Amitej Babra

Mr. Junker

Civics 9

12 February 2020

Lord of the Flies

Imagine being stranded on an island. The boys in Lord of the Flies had to go through this

struggle. William Golding was knowledgeable of enlightenment philosophers when writing his

novel, because the group of boys he shows in this book show that the government is only as good

as the people, that the protection of individual rights are also important, and also, shows the

values of civic virtue. When the boys began to worsen, their government also fell with it. Also,

some people, mainly Piggy, were discriminated against and his individual rights were not taken

into account. Finally, the boys were sometimes showing hard work and responsibilities,

symbolizing their civic virtue towards the community.

Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding highlights aspects of how the

government is only as good as the people. This value of Rousseau is also shown in the novel

Lord of the Flies because, however it shows how the government is as good as the people, the

group of boys demonstrate this belief, since at the start, when Jack was good, he talked about

how rules were important, and how they should follow them, once he began to change, and bend

the rules, everything went out of order. This shows how everything began to worsen from then,

and therefore shows how the government is only as good as the people are. Also highlighted in

the novel Lord of the Flies, was how natural rights are good, but individual rights are also

important. This was proved by philosopher Voltaire. This is shown through the character Piggy,

throughout the novel. For example, when Jack and the hunters finally get their first kill, and get
food for the people, Piggy is discriminated against and not given anything, just because Jack

doesn't favor him. Golding shows how Piggy doesn't get treated the same, and therefore isn't

getting the same individual rights. Finally, William Golding also shows the audience the values

of civic virtue, which also proves that he is knowledgeable of these philosophies. This was one

of the main beliefs of Baron de Montesquieu. This value is shown throughout the novel, even

from the start. At the start, after their meeting, they assign hunters, and people who keep the fire

going. This shows civic virtue, as many of the people value this community and are hardworking

and interested to make it prosper. Therefore, they show values of civic virtue.

Ultimately, although I argue that Golding was aware of these philosophers, some people

argue against it. For example, towards the end, we could argue that civic virtue was not apparent

in the novel. Especially since many of the boys later began to be careless, and stop worrying, like

when the fire went out.

People could say that Golding was unaware of these enlightenment philosophers, because

he only started out showing that they have civic virtue, but actually they turned out to change and

not show any civic virtue. However, even though there was a lack of civic virtue later on in the

novel Lord of the Flies, this is mainly because it shows the downfall of their government. This

most definitely doesn’t prove Golding’s lack of knowledge of these philosophers, but it all the

more shows his knowledge of the philosophy of civic virtue. This is because of his knowledge,

he shows that the boys lose civic virtue, which leads to the downfall. Ultimately, showing that he

knows about civic virtue, and the consequences of not having it, instead of arguing that he

doesn’t know of it.

In conclusion, William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, was aware of these

enlightenment philosophers. He proved this statement, by including many aspects, and beliefs of
these philosophers in his novel. Such as, government is only as good as the people are, individual

rights are important and must be protected, and the values of civic virtue. Ultimately, showing

his knowledge of these philosophies.

 Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Wiley Publishing, 2000.