Do We Benefit From Traumatic Experiences?: LoTF Essay (Amaris Ortiz)

Amaris Ortiz

Ms. Pahomov

English 2

31 March 2017

Do We Benefit From Traumatic Experiences?

In the novel Lord of The Flies by William Golding, Golding tells the reader a story about a group of schoolboys that end up stranded on an island without adults. Throughout their time on the island, the boys must find a way to be rescued. In the real world, some people put their children into this type of situation as a learning experience. William Golding is trying to show the reader that although this experience may have been scarring, it brought the boys knowledge that has helped them mature faster. This suggests that humans benefit from difficult and even traumatic experiences because they begin to have a greater appreciation for life and often have the motivation to act for the benefit of their future and others around them.

At the end of the novel, a naval officer arrives on the island. He begins to question Ralph on who is with him and who is in charge. “And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy (202)”. At this point, Ralph snapped back into reality. He begins to cry because he knows that he is no longer the same 12-year-old boy he was when he got involved in this situation. Ralph associates his time on the island with bad experiences as he thinks about what he has lost rather than the knowledge he has gained. The words used in this scene show Ralph’s distress from the outside mentioning his “filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose.” The word filthy is also used once the naval officer arrives on the island and Ralph becomes “conscious of his filthy appearance (200)” now that there is an adult present.

Similar to the novel, there is an initiation in the Maasai culture of Kenya and Tanzania known as Enkipaata where a large group of boys approaching manhood travel to the woods to camp out. These boys are sent to a village wrapped in a blanket with minimal supplies. The blanket will become filthy throughout their time in the forest so the boys receive a new one at the end of the four months as a symbol of their manhood. They wear white clay on their faces to show that they must fend for themselves, similar to the masks the boys in the novel made. This part of the initiation is not only used as their recovery from the circumcision, but as a way for them to learn how to provide. They must work together to choose a leader, which is considered to be an unfortunate role since they must “shoulder all of his age group’s sins”. One point that stood out to me was the fact that the boys had to approach the situation with the “attitude of a raider.” In Lord of The Flies, their way of acting as a raider was titled as being a savage. For the boys approaching manhood, it was seen as a good thing to make them more prepared, while for the schoolboys, the savage attitude made them seem barbaric.

This human behavior could be seen as barbaric just like the boys from Lord of The Flies. There is a cultural pressure for boys to undergo this possibly life-threatening journey. This stay in the woods is also seen as a break for them to recover from the circumcision, but is it really any better than staying with your tribe while you recover? More than 400,000 boys have been hospitalized for complications throughout their circumcision healing process. Those who have refused to take part in this initiation have been severely beaten or even circumcised by force. This ceremony has even gone as far as ending in death. It was a common occurrence for someone to die of dehydration, blood infections, or heart failure.

Before the boys were rescued by the naval officer, there were various ways they reacted to the trauma, which could have been the cause of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This includes hyperarousal, reexperiencing, and avoidance. The boys reacted to the trauma through hyperarousal and being very impulsive or angry. They resulted in violence many times whenever they felt betrayed or like they were in danger. In chapter 11, there was a big argument between the two newly separated tribes. They were arguing over who was the real chief until Roger struck Piggy with a boulder. This caused the conch, their form of unity, to break into a thousand pieces. Because of this, Jack said “See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone―(181)”. Jack has felt threatened by Ralph ever since he decided that he wanted to be chief and now that the conch is broken he feels as though Ralph no longer has power over the tribe. Simon in particular, dealt with hallucinations in Chapter 8. As he was sitting across from the pig’s head on a stick, he began to have a “conversation” with the pig, and the pig said “There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast.” This pig symbolizes the power of evil that evokes the way people act. It is often compared to a Satanic figure that brings out the beast in people.

Lastly, after they get past the struggle of trying to make their life the same as it was before the traumatic experience, they have to understand that their mindset is going to be completely different from what it was before. The boys in the Maasai culture learn about this idea of getting over the trauma to be able to begin to have a greater outlook on life and take this as a learning experience. The schoolboys from Lord of the Flies are in a very different predicament because they weren't able to prepare their minds for the plane crash and learning to survive on the island although they still took away many life lessons. As for Ralph and Jack, they took away leadership skills. It may take a while for them to recover but they will know how to provide for their future families if they were ever put in a difficult situation.  

Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of The Flies. New York: Penguin, 2006.

Gregoire, Carolyn. "The Surprising Benefit Of Going Through Hard Times." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Mar. 2017. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/post-traumatic-growth-creativity_us_568426c0e4b014efe0d9d8e8>.

"Maasai Culture | Ceremonies and Rituals." Maasai Culture | Ceremonies and Rituals. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2017. <http://www.maasai-association.org/ceremonies.html>.

"12 incredible African tribal traditions." CNN. Cable News Network, 05 Dec. 2016. Web. 30 Mar. 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/05/africa/incredible-tribal-traditions-africa/>.

Fogg, Ally. "The death and deformity caused by male circumcision in Africa can't be ignored | Ally Fogg." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/25/male-circumcision-ceremonies-death-deformity-africa>.