Post 4: Corrosive Corruption

     I think that the most evident theme in the book I am reading, Lord of the Flies, is 'corruption'. It becomes evident in many parts of the book. The Google definition of the word is:

cor·rup·tion/kəˈrəpSHən/

Noun:	Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. The action of making someone or something morally depraved or the state of being so.
Synonyms:	depravity - decay - putrefaction - bribery - venality

     

     Corruption refers to how people act as well as how a system of people functions. It can refer to how people act morally or how people act in general. I think that there are varying degrees of corruption. An older sibling bribing a younger sibling is corruption on a very, very small level. There are cases of corruption in the world now that are of such a large level that they cannot even be explained.

     Examples of corruption can be found in many spots in my book. The most obvious involve Piggy, Jack and Ralph. In these cases, Ralph and Jack start out fighting, as the leaders, and Jack's anger gets taken out on Piggy. This is an example of corruption because Jack, as a leader, takes advantage of Piggy and treats him very poorly. When the two are together at almost any point in the book, Jack abandons all morals. This results in Piggy getting treated like dirt. The severity of the corruption slowly escalates throughout the novel.
     Lord of the Flies is a very complicated book to decipher. I am not always sure what the author is trying to communicate, but I do know that the author shows how easily corruption can be masked. It sometimes appears that everything is normal in this small community of boys. You know that some of the ways they act are wrong, but the depth to which they are wrong is shocking when you think about it. Simply the fact that this corruption could lead to the death of one of the boys is horrific. I think that the author says that corruption happens easier than you would think. The reader learns that what might look innocent on the outside could be incredibly corrupt when you look deeper, and that is not a good thing. 

Golding, William. Lord of the flies. New York: Capricorn Books, 1954. Print.

Google Definition for 'corruption'