosm reflecting the adult world that they have left behind?
This is an English Literature essay for “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. This essay received an A+. Additionally, overall, I received an A* in English Lit...
How far do you agree with the idea that the boys form a kind of microcosm
reflecting the adult world that they have left behind?
In “Lord of the Flies”, William Golding demonstrates the primitive and
violent nature of the human race through the microcosm and metaphor of
boys on an island. The analogy helps the reader to understand the message
as the boys represent the flaws and faults in the lives of mankind. For
example, the boys on the island are destructive of their surroundings. After
their fire, “the island was scorched up like dead wood”. The simile emphasises
the desecration of the island, especially because of the sharp juxtaposition
between the verb “scorched” with the “glory” that the island once held. The
noun “glory” displays the beauty of the island before the boys’ arrival,
exaggerating the damage caused to make the injury more evident to the
reader. The destruction parallels the damage in the outside, adult world.
During World War Two, the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were decimated
to the point of obliteration. The ruination of the island mirrors this, establishing
the boys as a representative of the adult world.
Through the characters of Ralph and Jack, Golding displays a great
conflict between democracy and dictatorship. After the boys’ argument, “a
great rock lay between them”. The rock is symbolic of the divide between
Ralph (who leads the democracy on the island) and Jack (who becomes a
dictator). This is reminiscent of the Cold War, which was happening as
Golding completed “Lord of the Flies” The tensions between the democratic
USA and the communist USSR are represented in Jack and Ralph’s divide.
Ralph looks “malevolently” at Jack, with the adverb accentuating the unease
and distrust between the boys and foreshadowing the conflict they will enter
into. The USSR’s struggle against the USA for control over Eastern Europe is
represented by Ralph and Jack’s fight for power on the island. In this way,
Jack and Ralph are a microcosm for the political landscape of the adult world.
Throughout the novel, the boys seem to be more interested in
enjoyment rather than necessity. After Jack allows the fire to go out, the “buzz
from the hunters was one of admiration”. The noun “admiration” displays the
hunters’ inclination towards Jack rather than Ralph. The onomatopoeic “buzz”
compares the boys to unintelligible insects, implying that they are not thinking
properly or acting rationally. Like a swarm they lack independent thought. This
is supported by the rhetorical question “Could they not see?”, which highlights
Ralph’s frustration regarding the general ignorance of the group. The boys’
support of Jack reflects the adults on the outside flocking to politicians who
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