Wiliam Golding's Lord of the Flies (Faber & Faber, 1954) examines the perils of the mob mentality via horrifying images of communal brutality. I'll demonstrate how easy a mob mentality may spread and how rapidly lawlessness develops in this examination.
In the first few chapters, the lads elect Ralph as their leader rather than Jack, but Ralph lets Jack remain control of the group of boys he was in charge of. Jack immediately transforms the group of singers into a hunting party and pledges to provide the hunters with meat. Jack has shifted the balance of power in his favor by putting himself in charge of delivering the meals. Ralph still rules the island's social customs at this time, although it is revealed that Jack carries a knife, giving him the advantage of lethal force. The lads shout, "Kill the pig," over and over. throat-cut her. "Spill her blood," Jack says after starting it. He is a more mature lad with a spear who lives by the law of the jungle. He prioritizes his personal goals over the needs of the collective, utilizes fear, violence, and intimidation to control the youth, which breeds a mob mentality.
The boys rapidly lose their moral compass after coming together as a gang as Jack convinces them that an unseen beast is real, and that violence is the only way to stop it. Jack daubs on warpaint to give the impression that he is courageous and fierce. The lads do the same because they want to be as brave as Jack. This demonstrates how people disguise their distinct identities in order to blend in with the group when they are frightened. Additionally, this absolves them of any personal responsibility.
People tend to mimic behavior, especially when under stress, and they frequently end up doing things in groups that they would never do on their own. A "mob mentality" is a way of thinking that may turn a tranquil gathering into a hostile mob. There are several psychological explanations for crowd behavior, but for the sake of this book, I'll concentrate on the Contagion Theory. According to this hypothesis, crowds have the power to hypnotize the individuals who are a part of them (a sporting event comes to mind when the spectators act as one). This "group hypnosis" may cause people to act in an emotional and unreasonable manner. Or perhaps the crowd's craze is infectious in some way, as the term suggests (Britannica, 2023).
Ralph, Piggy, and Simon are three other characters in the novel who dread the hunters' spiral into frenzy but also yearn to be a part of the charismatic gang. As a result, they assist in beating Simon to death. Jack, the mafia boss, denies that the murder ever had place, which has the consequence of normalizing it and leading to even more intense violence. Piggy is the next victim as the mob turns on Ralph and Piggy and begins to pursue them. This demonstrates how susceptible even excellent people may be to a group's infectious nature.
Another character by the name of Roger fits the description of a "henchman" since he becomes friendly with the most powerful leader, Jack, and because Roger seems to take pleasure in brutality. Every bully has a "toady," or someone who is eager to win the leader's favor and is prepared to carry out the leader's filthy deeds. The youngsters on the island developed a mob mentality because they were eager to follow anyone who they believed might provide them with food and defend them from the elusive enemy. Even though Jack was aggressive and disobedient, everyone followed him.
The lesson of Lord of the Flies seems to be that following a morally bankrupt leader will cause a mob mentality to take hold, and society will swiftly fall apart. As we have seen in times of conflict, this "unraveling" can result in horrors. Since unfettered authority is a prescription for disaster, who should have power and how should it be restricted, just like in Lord of the Flies?
There were two distinct styles of leaders in Ralph and Jack: Ralph was a diplomatic individual who upheld traditional social norms, was elected to power democratically, and had no means of enforcing his authority. In contrast, Jack used force to take Ralph's position of authority, played the part of the dominating alpha male by flashing his knife, and provided the small children with a sense of protection from danger. As he was eager to kill everyone who opposed him, Jack was the most apparent leader but probably not the most deserved. Ralph was the most deserved leader in terms of his democratic beliefs, but he wasn't necessarily the strongest because he couldn't outmuscle Jack.
The lads experience a number of terrifying situations throughout the novel, including the woodland beast, starvation, darkness, and threats from one another. Due to these factors, the tribe of harmonious lads we witness at the beginning of the novel eventually transforms into a horde of conflicted savage men, all because Jack whipped their worries into a frenzy. As a result, the camp was divided in two, and fighting broke out. Even among youngsters, the Contagion Theory held true. Politics and war have demonstrated on a larger scale what Lord of the Flies has demonstrated on a smaller scale: that fear can drive people to do mad things.
Works Cited
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Britannica. Contagion Theory. 2023. Contagion theory | psychology | Britannica |
Golding, W. Lord of
the Flies. Faber & Faber, 1954.
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