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Die Free
Throughout history, the question has been asked over and over again whether the structure of society ultimately grants or denies freedom to the individual. Many famous theorists have clashed over this issue, and to this day, the truth of the matter has not been established; this is the way with most profound truths. In Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, the freedom denied to individuals through the breakdown and corruption of society is clearly portrayed. Through an analysis and comparison between the philosophies of Confucius, Skinner, and Sarte and the view of human nature shown in Lord of the Flies, it will become apparent that society indeed is the key to true freedom.
Confucianism is one of the oldest world philosophies and places much emphasis on the importance of tradition. In Lord of the Flies, the conch represented the adherence to traditions and values; its shattering and utter destruction, an occurrence simultaneous with Piggy's death at the hands of Roger, represent the utter end of reasonable structure and a means of preserving order on the island. Also important in Confucianism is the idea that the welfare of human beings and benevolence is the most important ideal to strive for. Obviously, the painted savages the boys on the island had degenerated into by the time of the book's closure weren't looking out for the best interests of Piggy, Jack, or indeed, any of themselves. Confucianism also teaches that mankind is corrupt, selfish, and ignorant; certainly this is true of preteen boys with no adult influence who gradually allow themselves to decay into something primal and frightening. As for the Confucian view on morality, it is the driving force behind what all should strive for; it's not possible to change destiny, but morality is the only facet of life one has total control over. While the boys on the island initially tried to maintain their attitude of civilisation, their morals decayed along with their respect for one another. Whether or not destiny played a role in what happened to the boys on the island, they didn't truly try to hang onto their morality. The Confucian ideal was weakly sought but finally lost in Lord of the Flies.
Another philosophy on human nature was proposed by Skinner, who stated that the behaviour of humans has very little to do with inherence or true "nature," but depends fully on the environment in which one is placed. While Skinner emphasised order and a sort of perfection for his ideal environments, there's no reason why an island large enough to comfortably support a large group of boys with edible fruit and even a source of meat shouldn't have been a perfect place to live. Additionally, on a larger scale, the book shows how similar the situation of the boys was to that of the naval officer who rescued them; while one may seem more refined and upright, both resort to hunting and killing-the islanders reach the climax of their inhumanity in their hunt for Ralph, and as soon as the officer has completed the rescue of his own people, he will likely immediately return to battle with others. Lord of the Flies is not consistent with Skinner's theorising, as the environment throughout the novel remained perfectly constant. It was only the people themselves who gradually decayed and lost their freedom.
A third theorist is Sartre, whose entire platform was based on complete and total freedom. The only problem ended up being that his philosophy doesn't lead to a world where everyone is free to live and be happy, although it might if every person were perfect. Obviously, this is not the case. Sartre teaches that there is no God, and consequently, no devil-in a sense, no good, and no evil. Countless events in history could never have happened if humans didn't contain that capacity for evil, and within the book it's frighteningly obvious when the boys choose to follow the path to evil. Their disregarding of the safety of others and group mania in the slaying of Simon are clearly not moral neutrality. Sartre also states that having no rules leads to freedom; this makes sense on paper, but rarely works out that way in practise. When the rules began to be ignored, the society of the island slowly began to break down and finally die altogether. At that point, the islanders had abandoned their condition of "Bad Faith"-a Sartrean concept of human beings refusing to make a decision-and chose a path to follow. Unfortunately, it was not the right choice, and their total freedom ultimately led to terror, despair, and death.
Society, although its restrictions can confine individuals in the short run, is what grants humanity freedom in the final analysis. Rules that keep everyone safe and protected from one another grant the freedom to live in peace and harmony, even if they do restrict the "freedom" of those who seek to hurt, kill, and destroy. Confucianism and the philosophies of Skinner and Sartre do not all uphold what is shown in Lord of the Flies, but certainly some insight into true human nature can be found in all sources.
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