Social criticism is the examination of flaws in society and is often depicted through satirical works of literature which expose the hypocrisy of governments and societies as a whole. In the novel Lord of the Flies, Ralph was chosen to be the leader of the boys simply based on his appearance.Ralph was the tallest boy on the island and was rather attractive. He was also quietly holding the conch, which grabbed the attention...
Social criticism is the examination of flaws in society and is often depicted through satirical works of literature which expose the hypocrisy of governments and societies as a whole. In the novel Lord of the Flies, Ralph was chosen to be the leader of the boys simply based on his appearance. Ralph was the tallest boy on the island and was rather attractive. He was also quietly holding the conch, which grabbed the attention of the boys when he became their elected leader. The boys who voted for Ralph did not have any particular reason to choose him to be their chief, other than his good looks. Golding writes,
"None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy, while the most obvious leader was Jack" (22).
Ralph's election could be viewed as social criticism because it reflects the uninformed masses in today's society who vote for politicians based solely on their appearances. Many citizens do not analyze politician's specific policies or views and elect them based on their popularity or looks. Ralph turns out to be an ineffective leader, and the majority of the boys join Jack's tribe of savages. The same thing essentially happens in modern societies. Politicians are sometimes elected by uninformed individuals who fail to examine whether the person they are voting for is qualified to be a leader, and the politician fails to meet the needs of the society. Golding is criticizing the shallow, uninformed citizens who vote for inept politicians.
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