Novel Analysis: Max Weber and Lord of the Flies

Upon discovering the island uninhabited, the boys are exhilarated with a sense of unbridled freedom; however, Ralph also recognizes that some semblance of order must be maintained. To this end, basic rules of civilization are established, the most important being that only those who hold the conch have the right to speak at meetings. Piggy, the voice of reason, lectures the boys due to their inattentiveness to ensuring rescue and survival. Nevertheless, Piggy is ignored. Instead of first building shelte

r, the group ignites an enormous signal fire, using Piggy’s glasses as a tool, eventually setting the far side of the mountain ablaze.

When night falls, Ralph sneaks back to the tribal camp where a feast is in progress. Sam and Eric, on guard duty, are frightened and refuse to join him. Instead, they give him food and warn him that Jack plans to search the island for him the following day. Ralph hides close to Castle Rock, afraid to sleep. In the morning, Ralph becomes aware that the twins have given away his whereabouts. After attempting to crush him with boulders launched from the hillside, Jack sets the area on fire in order to smoke him out. Ralph, forced to desert his hiding place, manages to break through the enemy line. As Ralph frantically combs the island for safety, the fire has spread and most of the jungle is now ablaze. Driven to the beach by the manhunt, Ralph collapses in exhaustion at the feet of a naval officer, attracted to the island by the smoking jungle. As the tribe emerges from the jungle, they stop and stare silently. Ralph, secure in the knowledge that he is rescued, reflects on the things that have taken place and weeps for the loss of innocence.

In applying Weber’s sociology to Golding’s Lord of the Flies, I would suggest that the source of conflict in this novel is the antagonistic relationship between Ralph and Jack, which eventually acts as a force, pulling the masses from rational civilization. Once Ralph becomes ineffective as the leader, loyalty of the masses becomes focused on Jack, a second charismatic leader. In this change, Jack’s subjective meanings are dominant and filter through the group. Applying verstehen, this creates a type of society in which, overall, Jack becomes the symbol of legitimate authority.

The first significant action in the novel is Ralph’s attempt to call an orderly meeting. At this point, the subjective meanings of the group are similar, as they have come from the same industrialized society, based on legitimate rule. At the opening of the novel, the boys have been socialized to accept a common set of norms and a common culture of the society from which they have been removed. In light of this, the society first established by the boys was a democratic extension of the society from which they came. In order to “decide things,” the boys voted on a chief. (Golding, p. 22) While Jack was the oldest, the leader of the choir, and the most obvious choice for chief, and Piggy was the most intelligent of the group, Ralph was voted chief by popular accord. Ralph was attractive and strong in appearance and Ralph was in possession of the conch. Other than the fact that Ralph took the initiative to call the meeting, an example of instrumentally rational action, there was no rational reason to choose this boy as chief. Therefore, Ralph represents Weber’s charismatic leader.

In concluding the novel, Golding creates a situation in which everyone on the island, excluding Ralph, is under Jack’s control. However, Jack’s power is not legitimate to all of the boys. Sam and Eric were taken hostage and were being tortured into submission. This power is illegitimate and constitutes coercion. One can find evidence of this in the fact that the twins provide a desperate Ralph with meat and a warning concerning the intentions of the tribe. (Golding, pg. 188-190) The twins actions here is an example of value-rational action, however, later, they inform Jack as to where Ralph will be hiding. This signifies instrumentally rational behavior as the twins attempted to avoid torture. The true loyalty of the twins remained with Ralph; therefore, their thought patterns were not altered. Instead, Sam and Eric were submitting to torture. As Ralph approaches the tribe in a final attempt to reason with Jack, he realizes that he must run for his life. In pursuit of Ralph, Jack feels that he must destroy his competition in order to feel secure in

Some topics in this essay:
Marx Durkheim, Ralph Jack, Ralph Roger, Calvin Luther, Jack Golding, Sam Eric, Ralph Piggy, Additionally Weber, Castle Rock, Nevertheless Piggy, subjective meanings, turner et al, turner et, et al, signal fire, sam eric, instrumentally rational, affectual action, social action, jack’s subjective, ralph piggy, jack’s subjective meanings, system domination power, instrumentally rational action, subjective meanings beginning,