1984 And Lord of the Flies Essay

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, and 1984, By George Orwell, both portray the power of the government and the revolts that develop, while expressing a different nature of fear. Both books have a strong government possessing power and control over all the citizens. The novels compare in expressing fear but, contrast in showing completely divergent types of fear. Each piece of literature displays jealousy and hatred towards the government which leads to revolts. Furthermore, in the book, Lord of the Flies, one boy, Ralph, rules over several boys while they are stranded on an island. The books Lord of the Flies and 1984 both have communities with an overruling government using extreme power. Lord of the Flies is about twenty boys who are stranded with no adult authority on a deserted island after their plane crashes. One of the oldest boys at the age of twelve, Ralph, becomes chief because he holds the conch shell and the boys all agree to follow his orders. The book 1984 takes place in the totalitarian country of Oceania after World War II. This powerful country is under full control of their government known as The Party and all the citizens are watched throughout the day by telescreens placed all over their communities. In the Lord of the Flies, Ralph quickly declares himself chief and exerts his power on his fellow tribesmen in attempt of running an organized community. As chief, Ralph orders each of the boys a job to fulfill to make the community run smoothly. One of the boys, Jack, is in charge of keeping the fire lit and under control. Ralph’s powerfulness is expressed when Jack leaves the fire unattended as a ship passes the island. â€Å"Ralph pushes piggy to one side. â€Å"I was chief, and you are going to do what I said† (Golding 70). Once Ralph sees the ship at a distant from the island and realizes the fire is at a low ember he becomes outraged. He pushes piggy and demands Jack to obey his orders. Ralph knew it was crucial to keep the fire going to get the attention of the sailors on the ship. See more: Sleep Deprivation Problem Solution Speech Essay This was a missed opportunity by the boys and Ralph uses his power to make sure everyone executes their job. Ralph does not yell because he is arrogant, he uses his power to make sure the boys get home safely. Similarly, in 1984, the government is referred to as the Party and it has power over all the citizens. The telescreens are video cameras placed around the cities including inside everyone’s home. Also, the Party hangs propaganda around the cities to remind the citizens to obey all rules of The Party. In the beginning of the book the propaganda is explained as â€Å"The black-mustachio’d face gazed down from every commanding corner. There was one on the house front immediately opposite. Big Brother Is Watching You, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into his own† (Orwell 2). Big Brother is the head of The Party and complete dictator of Oceania. These posters are used to remind the citizens they are being watched at all times. The propaganda used in the communities portrays the power of Big Brother and The Party. The posters are hung everywhere so the citizens are constantly faced with looking their dictator in the face. The books Lord of the Flies and1984 both portray a strong central government with a powerful dictator ruling over both communities. Virgina Tiger, professor and chair of English at Rutgers University in New Brunswick and an author of four books, is a critic on Lord of the Flies. Tiger said â€Å"Middle-class Ralph, with his boy scout skills, fair complexion, and sense of fair play, is the son of a naval officer, thus is he closely linked to Britain’s past magisterial powers on the seas† (Tiger). In this quote she is characterizing Ralph. His father is a naval officer so he is closely linked to the powerful force of the Briti sh Navy. Tiger believes Ralph was declared leader because of the skills he possesses as well as his father’s strong leadership qualities displayed in the Navy. Similarly, critics of the book 1984 acknowledge the power of the government and its rule over the people. Victoria Gaydosik, an associate professor at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and a published editor of young adult books, is a critic of 1984. She said â€Å"The ruling political system, Ingsoc, venerates the leader (possibly mythical) Big Brother; members of the Inner Party exercise the real power behind the ubiquitous face of Big Brother. Winston, a lowly member of the outer party, has no power to wield, and the state is interested only in his obedience to the will of the Party† (Gaydosik). Gaydosik says The Party only cares of the citizens’ obedience to the will of The Party meaning The Party has complete control and power over all the citizens. Both the critics of Lord of the Flies and 1984 recognize the power of the governments in both communities. In both of the books, Lord of the Flies and 1984, an expression of fear is present towards contrary ideas. In Lord of the Flies, the young boys are stranded on a deserted island and become scared of what else could be on the island. Also, they fear dead man connected to a parachute that landed on top of a mountain on the island. They boys believe it is some sort of beast and set up to kill it. In 1984, the main character, Winston Smith, faces the fear of being caught by the Party for his rebellious acts throughout the book. Conversely, in Lord of the Flies, the boys are afraid of a mysterious object attached to a parachute that floats on top of a mountain on the island. In Lord of the Flies, two boys are taking care of the fire when they spot what they believe is a beast on the mountain. They are extremely frightened and run to Ralph for help. â€Å"They became motionless, gripped in each other’s arms, four unwinking eyes aimed two mouths open† (Golding 98). The boys are still at young ages of around six to twelve years old. The surprise of seeing an unrecognizable body with eyes immediately brought the boys to the conclusion the body was a beast. This puts a fear in all the boys of the unknown on the island. The boys are scared of what else could be on the island and what was the â€Å"beast† the two boys saw. The boys have no adult protection from the beast and fear what could happen to them. On the contrary, the citizens in 1984 fear their government and the cruel punishments resulting from not abiding the laws. The Party is extremely controlling and has strict laws for all the citizens to obey. Winston meets a girl, Julia, and they have to plan to meet secretly to see each other because their sexual relationship is not allowed in Oceania. Julia says, â€Å"We can come here once again, it’s generally safe to use any hide-out twice. But not for another month or two of course† (Orwell 112). This occurs when Julia and Winston first start seeing each other and Julia is explaining to him they could come back to their hide-out but not for a couple months because it would be suspicious. They have to be cautious with their secret relationship because it can result in cruel punishment from The Party. Throughout the book they must face the fear of being caught by The Party and be sentenced to death. In both books, Lord of the Flies and 1984, a portrayal of fear is present but of contrasting ideas. A critic Paul Crawford is currently an assistant professor of history at California University of Pennsylvania and also published a book and many online articles including literary criticism on Lord of the Flies. In his criticism he says â€Å"They face beasts and phantoms in a succession of apparently supernatural events. Uncertain and fearful, the boys are subjected to unexplained phenomena. Suspense and hesitation as to the nature of the â€Å"beast† follow, and their fear increases accordingly† (Crawford). Crawford is saying that the boys were faced with beasts and unknown objects under strange circumstances. Suspense rises when the boys see the beast and th eir fear increases in result of the unknown on the island. The boys fear the unknown and the beast because they don’t have protection and don’t know what the mysterious beast will do. In contrast to this the main character of 1984, Winston Smith, faces the fear of being seized by the government for is unacceptable relationship with Julia. Critic of 1984, Jane Graves, is an award-winning author of romance novels. She states in an online article, â€Å"After many difficult encounters where they attempt to hide from the telescreens, they agree to meet in a clearing in the woods. Here they are able to be free with one another and have sex for the first time† (Graves). Graves explains the troubles in which Winston and Julia face to have sexual intercourse with one another. They have to avoid being seen on the video cameras around the cities and meet each other in the woods. Betrayal of The Party and Big Brother leads to severe consequences so Julia and Winston must always face the fear of being caught. The books Lord of the Flies and 1984 both express fear but of different concepts and situations. Lord of the Flies and 1984 compare in possessing rebellious groups with revolutionary beliefs against the government. In Lord of the Flies, one of the boys, Jack, is upset with the decision of making Ralph chief. Jack believes he is a more qualified chief and begins leading his own group of kids. In 1984 Winston Smith believes the government is corrupt and controls the future and the citizens by erasing the past. Winston starts having rebellious thoughts and believes in a revolutionary group named the Brotherhood against The Party. In comparison to the Brotherhood, Jack, from the Lord of the Flies, goes against Ralph and leads his own group of kids in a hunt for the beast. In Lord of the Flies when two boys spot a mysterious beast, they all start climbing the mountain where it landed in search of it. Ralph decides to head back to their camp because the boys were getting tired but Jack ref uses. Jack says â€Å"I’m going up the mountain to look for the beast now† (Golding 119). Jack demands to search for the beast going against Ralph’s decision of taking a rest from searching. A couple other boys agree with Jack and head up the mountain while Ralph and the rest of the boys go back to their camp. After disagreeing with making Ralph the chief, Jack finally makes a stand and refuses to take orders from Ralph. Likewise, in 1984, Winston Smith disagrees with the government and makes a stand against The Party. He begins by writing rebellious thoughts in his diary and wants to break the laws of Oceania by performing a sexual act. Winston believes having sex is rebelling against the government. Orwell says, â€Å"And what he wanted, more even than to be loved, was to break down that wall of virtue, even if it were only once in his whole life. The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion† (Orwell 60). Winston’s dream comes true when he met Julia and finds himself in a sexual relationship with her. Winston’s main goal throughout the story is to rebel against The Party and to make his own decisions. Winston breaks the virtues of The Party and successfully rebels against Big Brother with his sexual involvement with Julia. The books Lord of the Flies and 1984 compare in possessing characters that clash with their respective governments’ ideals and partake in rebellious acts. Berthold Schoene-Harwood is a critic of Lord of the Flies as well as a teacher in Liverpool at John Moores University and a successful author and editor. Berthold says, â€Å"The boys engage in a relentless, ultimately self-annihilating battle against their own nature. In their attempt to assert themselves as men†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Schoene-Harwood). He is saying the boys find themselves fighting against each other to prove who is more of a man. These battles lead to the death of some of the children because they have become savages from their extended amount of time on the island. Jack acts out agai nst Ralph because he does not want to be controlled by him. Jack deems he is his own man and can make his decisions which results in his revolt against Ralph. Similarly, in1984, Winston acts out against the government through performing rebellious acts. Gorman Beauchamp, a critic of 1984, graduated from the University of Michigan and is currently an associate professor emeritus at the University of Michigan as well as a published author. Beauchamp states, â€Å"But because the whole duty of citizens is to love Big Brother, their love for one another is perforce politically subversive† (Beauchamp). In this quotation he is explains the duty of the citizens is to love their leader and Winston and Julia’s sexual relationship is an act of betrayal towards Big Brother. Because of Winston’s disagreement with the party and hatred towards Big Brother, he is revolting against the government. The critics Schoene-Harwood and Beauchamp confirm the exertion which defiant acts are displayed in the books Lord of the Flies and 1984. The books Lord of the Flies and 1984 display powerful governments as well as insubordinate acts against the government with divergent fears expressed in both. Lord of the Flies has a chief, Ralph, who has complete rule over all the boys on the island compared to Big Brother in1984 who powerfully rules over the citizens of Oceania. Both books present fear, but in Lord of the Flies the boys dread the unknown on the island compared to the despair of being arrested by the government in 1984. The revolting groups formed in Lord of the Flies and 1984 relate in both opposing the ideas of their government. Both books are similar in possessing powerful governments with opposing groups as well as expressing fear but the perspective in each is altered through the age of the characters. In Lord of the Flies the characters are very young and fear a far less serious matter of a mysterious beast verse being caught by the police and executed in 1984.