The thirst for power -- its what human individuality declares. Some will do anything to step on the throne, claim the territory, or prove their worth. Throughout the books, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton and Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the two rival groups battle for control, expressing the savageness of humans of the wild. As part of nature, the two groups end up fighting, though useless to solve their problems.
The Outsiders is a novel based on two gangs: the Socs and the Greasers who live in an unsecured town. Accidents and conflicts occur, leading to trouble. Ponyboy, Dally, Darry, and Johnny are important characters in the story. Lord of the Flies is a book explaining the situation of schoolkids who end up stranded upon a tropical island, eventually seeing differences that split the friends apart.
“What I mean is... maybe it’s only us” (Golding, 126). When there are worries, people find a way to withstand through fantasizing and adding stronger emotions. The group of kids stranded on the island start to miss home and begin to imagine a beast, enabling scare to overcome the hopeless. Simon, remaining calm and overviewing the situation, realizes the “beast” in the little ones’ dream is nothing but a symbol of helplessness. Away from the dreams, Ponyboy, the main character in The Outsiders, smokes a cigarette when he is disconsolated. “I wished they’d let me have a cigarette; I was more than a little shaky myself” (Hinton, 167). No different to numerous others around the world, Ponyboy uses pleasure to sway sorrow and nerve.
Everyone wants to be a part of society, but unresolved conflicts will always remain. Just as plants compete for sunlight, the gangs compete for power. “I’ll fight anyone anytime, but I don’t like to” (Hinton, 133), Darry says, showing his distressed perspective. Seemingly, Darry and Ralph, the main character in Lord of the Flies, both understand not to awaken the cold inner instincts in humans because it will only result in “[weeping] for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true wise friend called Piggy” (Golding, 290). and “[It’s] useless... fighting’s no good....” (Hinton, 148). The excerpts from The Outsiders and Lord of the Flies are intertwined being the undesirable impact of mortal tendencies.
“Soul” describes the essential nature in animals. The spirit of the dead, the ones who suffered, is often the rope pulling on fists and whipping away sanity. “Dally raised the gun and I thought: You blasted fool” (Hinton, 154). Since Dally’s closest friend, Johnny, left the world, Dally lost his mind and caused his own fall. However, when Ralph, from Lord of the Flies, lost his best friend, he was still able to control his emotions and “obey an instinct that he did not know” (Golding, 261). Ralph swallowed his worries to follow animals instincts, supporting his survival, contradictory to Dally’s actions.
Ideally, The Outsiders and Lord of the Flies are in agreement to the theme of humans having unrevealed tendencies. When involved in the crucial moments in life, the true nature of animals is exposed. Although shown in a variety of situations, the two novels leave readers with a sense of mindless but natural actions throughout.
Sources:
Golding, William. "Lord of the Flies [PDF]." Book- eRead. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <gv.pl/pdf/lord_of_the_flies.pdf>.
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