Leviathan & Lord of the Flies
Hobbes' Leviathan & The Lord of the Flies A society is defined as a group of people uniting in a common interest. Even though some people do not always seem to have parallel perspectives, they do share one common interest, which is survival. The survival of man is dependent on man's ability to adapt to their needs and surroundings. This concept is known as evolution. The society of man has evolved in its journey through time to help ensure man's survival. According to Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, it is in the nature of men to thirst for power, or the ability to control. Hobbes writes, "...a general inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and relentless desire of power after power, that ceases only in death." (p.330) He believes that the thirst for power is insatiable, and will only stop after death. The thirst for power is insatiable because "he cannot assure the power and means to live well...without the acquisition of more." (p.330) Man can only guarantee his own survival by acquiring more power. Hobbes believes that man's struggle for power begins in a setting that he describes as "state of nature". The state of nature is the name for a society that has no government, no rules, and everyone is granted equal power.
A group of young boys are stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. A person who feared God more than the sovereign would likely not surrender their power to the sovereign. First of all, the power of the leader, or government, is too great. Jack provided them with comfort in that he relieved them of their fear of the beast by telling them they would hunt and kill the beast. The difference between the two boys was that Jack aggressively driven by his human nature, while Ralph was more passive. This is just another way which Jack uses the element of fear to retain his power over the other boys. As a result of his natural thirst for power, he wanted "to endeavour to destroy" (Hobbes 332) he enemy, Ralph. ) Thomas Hobbes' essay "The Leviathan"2. If this were true, Jack would not have been able to assemble his army of boys on the island and Ralph's voice of reason and faith would probably have prevailed. But Jack, the leader of the other group, is obsessed with gaining total power of the island. By acquiring this power, Jack's chances of self-preservation were improved dramatically. During this time, nothing but fighting takes place. When presented with the idea that a beast existed, Jack used to boys' fear of the beast to gain more power by telling them what they wanted to hear. In doing so, the two groups become enemies, and a condition of war is created. Ralph and Jack were both sovereigns of their groups.
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