Lord of the Flies, Extra Credit
Fire, savagery, and death were the result of the island being inhabited only by boys. But what would be the result if the island was inhabited by only girls? It is quite the question worth pondering for sure, but nothing such as this has ever happened before. In order to give an accurate prediction, we will need to compare and contrast boys and girls as well as study the results of the boys’ stay on the island a little deeper. Without a doubt, I feel as though the result will be the same as the boys’.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, it is apparent that the inner evil inside the boys came out and revealed itself. But whether or not girls have the same evil and savage ways that the boys do, I think, is not that tough of a question. I believe that, though a different gender, girls possess the same inner evil that guys do. In the novel, even some of the most tender-hearted guys become beings of pure savagery, such as Jack. In the beginning of the novel he was a Quire boy who argued he should be chief because of his ability to sing a high “C” note. At the end of the novel, he forces himself as chief of his tribe because of his savage acts against others and his use of fear upon the younger boys. Could such a change be a factor in girls as well?
Girls, in most people’s eyes, are more gentle and kinder than guys are. Girls tend to be less hyperactive and care more about staying clean and being more sophisticated than guys are. But these traits are mostly present only when there are other boys around, because it is this tenderness and sophistication that the females use to make other boys see them as attractive. But if there are no boys around, and it is only girls inhabiting the island, then, to them, there will seem to be no further need for such sophisticated qualities that a girl should possess. For instance, in the novel the boys were young British lads who had just come from a civilized world. But once they realized that there were no adults around, and that they no longer needed to follow their rules, all the boys changed from civilized kids to “wild” boys whose only desire was to have fun. Perhaps this same sequence of events would occur with girls if the same situation was presented to them. If the boys split away from their civilized lives, couldn’t the girls do the same?
If the girls broke away from their own civilized ways and acted on their own, then I believe that the girls would also fall through the same, if not very similar pattern that the boys did. First, after realizing that there were no adults, the group of girls would start trying to have fun and look towards seeking enjoyment. After a while some girls may try to take charge, whether it be for a civilized cause or for a more savage cause. If the civilized cause succeeds, then it will start to take hold on the girls and order will be partly restored. Regardless of this I believe that some girls will start to whine and complain about how they don’t like things on the island, and may be able to convince more of the Tomboyish girls into doing something to make their own lives better. One of the main differences in the way the girls behave is that I believe that, instead of two separate groups, a variety of tribes will emerge on the island, ranging from the sweet and timid, to the sour and greedy, towards the foul and hurtful. Because of this split, a process of elimination between the tribes will occur, first weeding out the kind-hearted ones from the more able females. This will continue until one Alpha-female will emerge and take control of the remaining girls on the island, much like Jack seemed to take place as the Alpha-male. With this, the island will be thrust into chaos and savagery will have taken its hold on all of its inhabitants.
With nearly identical patterns identified, and the differences and similarities between boys and girls taken into account, it becomes obvious that no matter what happens there will always be a path towards savagery and chaos. Though different, the girls seem to possess man instinctive qualities as the boys and, in the same situation, will act in relatively the same way. Though until such an event occurs, no one will ever now for sure. To the best of my knowledge and with great thought granted towards this subject, my conclusion that the girls will follow the same path as the boys, has not changed.
Chris Cosby
B-1
A Clan EAFH Production