Chaos and Order in Lord of the Flies Essay Sample

Two competing impulses have been established in every human since birth. Chaos: the instinct to gratify one’s own desires, be selfish, have control over others, and enforce one’s will. Order: the instinct to follow rules, be peaceful, be moral, care about others, and work for the good of all humanity. Chaos and Order have been on opposing sides for all of history, but in reality, they have been essential towards each other and the advancement of society. The theme in Lord of the Flies by William Golding is Order vs. chaos. The theme is revealed through the struggle for power between Ralph and Jack, the differences between Piggy and Roger, and the boy’s natural instincts in the absence of adults.

The main conflict in Lord of the Flies by William Golding is between Ralph and Jack. Both characters directly reference order vs. chaos. Ralph asks Jack what purpose he wants for himself and his choir boys: “‘Hunters’”(Golding 23). From the very beginning of the novel, readers learned that Jack is not like the other boys on the island. After losing the election to Ralph, Jack attempts to regain slight power when Ralph asks him what his and his choir boys’ job should be. This power-grab is due to Jack not being able to cope with not being in a place of authority, after all, he was the head choir boy. Jack asserts him and his choir boys as the hunters and main providers for the entire group. This scene reveals Jack wants to kill, to have power, and values his pride very much. These traits align with Jack symbolizing chaos and savagery throughout the novel. Ralph presents an organized way to live on the island: “We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there… and if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting. The same up here as down there” (Golding 42). After Ralph is elected chief, he is quick to implement democracy. The group has meetings, voting, and goals, such as the signal fire. Ralph instinctually creates rules and an orderly civilization under his leadership. The signal fire is the main priority for Ralph, as it will get them rescued and back to the outside world. The conch is used to call meetings, and Ralph is mainly elected chief because of his association with the conch. Ralph was the first to blow the conch and now is seen as the natural leader in the eyes of the group. The boys see Ralph represents leadership, responsibility, guidance, and order. Ralph clings to this instinct of order and it leads to him clashing with Jack, who resents order and everything Ralph stands for. 

Order and Chaos are two natural ways of life. Piggy and Roger show how one person is naturally orderly, and one is naturally chaotic. Piggy seems to always be thinking about the outside world: “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What's grownups going to think?” (Golding 92). Piggy is overwhelmed by the majority group descending into chaos and tries to enforce the pressures he feels from the adult world. When the boys first land on the island, Piggy speaks of adults he admires. Throughout the novel, Piggy clings to the pressures and norms of civilization outside of the island. Piggy doesn’t seem to have any animalistic or savage tendencies and is closely associated with intelligence. Roger has never fully grasped the rules of civilization: “Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law” (Golding 62). At this point in the novel, Roger is mean, but not ruthless. The urge to throw the stones and torment the littluns is there, but Roger suppresses it because he knows somewhere in the back of his mind he’s not supposed to do that. Later in the book, after fully letting go of the outside world, Roger tortures Samneric because he is ordered to, but also because he’s always wanted to. Roger represents the exaggerated primal nature of humans and their natural aggressions. In the end, Roger ends up killing Piggy, and Piggy’s death symbolizes the triumph of chaos over order. 

In the absence of adults, the group of boys divide into two groups. Chaos is dangerous and overpowers order when there is enough of it. Most of the boys have joined Jack’s tribe: “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 152). Jack’s tribe is having a party-like event on the beach with pig to eat. This meeting of the boys is so chaotic that the group gets overwhelmed with aggression that they kill Simon in a hysterical frenzy. Despite a murder occurring, the boys carry on, dancing and cheering about killing a beast. Without adults and civilization, even children can be dangerous and naturally savage. Children are capable of murder when they are released from society’s pressures to be civilized. As more boys join Jack’s tribe, the less pressure there is to be orderly and the more dangerous the boys get. This quote shows how chaos can easily overpower order. 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding wants readers to understand that chaos and order are opposing forces, constantly at battle. Golding gives repeated examples of this through Ralph vs. Jack, Piggy vs. Roger, and savagery vs. civilization. In the end, chaos triumphs over order, and this causes questions as to what would happen to our own civilization if chaos were to triumph over order and government. How easy would it be for chaos to overrun the world and society we live in today?