Innocence and Control

Diamond Wallace

English 2

Pahomov

April 6, 2018

The Innocence of maturity

Although most people would like to avoid having consequences for their actions, the presence of those consequences brings structure to people’s lives. Society thrives because of the idea that it is unacceptable to demonstrate atrocious and uncontrollable behavior. Most of the time, when there is a lack of structure in someone's life, they tend to mature faster than expected.   In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the boys did not have a sense of structure. Their innocence was stripped away from them when they realized they had to survive on their own.

With all structure comes authority. People with authority usually have the power to shape and create respectful, and obedient people. But what happens when there is no authority?  According to an Article by Andrew Rondell, ¨Those who grow up without authority tend to act out of character or mature faster than what they should.¨ Sometimes the rapid growth of these adolescents makes their mindset very problematic. The themes of authority, innocence and consequences connects with the world we live in now.

One of my real world connections is Miley Cyrus growing from Hannah Montana. When first starting her career at Disney, Miley seemed as if she had been molded to fit with her standard. Just as many people do, she grew up and realized that Disney controlled her. So, as most Disney Stars do, she left and lost a sense of authority in her life. Miley began to reinvent herself, entering the “Can’t Be Tamed” era just after the series finale of “Hannah Montana” happened. Afterward came the “Wrecking Ball” era and “Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz” eras, which Miley has most been scrutinized for.

In The Lord of The Flies, the three older boys; Piggy, Jack, and Ralph, wanted to be incharge, or be the leader. They were molded into thinking that there always had to be a sense of jurisdiction, because society shapes us into following the laws and government.  Once the boys accepted the fact that they were stranded, they knew they had to enhance their maturity. They had to play the role of an adult, but many of the other boys did not take them seriously considering the minimum age gap. “This is an island. At least I think it’s an island. That’s a reef out in the sea. Perhaps there aren’t any grownups anywhere.” (1.9-11). The boys understand that the ruling order of society that they are used to has disappeared. Children are use to obeying adults, not children who are practically their age. That is why there was little control over the boys on the island.

When children realize they can get away with little things because there is no dominant leader penalizing you for your wrong, they think they can get away with murder. They do not fear acting out of the ordinary because they do not have any repercussions behind their actions. In the novel, the boys acted out of fear numerous times, two in which resulted in murder. ¨The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went […]. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig’s after it has been killed. (11.209) The conch explodes, marking the end of law and order on the island. As the law ceases to exist, so does Piggy.  Piggy was not the first boy to be killed on the island. After the incident that occured with Simon, the boys understood that there would be no punishment after it. This time when they killed a boy, they had no remorse for their actions.

During an interview with Miley Cyrus, the interviewer said, ¨Your art makes people uncomfortable sometimes!¨ In response to this comment, Miley took matters into her own hands explaining her actions. ¨That's what punk is all about. If you don't piss somebody off, then that's not punk rock, I guess. But I wish people wouldn't be pissed off. There are so many real, true, problems in the world. If people would take their angst and their opinions and actually do something besides worry about what I'm doing.¨

In recent months, Miley has reflected and taken ownership over many of her actions. One of the most important decisions she has made is taking ownership of her past issues with drugs and alcohol. She shared her journey to sobriety with the rest of the country. In an interview with Billboard Magazine in May, she opened up about why she decided to get sober. She explained that it is important it is important for her to hang out with people who she could trust, and correct her when she was wrong. She wanted to surround herself with positive people that only wanted to see her survive and excel. When she was an addict, the people who she was surrounded with had no intentions on growing mentally, they were stuck in a state of comfort.

The ownership of actions between the boys in the Lord of the Flies, and Miley Cyrus is very different. Miley Cyrus reflected on her wrongs and did everything she could to correct them. Although you cannot correct murder, the boys did not take ownership of their actions, nor did they show repentance. Miley Cyrus began changing her image once she broke away from the control of Disney. She began to understand why discipline, and structure was important, and that is why she shifted her attitude. The boys in the Lord of the Flies realized there were no dominate figures who had the power to punish, so they never learned from their actions, only repeating the same mistake again.

The rapid maturity of the youth sometimes depends on the exposure that children experience alone while growing. The lack of self control can also come from the lack of authority in their lives. It is very important to understand how humans act based on the possible idea of retribution when there is, or is not rule and order.

1. “The Evolution of Miley Cyrus and Why It Matters.” Study Breaks, 13 Nov. 2017, studybreaks.com/culture/miley-cyrus-evolution-matters/.