Lord of the Flies

Imagine being a twelve-year old boy and being asked whether you would rather go have fun with your friends or work. What would a twelve-year old boy do? More than likely, he would choose to run off with his friends and have fun, even if the work will be better in the long run. It is much easier for children to see the benefits of having fun because they are instantaneous.

In Lord of the Flies, all the boys have an option. They can either stay with Ralph and Piggy, and have to work hard in order to be rescued, or they can hunt and have fun with Jack. By choosing to go with Jack, they choose the easy route. They get to have fun and as an added bonus they get to eat meat.

Staying in Ralph's group means work. It is obvious from the beginning that most of the boys do not want to have to do work. The first sign comes when Ralph is building the huts. Everyone had promised to work hard on the shelters until they were finished, but nobody but Simon helps. Ralph and Simon are forced to build the shelters by themselves, while the rest of the boys swim and play.

Another sign that the boys do not want to work was the meetings. The meetings they have always start off well. In the beginning everyone is calm and very serious. They all agree that they have to work. But by the end of every meeting, things get out of hand and it ends with all the boys excited and wild. Then they work for five minutes before going off to have fun.

One more sign that nobody wants to work is the fire. Ralph and Piggy are the only two who seem to understand why the fire is so important. Everyone hates having to stay and watch the fire, and they do not see the point in it. Jack and his hunters allow the fire to go out, possibly keeping them from being rescued, because they are so preoccupied with hunting.

When Jack offers the boys a chance to just have fun and not work, they gladly take it. It is easier for them to see the benefits of Jack's plan because they are immediate. They all choose just as the typical twelve year old boy would. They choose to have fun.

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