As Thomas Hobbes once said, “Hell is the truth seen too late”. In truth, many learn this lesson the hard way. Throughout our lifetimes, many see fantasy before reality, which is why philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, along with authors such as William Golding, try to enlighten people with a new way of thought. Lord of the Flies, is a novel that creates a world that recognizes the evil that dwells and lingers within humankind. When Golding wrote Lord of The Flies during WWII, he acknowledged what happened to human behavior during the war along with what he witnessed, and incorporated the same idea into his book. Then there is Thomas Hobbes, a philosopher who claims the nature of man without society is evil and has ideas that are presented and displayed in Lord of The Flies. Thomas Hobbes is an English philosopher that believes in the ideas of contractarianism and reflects on them, which suggests that people give up some rights to obtain orders which will lead people to act morally rather than savagely. Although many oppose Golding and Hobbes's way of thinking, such as the French philosopher Rousseau, many also learn and value the writings of both individuals. The opposing team which often coincides with the philosophies and teachings of Rousseau claim that the idea that the nature of man is innocent and is often corrupted by the unnaturalness of society, is more reasonable. Hobbes and Golding both use their intellect and experiences from wars that they have witnessed to formulate what the nature of man really is without the masks and delusions of society. In the novel Lord Of The Flies, Golding conveys what happens to the nature of man when order collapses. Golding displays Hobbes's theory that man is born essentially evil, but utilizes society to keep them in order by demonstrating how children react when removed from a place consisting of rules and commands.
Both Hobbes and Golding paint a picture of what life would be like in a society without a strong and effective government. Imagining an anarchical society would leave many to think of madness and chaos. That exact idea is what Hobbes along with Golding brings to the table, a proposition of the effect of man unchained from a social contract. As Ralph said, “We have lots of assemblies. Everybody enjoys being together. We decide things. But they do not get done ...”(Golding 79). In Lord of the Flies, the author creates this quote to show the readers that even though they have elected a chief, which can be classified under a form of government, this administration is not strong enough to lead and be the backbone of their society. Golding uses this quote to show the readers that without effective and disciplinary advisors, people tend to be immature rather than step up to the duties presented to them. Hobbes also asks us to consider what life would be in a condition without government. To express his ideas, Hobbes states things such as the “dissolute condition of masterless men without subjection to Lawes, and a coercive power to tie their hands from rapine and revenge” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Hobbes’s Moral and Political Philosophy. The State of Nature, 12 Feb. 2002). With this statement Hobbes uses his intellect to emit that without government, the comfortable life in which we enjoy would no longer be. Golding mirrors this idea by showing how Ralph misses the luxury of cutting his hair and taking a bath, as explained in Chapter 5. Golding in an addition to Hobbes also expresses the significance of rules and regulations needed in a functioning society. In Lord of the Flies, Golding also makes Ralph inform Jack that there are rules on the island, and as always Jack disregards the need for order and regulation (91). With the information given, Golding is trying to show the readers how the children on the island have little to no regard for order, now that there are no enforcers there to implement and demand that rules shall be followed. In The Lord of the Flies, this segment of the book is used to recognize that chaos and a disordered society will be the children’s future if they were to go on this way. Hobbes in addition to Golding, enlightens us with many possible outcomes for the man with a non-operational government. Ultimately Golding along with Hobbes use their writings to enlighten us about what the world would be like in an anarchical society.
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Hobbes as well as Golding also sought to reveal that almost all governments are likely to dissolve into a civil war. Functioning or non-functioning, governments often erupt into civil war and unrest. Throughout history, there have been many civil wars such as the American Civil War, the Syrian Civil War, and the Chinese Civil War, which all have a common ancestry as human ignorance and idiocy at the root. Most civil wars connect to the common route of disregarding other views and selfishly thrusting your ideas on everybody else. Both Golding and Hobbes try to emphasize that the evilness that loiters within mankind is driven by the competition to impose and enforce one's ideas and views unconsciously. For example, In Chapter 5, Golding uses Jack's character to question and interrogate Ralph’s position as a leader (91). This is a turning point in character development for the kids, especially Jack. Jack only shows more disregard for rules and disobedience from then on. Golding exemplifies Jack questioning whether Ralph is fit to be a leader, to emphasize Jack’s need for change, better or worse. Hobbes also reveals his ideas on the dissolvement of society. Hobbes believed that in order to avoid civil war, the absolute government would be the best route for a society to take in form of government. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Hobbes’s Moral and Political Philosophy. The Philosophical Project, 12 Feb.2002) With his ideas on absolutism as the ideal form of government to avoid civil war, Golding reflects his thoughts by showing how a democratic society used by the children in Lord of the Flies dissolves into mayhem. Golding also fabricates many instances where the incomprehensive mind can lead to the termination of government. For instance, In chapter 8 of the novel, Jack decides to separate from the group and venture without Ralph as his leader. With that, he took his hunters and asks Ralph’s remaining group if they would like to join him (Golding 127-140).In Lord of The Flies, chapter 8 was a very rough chapter. We observe how Ralph’s control over the boys is slowly dwindling. Readers also notice how Jack has immensely gained power and control throughout the novel by using fear as a tactic to keep all the children in order. Golding uses the breaking up of order and society as an example of civil war to show what happens when mankind becomes power-hungry and greedy and obtains the need for bloodlust. Primarily, Golding reflects Hobbes's ideas of man dissolving his own government into civil war to strengthen his main idea that humankind is fundamentally evil.
Many may argue that if all people were inherently evil, why didn’t Ralph and Piggy succumb to the darkness in Lord of The Flies, yet this argument is very debatable due to certain aspects containing religion. In religion, we learn that every man is born with sin to some degree, and to say we have no sin would be deceiving ourselves. As many have read, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” Romans 5:12. This quote is here to recognize that everyone is born with sin, and everybody commits sin within their lifetime. So to answer the question of why didn’t Ralph and Piggy succumb to the darkness would be almost invalid because according to religion everyone is tempted to the darkness. Both Hobbes and Goldding use religion as crucial and fundamental advisors for their writings and ideals. Golding implements the idea of religion in the novel drastically. For instance, In the book Lord of The Flies, Golding introduces the idea of the ‘beast’ as “a snake thingy…” (35). Golding synthesizes this quote to support the idea of religion playing a key factor on the island with the boys. Golding also references the snake from the bible to represent the ‘Beastie’ in order to convey the evil that is tempting them and it also spreads awareness that the human mind is weak to influence. Thomas Hobbes also gives his intake on how religion can be a factor in the evilness that dwells within all but in a different way. Hobbes's religious ideas, like his political ideals, reflected his understanding of human nature. Hobbes believed that some forms of religion may cause opinions that disrupt the order of society, which can then lead to civil unrest. Although Both Hobbes and Golding approach the idea differently, they both believe that religion can be a cause of the inherited wicked of humankind.
Hell, a term used to represent a place of negativity and despair is the truth of reality, hidden by the facade of society. Earth can be hell for all we know, damning us to a place of wrongdoings, wickedness, and cruelty that almost all possess. Philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes write to share their ideas of the state of nature through one's perspective. Authors like Golding also try to use books to spread the ideas of man’s evilness when taken out of society. In the book Lord of the Flies, Golding conveys Hobbes's ideas that the evil that dwells within man is a reality by revealing the savagery of kids without order. Both Golding and Hobbes painted a picture of the aftermath of a society without a working government. They also explained to the readers the dissolution of government due to the wickedness harbored in the human mind. And lastly Golding along with Hobbes used religion to counter the argument for their ideals. All in all Golding and Hobbes used every aspect of social and political life to argue their perspectives on human nature. Perhaps man is as evil as Golding along with Hobbes states, and perhaps they aren’t but the true nature of man is a complexity that many may not understand but rather interpret.
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