BBL 3415 NOVEL AND SHORT STORY

B.A ENGLISH (EXEC) TRI-SEM 9/2010

QUESTION:

Jack and his hunters become less civilized after killing a pig. What activities in everyday

life seem to make people less civilized? For example, do video games or movies

depicting violence make people more prone to committing violent acts? Does

participation in certain sports? Does possession of guns or

other weapons?

PREPARED BY:
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)
 BBL 3415 NOVEL AND SHORT STORY
B.A ENGLISH (EXEC) TRI-SEM 9/2010

ABSTRACT :

This paper is intended to discuss on detrimental effects that can occur to a human

being when they are left alone in a deserted area, where it is impossible to get any kind of

help neither sufficient food resources with the absence of moral society guidance. This

paper also discussed how a person would feel when they are in a position to disregard their

life principle that they had followed for such a long term in their life. Together with the

previous issue, this paper also will discuss on how does a situation and environment could

change a person towards a savage characterized person and what are the incidents or

circumstances that would affect their standing. Also discussed is another part (face) of

human being that is not visible most of the time.

PREPARED BY:
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)
 BBL 3415 NOVEL AND SHORT STORY
B.A ENGLISH (EXEC) TRI-SEM 9/2010

The lord of the flies by William Golding is a nicely written novel that mainly focuses on

a group of British school boys that escaped from war zone by a plane and regrettably shot down

during that war. They landed on a deserted island without any sort of neither help nor guide and

with limited food sources that are available in that forest. The idea of human are partly evil and

their evilness are most of the time hidden behind their good manner or by the social order. This

idea of brutality and violence are based on the author’s real-life experiences from World War II.

The author also depicted on how a human being can descend into savagery with the absence of

rules and structures of civilization.

Lacking the basic workings of human civilization, most importantly established law, and

majority of the children optioned to an anarchical lifestyles that ultimately results in their ethical

demise and for some unlucky person, premature (early) death. In this case the death of Piggy and

Simon. William Golding’s contention was that humans could be very brutal to one another and

he depicted this in his novel when the savage behaviors of the boys in killing each other for their

own benefits. The one of the main character, protagonist, Jack becomes the member of the

survivor group and he and his hunters become less civilized after killing a pig.

The boys who are from a choir group where they must adhere and encompass all the good

nature and characteristics that a good quality boy should possess. The question is, How come

these boys that comprise most of the good qualities would become a devilish person in that

deserted island? What makes them to become this cruel and does the activities that we’re doing

in our life could cater this sort of habit or violence behavior? For example, hardcore action video

games, violence packed movies and possession of guns or merely the instinct of survival.

PREPARED BY:
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)
 BBL 3415 NOVEL AND SHORT STORY
B.A ENGLISH (EXEC) TRI-SEM 9/2010

The boy named Jack become less cultured or civilized after killing the pig, the reason for

this act could be the feeling after killing the pig. The power of controlling the situation and the

affects that the killing the pig brings in. As the novel progresses, however and the boys slowly

realize that with no adults around, they are truly autonomous and this make them to act wild. The

moral and rules are in most cases forced upon, rather than a natural expression and when left to

their own, the barbaric and brutality senses will emerge that leads them to commit evil. The

killing of the pig also causes the boys to be fixated upon matters of the flesh. They also appear

even more disturbing as William Golding explains in length about how finally they ended up

stabbing the pig and relishing the stench of its blood and at the sight of its flesh.

Influences from video games and in this story the nature of human being to survive no

matter what it takes have changed the way the boys react towards some rational actions. Video

games also have called for concern in our society regarding issues like aggression and violence.

The games such as Mortal Combat and Doom are very interactive in the violence of slaughtering

the opponent without showing any amount of mercy. To the degree of how to kill an opponent

also affect the mind and attitudes of youngsters. For example, Half-Life is gruesome. In this

game when characters get shot a large amount of blood sprays the walls and floors near the

character and in some occasion when the explosive blast are used, the characters burst into small

but recognizable body parts. These things definitely will be in the player’s mind and soon if they

faced any problem, they might do as what they had seen in the game.

The capability of the game is depicted clearly and vibrantly on how a killing will be such

a joyful act. These violence video games lead people to become less civilized by violating the

moral values, society norms and personal principles. The mind of a violent video game player

will always resolve a problem through violence or brutality. As in this novel, the killing of Piggy

PREPARED BY:
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)
 BBL 3415 NOVEL AND SHORT STORY
B.A ENGLISH (EXEC) TRI-SEM 9/2010

for his advice and views that is not approved by the leader and the killing of Simon for their

wrong judgment that he is the monster are the damaging effects towards the story and

themselves.

The faith in supernatural matters is also a key feature that haunts most of the people

nowadays. Even though the most educated religiously well in churches like in this case the choir

boys finally believe in superstitious about the existence of monster. This proved that on no

matter how much you’re really educated and religious, they will be a time when you will fall into

superstitious believes. The real matter was that it was a death soldier’s with his parachute falling

down from the sky. This faith in the existence of monster emerged when the boys lay down

resting by the beach. Soon all the boys believe that there is a monster in the forest and they even

formed a task group to hunt down this monster.

The feeling of unsecure when they’re alone in that island eventually leads them into

believing into what is said to be a non sense, the monster. What will normal boys would do if

even the religious choir boys fell into superstitious trap? Looks like there is no guarantee that

religion and social studies will ensure the sanity when we’re are left alone to compete in order to

survive. To an extent to kill their own friend, when at night when they are walking in the woods,

they mistakenly killed Simon thinking that he is the monster. After that they didn’t feel guilty

over their mistake and puts the blame on Simon for his silentness of not speak up or shout when

they come over to kill him.

None of the children mourn the deaths of Piggy, Simon, which they murdered. If they

had still been at home, it is highly unlikely that the children would have behaved in such a

revolting manner but this is exactly the William Golding's point or at least one of them. Through

depicting such violence, Golding conveys the need for laws and regulations. Possession of guns

also influenced how a human being would become less civilized. They think that they have the

PREPARED BY:
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)
 BBL 3415 NOVEL AND SHORT STORY
B.A ENGLISH (EXEC) TRI-SEM 9/2010

power to determine what is right and what is wrong for themselves and others. The power of

controlling and leading instinct is what makes the one of the boys to kill their own friend. When

ever a human being receives the power to decide something, the nature of evil has merged with it

together devoid of anyone realizing the presence of it.

As a wrapping up, video games do contribute to real life violence but the desire to

survive also becomes the important key facts to a humans being savage. The human instinct to

survive might change the man into a beast. Although at times human beings have the tendency to

commit evil, such as crimes and sins, we humans do not actually have an innate evil nature by

birth. It is more of a selfish nature that we comprise is what causes us to look out for ourselves

and eventually committing sins and brutal acts. In addition, most human beings are actually good

at heart and it is often the minority number of evil individuals that cause evil to be done.

It’s depend on ourselves on how well we keep up and stand for our noble values that are

adhered throughout our life with eliminating the influences that any source might bring in our

life. The dependence of humans on religion are merely only for a limited time and places, when

someone went into trouble, there might not have to follow what is taught to be and act as what is

used to be before. The tendency of breaking the rules and regulation such as social norms are

most common during the hardship of human survival. This hardship is the one most of the

authors write about and we experienced about. The circumstances have better chance to omit the

moral teaching from oneself than any other matters. This could happen to anyone from common

people till the most religious and educated and very civilized people.

PREPARED BY:
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)
 BBL 3415 NOVEL AND SHORT STORY
B.A ENGLISH (EXEC) TRI-SEM 9/2010

WORKS CITED

William Golding, Lord of the flies. Faber and Faber: Great Britain:

Penguin Group, 1954

PREPARED BY:
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)
BBL 3415 NOVEL AND SHORT STORY
B.A ENGLISH (EXEC) TRI-SEM 9/2010

PREPARED BY:
Sudheep Ramasamy (B10127)