Explore the Ways in Which Bullies and Victims Are Present in Lord of the Flies and Dna Essay

English coursework, James LuxtonExplore the ways in which bullies and victims argon presented in churchman of the Flies and DNA. Bullies and Victims play vital roles in both the novel and the play. The authors, Golding and Kelly, both spue their founts by dint of similar trials. In Lord of the Flies, Goldings characters turn from normal school boys, to savages who ar prompt to kill atomic number 53 another to gain power. Golding suggests that under certain circumstances, good deal impart naturally obtain to give out more barbaric and savage. In DNA the characters ar thrust into a world of privateness where they conduct to cover things up to save themselves, Kelly himself wrote this I dont think I salve characters who are bad, I think I write characters who are difficult to do the right thing, merely are failing. Kelly gives no description to the lives of his characters before the death of go, suggesting that they may have lead bare lives, notwithstanding they h ave been thrust into a world of violence that spirals out of control. In Lord of the Flies, Golding impresses upon the referee how childrens judgements of their peers are based around their physical appearance which will directly impact whether they are seen as possible leaders or victims. In contrast, Kelly gives us no description of his characters appearance and offers no real clear reason why hug drug is the victim in this way the violence is little readily unders alsod, and ultimately more terrorization. Golding clearly demonstrates to the contributor how physical appearance effects a characters treatment in the opening chapter of Lord of the Flies.Even though they have just survived a plane crash and are apparently the only survivors on the island, Ralph constantly snubs piggy based on the position that Piggy is fat, has asthma, and to a fault wears glasses. Ralph shuns him, despite Piggy being incredibly adroit, and it is Piggy who suggests most of the things for the boy s to do, such(prenominal)(prenominal) as using the conch to call an assembly. Ralph doesnt realise the true value of Piggy until after his death. at that place was no Piggy to talk guts shows Ralphs despair. When he really needed help, Piggy was eer there to offer advice, whereas now, after his death, Ralph doesnt know what to do. Through this Golding is inferring that people judge others simply on their appearance, and people who appear weak will always be targeted by society, no matter how intelligent they are. In complete contrast, Kelly gives the reader no description of any character in DNA, and in detail no description of thescenery.Kelly gives no clear indication of why exaltation is the victim, which suggests that any other i of the characters in the play may have been the victim, and on a much wider scale, it suggests that anybody in society may be susceptible to becoming a victim this makes the violence that the multitude inflict on cristal much more frightening , beca recitation we are more likely to think that this could even travel by to us. Kelly shows us with his depiction of ecstasy just how desperate some people are to become part of a chemical group. Adam must continually show loyalty to them all in order to feel safe. They become so desperate to be popular and accepted by people, they are willing to do anything for the group or the people in power to the point where they are literally willing to risk their lives. Kelly also depicts just how far a group of bullies will go to test loyalty. The group made Adam run crosswise the motorway and nick some Vodka these criminal and life- fleshy activities were readily undertaken by Adam even though Jan sleep withs that you could tell he was scared. Alarmingly, the group were simply testing how far hell go. Kelly demonstrates how groups can manipulate people and exploit their fear and desperation to belong rather than be al unmatchable. . Kelly shows this by Mark when he says we can mak e him do, we can make him do- Marks excess and unfinished sentence suggests that he was possibly so uncomfortable with what was done that he struggles to fully acknowledge it.Although he claims that they were having a laugh, really, he was laughing, his words give him away. He sounds as if he is trying to convince himself and the separation of the word really makes him sound desperate. Golding also suggests to the reader just how desperate people are to become part of a group, and how in some situations, becoming part of a group may literally be a life and death decision. Ralph, diddley and Simon set out to look the island, and Piggy suggests to Ralph that he should go too, because he was with him when he found the conch and he was with him before anyone else was. Ralph seemingly tries to raise Piggy down gently by saying youre no good on a job like this implying, again, because Piggy is fat and has asthma, he wont be able to financial backing up and he will be a burden to the other boys. In contrast diddlyshit is blunter with Piggy. He simply says we dont want you, threes enough. In this, Jack shows obvious contempt for Piggy. When he firsts speaks to Piggy all he has to offer is youre talking too much, shut up fatty. Jacks obvious loathing of Piggy is evident passim the novel.Through Jacks first contact with Piggy it streng consequentlys the idea that children judge people solely on looks, and as well as this it is obvious that the constant name calling and bullying of Piggy will render him the victim of the boys end-to-end the novel. Both Golding and Kelly alarm their readers with evidence of real violence from the bullies to their elect victims. Violence with stones occurs both in Lord of the Flies and DNA, but they have different consequences. In Lord of the Flies the violent acts begins with Maurice and Roger kicking through the littleuns sandcastles. Before the arrival of Roger and Maurice, the littleuns seem content with being detach from the o ther boys. Three boys played on the beach, if not happily, at least with absorbed attention. Golding suggests that the littleuns had nobody else to do besides eat, sleep and play, so the novelty of the being able to do anything has worn off, but with absorbed attention indicates they still posses the innocence of childhood, so they carry on playing regardless. In contrast, erst Roger and Maurice had kicked over their sandcastles, the littleuns seemed disinterested, so they made no protest. Maurice kicks sand into Percivals eyes, and his reaction to doing this is interesting. Maurice feels guilt through the description of his actions. Instead of staying with Roger, he muttered something about a swim and broke into a trot. The use of the word muttered is significant because it infers that Maurice is trying to create excuses for himself, which shows unease at his actions. In his decision to run to the boys who are swimming, Golding shows that Maurice wants to detach himself from Roge r. It is also noteworthy that he runs away from Roger towards the other boys, inferring that Maurice wishes to distance himself from Roger and the possibility of further actions.Johnny, one of the other littleuns playing around the sandcastles, so begins to copy the actions of Maurice he begins to throw sand into Percivals eyes. This is resonant of the Bandura experiment of 1977, in which he placed an adult in a room with a new-fangled child. The adult was given a Bobo doll, which he was told to shout out repeatedly in the presence of the child. The adult then left and the Bobo doll was given to the child. Over time the child would begin the re-enact the actions of the adult, the child would begin to abuse the Bobo doll this suggests that children are influenced by a person in authority, and that they will copy their actions. Johnny repeats the actions undertaken byMaurice, and this suggests that natural order on the island is beginning to weaken, and that aggression and violenc e is taking over, now even the youthfulnessest children on the island are beginning to experiment with violence. Golding then demonstrates this experimentation of violence through Rogers stalking of Henry, the trey littleun that was playing around the sandcastles. Henry wandered off along the beach, he detaches himself from the rest of group, in this sense his exposes himself and leaves himself vulnerable, but in doing this it shows the reader that he still posses childhood innocence and naivety. Roger follows Henry, hiding in the shadows along the beach. Golding creates and air of menace around roger through his stalking of Henry.As well as this he suggests to the reader that Roger has no fear, when coconuts as big as rugby balls , fell about him with a series of baffling thumps. This lack of care for his own safety is frightening because he doesnt think in the expect way of a young child. The violent acts Roger then commits are frightening because they are simply not expected o f a young child. Roger picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry-threw to miss. But then he doesnt stop there. He continues with these violent acts, he gathers a handful of stones and began to throw them. Rogers violent acts tell the reader that now almost all of the expected childhood innocence has gone, and that the victims are commencement to become apparent. The young, weaker children will be picked on because they are batty and even some of the older boys such as Piggy and Simon will be targeted by looks and personalities. The violence on the island becomes more real and much more terrifying because the violence that would normally be expected of adults is being carried out by young children. In DNA the use of stones is much more violent, to the point where it leads to a death. The group continue to spite Adam, and they continue to test his loyalty to the group. They went up the grille. They force Adam to climb a fence and go walk over a grille covering a hole. This alo ne is potentially life threatening to Adam. The group see that he is scared, and the group mind set is simply to taunt him and to humiliate him. They then being to start pegging stones at him. The use of the word pegging is important because it suggest to the reader that the group are actually trying to hit Adam just for a laugh. Even when the stones hit Adam directly on the nous, they carry on laughing at him, because the shock on his face is sofunny.When Adam slips and falls into the hole underneath the grille, thats when it becomes evident that Mark, the character describing the stoning, realises the consequences of their actions. He repeats so hes a number of times. It is clear that he is unable to come to terms with the fact that he has participated in a murder, and it takes John Tate, the assumed leader of the group, who to begin with banned the word shortly, to finish Marks sentence. Dead. Hes dead. In Lord of the Flies the resembling violent figure is used by Jack and R oger. The sharpening of a stick at both ends. The symbol first comes into use after the hunters kill a pig. He orders Roger to ram on end in the earth. After doing this, Jack, who has decapitated that dead pig, then jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end if the stick this is the first real sign that the boys have transcended into savages. Jack then says its a gift for the beast. Through this it suggests that the boys want to pacify the beast, and in killing the pig and offering its head its almost as if they are worshiping it, as if it has become like a god in which they must pay tribute to. When Roger sharpens the stick at two ends, the sum of this is much more menacing. The boys have now turned into savages, after the deaths of Piggy and Simon, Jack is adamant that Ralph must be captured, and it is evident that Ralph will eventually be killed after torture if he is caught. Ralph is hiding from the rest of the boys, but he meets surface-to-air missilenEric one night so he can find out what will happen to him.At first the twins are reluctant to tell him what Jack has planned, but then came the recondite reply, Roger sharpened a stick a both ends. Ralph is unable to see the true meaning in this, but it is obvious to the reader that Jack wants the same fate for Ralph, as the pigs head earlier in the novel. Roger throughout the novel is presented as the ruthless bully, from when he was throwing stones at Henry, he was the one who released the rock candy that killed Piggy, and now it is clear that he has been ordered to literally bring back Ralphs head. The most frightening moment in DNA comes as a threat from Cathy once she has found Adam. She finds him living in a hedge and after she tries to coax him out, Cathy openly admits that she used violence, she threatened to gouge one of his eyes out this is a reference to Shakespeares King Lear when Goneril and Reagan rip out Gloucesters eyes. Cathy throughout the play is shown to be the most frightening cha racter. She is solely motivated by becoming famous throughinterviews after Adams memorial, she says its quite exciting, suggesting that she enjoys the violence of the situation and she is enjoying the spot light. She has no consideration for Adams well being, she is self absorbed.In Richards speech at the end of the play, he tells Phil that Cathy is demoniacal, and that She cut a first years finger off. Cathy and Roger are similar in that they both seem to enjoy inflicting pain on other people they both come across as sadists. Their actions are terrifying to the audience because their extreme acts of violence would normally have been carried out by adults, but because they are both children, and Roger being so young, the violence is much more frightening. In Richardss final speech in DNA, he is sitting in a field talking to Phil. This reminds us Leah, who throughout the play has long monologs when she is talking at Phil, in hope of a response. Phil blanks Richard, which tells the a udience that he shuts out everybody, and that his silence wasnt personal to Leah. The scene also suggests that nothing has changed, and it makes the audience smooth on the characters. Goldings portrayal of the boys stays clearly on the same route. Its suggested that Jack is disgust and that evil continues through the novel, whereas Kelly makes us remember in the final scene of Leah, through Richard, and that Kelly wants to make us reflect on our views of each character, because they could be interchangeable, and they can represent anyone in society.