The Importance of Government (Final Essay)

The Importance of Government

A government is fundamental for a civilization in order to maintain discipline, organization and humanity. Everyone thinks differently and have distinctive ideas of how things should be. Without a government, people would associate into small groups. There would be competition which may lead to conflict among people. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding believes in the necessity of government.

The kids are lost on a deserted island with no adults. Ralph is chosen as chief. He sets some rules. “We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything.” (Golding, 40) A fire signal at the top of the mountain would always have to be on. Their bathroom would be a specific zone so that food remains clean. Setting these rules is how Ralph tried to establish a basic discipline. Although, the lack of motivation and an established government results in failure of these simple rules.

The chief of the group would blow the conch shell each time he wanted to give an announcement or have a meeting. Each kid had an assigned role. The role either would be to help make shelters, gather wood or get food. Jack and his hunters were specifically assigned to hunt for meat. This system worked for a while but after a few days the boys only wanted to play and have fun. Ralph didn't have the determination or the power of speech to convince the kids to keep doing their assigned work.

As time goes by, the kids realized they are free and there is no real authority to punish them. Jack leaves Ralph's group and creates his own. Ralph doesn't know what to do and everyone but Simon and Piggy joins Jack's group. Jack is very aggressive and is obsessed with hunting. He induces the kids to be like him and achieves it. “Maybe there is a beast, maybe is only us.” (Golding, 80) Simon is murdered due to being mistaken for the beast. Jack does not accept it as murder and believes Simon was actually the beast. Roger murders Piggy on purpose and none of the kids complain. Humanity was lost. At the end, Jack tries to capture and kill Ralph. The kids lost all human sense because of the lack of a good authority and established laws.

Most people nowadays complain about the government without realizing how important it is in our daily lives. Without a government there would be no laws and therefore we would have to watch after ourselves all the time. A government is the only line that separates us from being savages.

Written by: Alberto Ruiz de Chavez
English 11