Lord of the Flies Is A Good Example of Degradation of Society

Any student of English literature is sure to encounter William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies,  throughout the course of their education. Written and published in 1954, Nobel prize-winning author William Golding’s novel became an instant classic. The book follows a band of young British boys who find themselves stranded on an uninhabited island. From this premise, the book goes on to explore a number of fascinating themes surrounding psychology, society, and individualism. The sheer range and depth of themes explored in Lord of the Flies is a major part of why it is such a popular choice for teachers and students alike.

When it comes to choosing a subject matter for a university research paper, Lord of the Flies offers students a broad range of ideas to explore. From the tension between the group and the individual to the breakdown of social order itself, Lord of the Flies offers a fantastic starting point for an essay topic.

 

Writing about Lord of the Flies

The popularity of Lord of the Flies as a university essay topic means that students don’t have to start from scratch when it comes to writing their own. Inspiration for essay topics is plentiful, with there being free essay samples Lord of the Flies related available online. Thought-provoking themes such as groupthink and the degradation of society can be found in “Lord of the Flies” essay examples, this is a great way to start researching thought-provoking themes such as social degradation.

The eerie truth about societal breakdown in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is just how easily it can occur. The rules and social norms that govern us and guarantee a certain degree of morality in our behavior may not be as reliable as we’d like to believe. In the novel, once the boys are removed from society’s context that has endowed their morals, we get a glimpse of just how quickly these can evaporate. Social structures and the degradation of society are at the heart of the lesson of morality in Lord of the Flies.

 

The degradation of society

The miniature society that the young boys carve out for themselves is not held in place by any wider society or sense of social responsibility. Without broader society, “immoral” actions cease to have negative social consequences. The novel suggests that it is indeed this lack of social consequence that causes the degradation of society and “moral behavior.” The unnerving truth that many students uncover while studying Lord of the Flies is that they themselves might, in fact, be capable of the savagery demonstrated by the boys in the novel – given the removal of social expectations.

 

This somewhat disturbing question is another reason why Lord of the Flies is one of the most popular research subjects for students who like to self reflect – although there are many of these for students to peruse. The cause for introspection and self-reflection in these books that deal with selfhood is exactly the reason why students should read The Yellow Wallpaper, Metamorphosis, and Lord of the Flies. Not only does it make for a fascinating research subject or essay topic, but can provide a valuable lesson about humanity.

 

Our individual social sense of morality, and how this can be affected by the degradation of society is a classic Lord of the Flies example topic. Reading novels such as these can teach us that, even when the social fabric that tells us who we are seems to fall apart, we as individuals always have the ability to make choices. When the framework of our morality is put to the test in situations such as these, the key to staying a morally sound person is to have a strong sense of self. Understanding the reasoning behind our own individual morality is the only way to avoid being sucked into the savagery and chaos that consumes the characters of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.