The Purpose of Morality in Lord of the Flies and Hobbes
This essay examines the purpose of morality through William Golding's Lord of the Flies as interpreted by philosopher Louis Pojman in relation to Thomas Hobbes's theory of morality as social control. It traces the symbolic roles of Ralph, Jack, Simon, and Piggy as embodiments of civil order, primal instinct, spirituality, and reason respectively. The essay further contrasts Golding's Hobbesian, dystopian vision of human nature with the Catholic optimism of R.M. Ballantyne's The Coral Island, arguing that Golding presents morality as a fragile human construct that collapses without the backing of force.
- Hobbes and Morality as Social Control: Hobbes defines morality as a human social construct
- Ralph and Jack: Two Forces of Human Nature: Ralph and Jack embody civil order versus primal force
- The Coral Island vs. Lord of the Flies: Contrasting Catholic optimism with Hobbesian pessimism
- Simon, Piggy, and the Darkness Within: Simon and Piggy symbolize spirituality and reason destroyed
- Conclusion: A Hobbesian Vision of Human Nature: Morality collapses without overawing force, per Hobbes
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay consistently grounds literary analysis in philosophical argument, linking specific characters and plot events to Hobbes's theory of morality as social control.
- It draws a productive comparison between two novels — Lord of the Flies and The Coral Island — to sharpen its central claim about differing views of human nature and redemption.
- Textual evidence and secondary source quotations (Pojman) are integrated smoothly to support analytical points rather than replace them.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates philosophical-literary synthesis: it uses a theoretical framework (Hobbes's social contract and state of nature) as a lens through which to interpret fictional characters and events. By mapping Ralph onto civil order, Jack onto primal self-interest, Simon onto spirituality, and Piggy onto reason, the essay performs systematic symbolic reading grounded in secondary scholarship.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens by introducing Hobbes's definition of morality and Pojman's application of it to Lord of the Flies. It then analyzes the Ralph–Jack conflict as embodying the two forces of human nature. A comparison with The Coral Island highlights competing moral worldviews, and a final section examines the fates of Simon and Piggy as evidence of Golding's Calvinist-inflected pessimism. The conclusion reinforces the Hobbesian reading: without overawing force, morality fails.
Hobbes and Morality as Social Control
Thomas Hobbes viewed morality as a form of social control, instituted by society to prevent every man from being against every man (p. 36). In other words, morality was a human construct. What Lord of the Flies shows is that nature represents two forces — two dynamics, two spirits: one seeks to be upright and to serve the common good; the other is self-centered and self-indulgent, obeying only the force and violence of impulse. These two forces must work together if society wants to keep itself from tearing itself apart, so Pojman's argument goes.
Ralph and Jack: Two Forces of Human Nature
In Golding's Lord of the Flies, there is a profound struggle among the boys on the island as the group splinters and a power play for authority commences. One boy — Ralph — tries to adhere to the old-world morality embodied by civil society as it was known back home. He attempts to instill order and good governance through the conch and the imperative to keep the signal fire burning. Jack, on the other hand, represents a different kind of spirit or force or law — one far more interested in serving the self and the whimsical desire for instant satisfaction, whether by tormenting Piggy or abandoning the fire to satisfy a sudden urge to hunt for meat.
Jack represents an animalistic, fallen, and depraved nature that respects nothing but force. He is constantly challenging Ralph and is quick to use violence when he feels threatened, at one point charging at Ralph with a spear and later attempting to hunt him down with his own followers. In the novel, Ralph represents common sense but also the voice of a fading, failing civil authority. As Pojman suggests, Ralph is destined to lose. If morality is a social construct, as Hobbes argues, it is doomed to fail at some point, because human nature is itself flawed. Pojman states that "Jack overthrows Ralph as the leader, and with him, human rules" (p. 32).
Conclusion: A Hobbesian Vision of Human Nature
This reading clearly supports the idea that Lord of the Flies is antithetical to The Coral Island and its view of morality and human nature. Hobbes warns that "where there is no power able to over-awe them all," men will find only grief (p. 42). The author of The Coral Island simply suggests that there is a good power over all; Golding, by contrast, suggests it is more likely a bad one — or no redemptive power at all.
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