Lord of the Flies- Brielle Thompson

Due to social hierarchies there is always someone in charge of how citizens will be governed. A notable example of this in modern life is within the political climate. Despite what policies are being supported a person, or branch of government creating systems and laws to obey is an inevitably. Despite what social class someone belongs in there will always be restrictions due to power structures. Lord of the Flies symbolizes how the American political system operates both culturally and systematically . .


Moreover, Lord of the Flies depicts how the American political system works culturally by illustrating how people demand a certain leader based on emotions. This is most common when a country finds itself in conflict with another nation.  Often these leaders argue it is necessary for their survival to inflict violent actions against other nations to ensure their own safety. People are drawn to this type of leadership because of the fear they will not survive in the war. Furthermore in the novel the boys are drawn towards the ideology Jack expresses, survival by any means, out of fear they will not escape the island. This school of thought has been prominent throughout the dawn of time, but a recent example was during George W. Bush’s first term. Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 people were drawn to a leader like Bush going into war with countries responsible for this action. His approval rating reached over 90% in 2002 showing how real world scenarios mirror the identical hunt or be hunted mentality the boys had. Another instance this happened when (character name) said, “Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things,” (Golding, 22). That interaction illustrates how people depend on demanding leadership during times of a crisis.

Aside from type of leadership Americans are drawn to Lord of the Flies also symbolizes the type of political parties in the United States. In other words the systematic element of how elected officials are chosen. In The United States' government, there are two main political parties that and ideologies that compete to maintain dominance, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The character who symbolizes similar political doctrines to the Republican party is Jack. One of the instances Jack embodies happened when he only distributed food between him and members of his crew who helped capture the pig. Jack believed since they caught the pig they have the right to not distribute to others since it’s not their responsibility. This mirrors a modern Republican mentality because they advocate everyone has their obligation to provide for themselves. The character who most embodies Democratic thoughts is Piggy because he wishes to ensure everyone shares amongst themselves for survival. This mirrors Democratic ideology because democrats generally advocate for the government intervening in order to help the less fortunate by creating government funded institutions to assist these people.  


In conclusion. Lord of the flies shows how the political world works in different manners. The point I proved here was how no matter what their will always be someone below you and/or above you. That is how the social hierarchy works and that was proven in the book.


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