Analysis of Theme Through Social Conflicts in William Golding's 'Lord of The Flies' and Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ........................................................................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study .........................................................................
Statement of the Problem ........................................................................
Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................
Method of Research ................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ......................................................................
1
3
3
3
4
CHAPTER TWO: DISCUSSION OF THEME THROUGH SOCIAL
CONFLICTS IN LORD OF THE FLIES ........................................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: DISCUSSION OF THEME THROUGH SOCIAL
CONFLICTS IN TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ............................... 15
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ............................................................... 26
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 30
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of Lord of the Flies .................................................................. 32
Synopsis of To Kill a Mockingbird ......................................................... 33
Biography of William Golding ............................................................... 34
Biography of Harper Lee ......................................................................... 34
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ABSTRACT
Dalam penulisan skripsi ini, penulis akan membahas tema melalui konflik
sosial yang terdapat dalam novel karya William Golding yang berjudul Lord of
the Flies dan Harper Lee yang berjudul To Kill a Mockingbird.
Setelah membaca dan menganalisis kedua novel tersebut, penulis
mendapati bahwa tema dari kedua novel ini sangat menarik untuk dibahas. Tema
dari kedua novel ini berbeda dan terlihat seperti bertentangan satu sama lain.
Dalam Lord of the Flies, diceritakan bahwa manusia itu pada dasarnya jahat. Bila
dihadapkan pada situasi di mana tidak ada keteraturan atau otoritas maka manusia
akan menunjukkan sifat jahatnya. Tema dari Lord of the Flies adalah “Suatu
situasi yang tanpa aturan bisa membuat manusia menunjukkan sifat jahat mereka.”
Sedangkan dalam To Kill a Mockingbird, diungkapkan bahwa manusia memiliki
sifat jahat dan baik. Dengan pemahaman satu sama lain kita bisa melihat sifat baik
yang dimiliki seseorang dan itu bisa menolong untuk mentolerir sifat jahat yang
mereka miliki. Tema dari To Kill a Mockingbird adalah “Dengan pemahaman,
seseorang dapat melihat sifat baik orang lain.”
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APPENDICES
Synopsis of Lord of the Flies
In the middle of a raging war, a plane evacuating a group of schoolboys from
Britain is shot down over a deserted tropical island. In order to find a way to be
rescued, the boys need a leader. They choose Ralph as their leader, and Ralph
appoints another boy, Jack, to be in charge of the boys. Jack is responsible for
hunting for food for the entire group.
The boys believe that there is some sort of beast or monster lurking on the
island, which is actually a dead parachutist. This monster makes the boys break into
two groups, one with Ralph and the other with Jack, but most of the boys are with
Jack because they think that Ralph is a coward.
Jack declares himself the leader of the new tribe of hunters and organizes a
hunt and a violent, ritual slaughter of a sow to celebrate the occasion. The hunters
then place the sow’s head on a sharpened stake in the jungle as an offering to the
beast.
The conflict between these two leaders continues as group members start to
kill each other. Jack’s group starts to hunt Ralph’s; Ralph’s group loses numbers and
in the end, Ralph is left alone. Ralph has to hide in order to survive, until finally a
British naval officer comes to the island after noticing the fire that the boys had made.
Seeing the officer, the boys stop their madness and realize what they had done, yet
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they can only feel regretful.
Synopsis of To Kill a Mockingbird
The story takes place during three years of the Great Depression in a fictional
town of Maycomb, Alabama. Six-year-old Scout Finch lives with her older brother
Jem and their father, Atticus, a lawyer. Then they make friends with a boy named
Dill. The three of them like to talk about their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley,
because few have seen him, so they are wondering what kind of person he is.
Then Atticus is appointed by the court to defend a black man named Tom
Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a young white woman.
Atticus finds that the accusers—Mayella, and her father, Bob Ewell, the town
drunk—are lying. Despite significant evidence of Tom's innocence, the jury convicts
him. Jem's faith in justice is badly shaken, as is Atticus', when a hopeless Tom is shot
and killed while trying to escape from prison.
Because of feeling humiliated by the trial, Bob Ewell wants revenge by
attacking the defenseless Jem and Scout as they walk home from the school
Halloween pageant. Fortunately, someone comes to the children's rescue, then Scout
realizes that the person is Boo Radley. Maycomb's sheriff arrives and discovers that
Bob Ewell has been killed in the struggle. The sheriff argues with Atticus about
whether it is Jem or Boo who is responsible for it. Atticus eventually believes the
sheriff's story that Ewell simply fell on his own knife. Boo asks Scout to walk him
home, and after she says goodbye to him at his front door, he disappears again. While
standing on the Radley porch, Scout imagines life from Boo's perspective.
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Biography of William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a
British novelist, poet and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate best known for his novel
Lord of the Flies. He was also awarded the Booker Prize for literature in 1980 for his
novel Rites of Passage, the first book of the trilogy To the Ends of the Earth. In
September 1953, Golding sent a manuscript to Faber & Faber of London. Initially
rejected by a reader there, the book was championed by Charles Monteith, then a new
editor at the firm. He asked for various cuts in the text and the novel was published in
September 1954 as Lord of the Flies. It was shortly followed by other novels,
including The Inheritors, Pincher Martin and Free Fall.
In 1970, Golding was a candidate for the Chancellorship of the University of
Kent at Canterbury, but lost to the politician and leader of the Liberal Party, Jo
Grimond. Golding won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1979, the Booker
Prize in 1980, and in 1983 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was
knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988.
Source: ―William Golding‖
Biography of Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee (born April 28, 1926) is an American author known for her
1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007.
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Having written several long stories, Harper Lee located an agent in November
1956. The following month, at the East 50th townhouse of her friends Michael Brown
and Joy Williams Brown, she received a gift of a year's wages with a note: "You have
one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas." Within a
year, she had a first draft. Working with J. B. Lippincott & Co. editor Tay Hohoff,
she completed To Kill a Mockingbird in the summer of 1959. Published in July 11,
1960, To Kill a Mockingbird was an immediate bestseller and won great critical
acclaim, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. It remains a bestseller with
more than 30 million copies in print. In 1999, it was voted "Best Novel of the
Century" in a poll held by the Library Journal.
On November 5, 2007, Lee was presented with the Presidential Medal of
Freedom by President George W. Bush at a White House Ceremony. The Presidential
Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States that recognizes
individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or
national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant
public or private endeavors."
Source: ―Harper Lee‖
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
On the surface, William Golding‟s Lord of the Flies and Harper Lee‟s To Kill
a Mockingbird seem like two completely different novels. William Golding‟s Lord of
the Flies is about deserted boys on an island, while Harper Lee‟s To Kill a
Mockingbird is about the racial problem in the United States of America. Yet, I find
something that connects the two novels. Somehow, To Kill a Mockingbird opposes
Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies, it is said that human beings have the capability
of doing bad deeds; on the other hand, in To Kill a Mockingbird, it is said that human
beings have both strengths and weaknesses, but they are basically good people. Thus,
I choose to analyze these two novels to show how they oppose one another.
William Golding had won “The Nobel Prize in Literature 1983 for his novels
which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality
of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today” (“Literature 1983”).
Meanwhile, Lord of the Flies “became a bestseller among American and British
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readers who, as the arms race intensified, likely saw in Golding's wartime dystopia a
grim prediction of their own future” (“Lord of the Flies Study Guide-About Lord of
the Flies”). In this novel, human beings are described as naturally evil, and they are
only good when there are rules among them. Without rules, they are as savage as
beasts.
Harper Lee‟s To Kill a Mockingbird is also a novel that is worth reading. “In
1961, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize” (“The Big Read-To Kill a Mockingbird”).
The Pulitzer prize-winning classic has topped a World Book Day poll
conducted by the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), in which
librarians around the country were asked the question, „Which book should
every adult read before they die?‟ The book, which has been a staple of
schoolroom reading lists for many years, also came second in another poll
released today on our favourite happy endings. It explores issues of race and
class in 1930s deep south America, through the dramatic court case of a black
man charged with the rape of white girl (Pauli).
In this novel, human beings are not described as naturally evil. People are good
because they have faced evil before and they know how to overcome the problem.
Good and evil are two things that cannot be separated. The question of
whether human beings are naturally good or evil becomes the theme of the two
novels.
Both novels have conflict as the most dominant literary element, especially
social conflict, which is “a struggle between men” (Shaw 91).
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I choose to analyze theme through conflicts for theme itself is defined as “the
unifying subject or idea of a story” (“Theme”). By knowing the theme of the novel
the readers will know what the author wants. I am going to discuss the social conflicts
in both novels in order to reveal the theme.
Statement of the Problem
The statement of the problem is as follows:
1. What are the themes of the two novels?
2. How do conflicts reveal the themes of the two novels?
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is as follows:
1. To show the themes of the two novels.
2. To show how conflicts reveal the themes of the two novels.
Methods of Research
The method that I use in analyzing Golding‟s Lord of the Flies and Lee‟s To
Kill a Mockingbird is library research. First, I read the two novels. This is then
followed by searching for criticisms on the authors and the literary works which will
be useful to support the analysis in writing the hypothesis. The research also includes
the use of Internet sources to help me find information I need for my research.
Finally, I draw a conclusion from the analysis I have done of the two novels.
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Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is divided into four chapters, preceded by Acknowledgements,
Table of Contents and Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of
the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study,
the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the
Analysis of Theme through Social Conflicts in William Golding‟s Lord of the Flies.
Chapter Three is the Analysis of Theme through Social Conflicts in Harper Lee‟s To
Kill a Mockingbird. Chapter Four is the Conclusion. This thesis ends with the
Bibliography and the Appendices, which contain the Synopsis of the two novels and
the Biography of the Authors.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Harper Lee’s To Kill
a Mockingbird, I would like to draw some conclusions.
The theme of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is: ‘A situation without
order may cause human beings to show their evil nature.’ The theme is revealed
through social conflicts. The main conflict in Lord of the Flies is between Ralph, the
protagonist, and Jack, the antagonist.
In the first social conflict, Ralph and Piggy are arguing with Jack regarding
the signal fire. In the end, Jack slaps Piggy. Although Ralph is there as the leader but
Jack does not acknowledge him and shows his evil nature by slapping Piggy.
In the second social conflict, Simon is being beaten to death by the group as
the group think that Simon is the beast which they want to hunt. There is no formal
authority who can tell them the right thing to do so they show their evil nature by
beating Simon to death.
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In the third social conflict, Ralph and Jack are arguing about the glasses that
Jack steals from Piggy. Once again, the boys show their evil nature and Piggy
becomes the victim of it because of the situation without order.
The fourth conflict talks about the argument between Jack’s group and
Ralph’s. Jack wants the fire that Ralph’s group has. The condition without order
makes Jack’s group shows their evil nature by attacking Ralph’s and steals the fire.
The fifth conflict is between Ralph’s group and Jack’s. Jack wants Piggy’s
glasses so he can make his own fire by using it. Related to the theme, Jack’s group
attack Ralph’s because the situation without order makes them show their evil nature.
The theme of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is: ‘With understanding,
one may see others’ good nature.’ The theme is revealed through social conflicts. The
main conflict is between Scout, the protagonist, with her father, Atticus, about their
understanding of other people.
The first social conflict is between Atticus and Scout regarding Miss Caroline.
Scout does not want to go to school because of her new teacher, Miss Caroline. With
understanding, finally Scout can tolerate Miss Caroline and has the same opinion
with Atticus.
The second social conflict is between Scout and Atticus about Tom Robinson.
Atticus tries to convince Scout that actually Tom has a good nature and finally Scout
can understand Tom’s situation and they are of the same opinion.
In the third social conflict, Scout and Atticus are arguing about Mr.
Cunningham who attacks Atticus because Atticus defends Tom Robinson. Atticus
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can understand Mr. Cunningham’s situation and tolerate his action because Atticus
believes that basically he is a good person.
In the fourth social conflict, Boo Radley becomes the topic of the argument
between Atticus and Scout. When Boo saves Scout, Scout can see Boo’s good nature.
The similarity of the conflicts in the two novels is involving children in the
conflicts. In Lord of the Flies, the boys are about 12 to 14 years old. Meanwhile, in
To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, the protagonist, is 6 years old. They are children who
are not mentally stable. They need someone who can guide them in their life. This is
where the difference between those two novels comes out as Scout has her father,
Atticus, to guide her meanwhile the boys in Lord of the Flies have no one to depend
on. Atticus can teach Scout about understanding which makes Scout can see human
beings from both sides. However, there is no one who can teach the boys about
understanding, moreover, the situation without order makes thing even worse.
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
is like opposing each other. In Lord of the Flies, it seems that human being only
consists of evil side. But in To Kill a Mockingbird, human being also has good side.
So, I conclude that human being is consisted of good and evil side. They cannot be
separated. We cannot see human being from just one side. We should see them from
both sides in order to see them completely because human have their own strengths
and weaknesses. In order to understand them as a whole being, we should accept their
strengths as well as their weaknesses.
In relation to the theme, the situation without order in Lord of the Flies makes
the boys show their evil nature. They cannot see the good side that others have
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because they do not understand each other. In my opinion, they think that everyone is
evil, and they think like that because they are still children, as there are no older
people there who can act like their mentor or as a father for them. Not having adults
around them creates a condition without order which brings out their evil nature.
Meanwhile, Scout is luckier. Scout has Atticus as her father who can teach her how to
understand other people. Thus, she can see others’ good sides and not just their bad
sides.
In my opinion, I prefer To Kill a Mockingbird to Lord of the Flies. I like the
theme that ‘With understanding, one may see others’ good nature’ because I believe
that a human being has two sides. For example, I believe that one has a good side
even though he is a very evil person. I believe that deep within him, he has his good
side. It is just a matter of how we see it. That is why we need to understand others so
that we can see it. We should not judge a person just by one’s own point of view; we
should also consider other’s point of view so we can understand his or her situation.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber Limited. 1954.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing. 1960.
References:
“Harper Lee.”, Wikipedia.org, 2009. 14 Sept. 2009.
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee>
“Literature 1983.”, Nobelprize.org. 14 Sept. 2009.
“Lord of the Flies Study Guide-About Lord of the Flies.”, Gradesaver.com. 14
Sept. 2009.
Pauli, Michelle. “Harper Lee tops librarians' must-read list.”, Guardian.co.uk,
2006. 14 Sept. 2009.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. United States: McGraw-Hill, Inc.,
1972
“The Big Read-To Kill a Mockingbird.”, Neabigread.org. 14 Sept. 2009.
“Theme.”, Wikipedia.org, 2009. 14 Sept. 2009.
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“William Golding.”, Wikipedia.org, 2009. 14 Sept. 2009.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ........................................................................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study .........................................................................
Statement of the Problem ........................................................................
Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................
Method of Research ................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ......................................................................
1
3
3
3
4
CHAPTER TWO: DISCUSSION OF THEME THROUGH SOCIAL
CONFLICTS IN LORD OF THE FLIES ........................................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: DISCUSSION OF THEME THROUGH SOCIAL
CONFLICTS IN TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ............................... 15
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ............................................................... 26
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 30
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of Lord of the Flies .................................................................. 32
Synopsis of To Kill a Mockingbird ......................................................... 33
Biography of William Golding ............................................................... 34
Biography of Harper Lee ......................................................................... 34
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ABSTRACT
Dalam penulisan skripsi ini, penulis akan membahas tema melalui konflik
sosial yang terdapat dalam novel karya William Golding yang berjudul Lord of
the Flies dan Harper Lee yang berjudul To Kill a Mockingbird.
Setelah membaca dan menganalisis kedua novel tersebut, penulis
mendapati bahwa tema dari kedua novel ini sangat menarik untuk dibahas. Tema
dari kedua novel ini berbeda dan terlihat seperti bertentangan satu sama lain.
Dalam Lord of the Flies, diceritakan bahwa manusia itu pada dasarnya jahat. Bila
dihadapkan pada situasi di mana tidak ada keteraturan atau otoritas maka manusia
akan menunjukkan sifat jahatnya. Tema dari Lord of the Flies adalah “Suatu
situasi yang tanpa aturan bisa membuat manusia menunjukkan sifat jahat mereka.”
Sedangkan dalam To Kill a Mockingbird, diungkapkan bahwa manusia memiliki
sifat jahat dan baik. Dengan pemahaman satu sama lain kita bisa melihat sifat baik
yang dimiliki seseorang dan itu bisa menolong untuk mentolerir sifat jahat yang
mereka miliki. Tema dari To Kill a Mockingbird adalah “Dengan pemahaman,
seseorang dapat melihat sifat baik orang lain.”
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Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Lord of the Flies
In the middle of a raging war, a plane evacuating a group of schoolboys from
Britain is shot down over a deserted tropical island. In order to find a way to be
rescued, the boys need a leader. They choose Ralph as their leader, and Ralph
appoints another boy, Jack, to be in charge of the boys. Jack is responsible for
hunting for food for the entire group.
The boys believe that there is some sort of beast or monster lurking on the
island, which is actually a dead parachutist. This monster makes the boys break into
two groups, one with Ralph and the other with Jack, but most of the boys are with
Jack because they think that Ralph is a coward.
Jack declares himself the leader of the new tribe of hunters and organizes a
hunt and a violent, ritual slaughter of a sow to celebrate the occasion. The hunters
then place the sow’s head on a sharpened stake in the jungle as an offering to the
beast.
The conflict between these two leaders continues as group members start to
kill each other. Jack’s group starts to hunt Ralph’s; Ralph’s group loses numbers and
in the end, Ralph is left alone. Ralph has to hide in order to survive, until finally a
British naval officer comes to the island after noticing the fire that the boys had made.
Seeing the officer, the boys stop their madness and realize what they had done, yet
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they can only feel regretful.
Synopsis of To Kill a Mockingbird
The story takes place during three years of the Great Depression in a fictional
town of Maycomb, Alabama. Six-year-old Scout Finch lives with her older brother
Jem and their father, Atticus, a lawyer. Then they make friends with a boy named
Dill. The three of them like to talk about their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley,
because few have seen him, so they are wondering what kind of person he is.
Then Atticus is appointed by the court to defend a black man named Tom
Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a young white woman.
Atticus finds that the accusers—Mayella, and her father, Bob Ewell, the town
drunk—are lying. Despite significant evidence of Tom's innocence, the jury convicts
him. Jem's faith in justice is badly shaken, as is Atticus', when a hopeless Tom is shot
and killed while trying to escape from prison.
Because of feeling humiliated by the trial, Bob Ewell wants revenge by
attacking the defenseless Jem and Scout as they walk home from the school
Halloween pageant. Fortunately, someone comes to the children's rescue, then Scout
realizes that the person is Boo Radley. Maycomb's sheriff arrives and discovers that
Bob Ewell has been killed in the struggle. The sheriff argues with Atticus about
whether it is Jem or Boo who is responsible for it. Atticus eventually believes the
sheriff's story that Ewell simply fell on his own knife. Boo asks Scout to walk him
home, and after she says goodbye to him at his front door, he disappears again. While
standing on the Radley porch, Scout imagines life from Boo's perspective.
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Maranatha Christian University
Biography of William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a
British novelist, poet and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate best known for his novel
Lord of the Flies. He was also awarded the Booker Prize for literature in 1980 for his
novel Rites of Passage, the first book of the trilogy To the Ends of the Earth. In
September 1953, Golding sent a manuscript to Faber & Faber of London. Initially
rejected by a reader there, the book was championed by Charles Monteith, then a new
editor at the firm. He asked for various cuts in the text and the novel was published in
September 1954 as Lord of the Flies. It was shortly followed by other novels,
including The Inheritors, Pincher Martin and Free Fall.
In 1970, Golding was a candidate for the Chancellorship of the University of
Kent at Canterbury, but lost to the politician and leader of the Liberal Party, Jo
Grimond. Golding won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1979, the Booker
Prize in 1980, and in 1983 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was
knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988.
Source: ―William Golding‖
Biography of Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee (born April 28, 1926) is an American author known for her
1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007.
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Having written several long stories, Harper Lee located an agent in November
1956. The following month, at the East 50th townhouse of her friends Michael Brown
and Joy Williams Brown, she received a gift of a year's wages with a note: "You have
one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas." Within a
year, she had a first draft. Working with J. B. Lippincott & Co. editor Tay Hohoff,
she completed To Kill a Mockingbird in the summer of 1959. Published in July 11,
1960, To Kill a Mockingbird was an immediate bestseller and won great critical
acclaim, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. It remains a bestseller with
more than 30 million copies in print. In 1999, it was voted "Best Novel of the
Century" in a poll held by the Library Journal.
On November 5, 2007, Lee was presented with the Presidential Medal of
Freedom by President George W. Bush at a White House Ceremony. The Presidential
Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States that recognizes
individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or
national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant
public or private endeavors."
Source: ―Harper Lee‖
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
On the surface, William Golding‟s Lord of the Flies and Harper Lee‟s To Kill
a Mockingbird seem like two completely different novels. William Golding‟s Lord of
the Flies is about deserted boys on an island, while Harper Lee‟s To Kill a
Mockingbird is about the racial problem in the United States of America. Yet, I find
something that connects the two novels. Somehow, To Kill a Mockingbird opposes
Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies, it is said that human beings have the capability
of doing bad deeds; on the other hand, in To Kill a Mockingbird, it is said that human
beings have both strengths and weaknesses, but they are basically good people. Thus,
I choose to analyze these two novels to show how they oppose one another.
William Golding had won “The Nobel Prize in Literature 1983 for his novels
which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality
of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today” (“Literature 1983”).
Meanwhile, Lord of the Flies “became a bestseller among American and British
1
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readers who, as the arms race intensified, likely saw in Golding's wartime dystopia a
grim prediction of their own future” (“Lord of the Flies Study Guide-About Lord of
the Flies”). In this novel, human beings are described as naturally evil, and they are
only good when there are rules among them. Without rules, they are as savage as
beasts.
Harper Lee‟s To Kill a Mockingbird is also a novel that is worth reading. “In
1961, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize” (“The Big Read-To Kill a Mockingbird”).
The Pulitzer prize-winning classic has topped a World Book Day poll
conducted by the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), in which
librarians around the country were asked the question, „Which book should
every adult read before they die?‟ The book, which has been a staple of
schoolroom reading lists for many years, also came second in another poll
released today on our favourite happy endings. It explores issues of race and
class in 1930s deep south America, through the dramatic court case of a black
man charged with the rape of white girl (Pauli).
In this novel, human beings are not described as naturally evil. People are good
because they have faced evil before and they know how to overcome the problem.
Good and evil are two things that cannot be separated. The question of
whether human beings are naturally good or evil becomes the theme of the two
novels.
Both novels have conflict as the most dominant literary element, especially
social conflict, which is “a struggle between men” (Shaw 91).
2
Maranatha Christian University
I choose to analyze theme through conflicts for theme itself is defined as “the
unifying subject or idea of a story” (“Theme”). By knowing the theme of the novel
the readers will know what the author wants. I am going to discuss the social conflicts
in both novels in order to reveal the theme.
Statement of the Problem
The statement of the problem is as follows:
1. What are the themes of the two novels?
2. How do conflicts reveal the themes of the two novels?
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is as follows:
1. To show the themes of the two novels.
2. To show how conflicts reveal the themes of the two novels.
Methods of Research
The method that I use in analyzing Golding‟s Lord of the Flies and Lee‟s To
Kill a Mockingbird is library research. First, I read the two novels. This is then
followed by searching for criticisms on the authors and the literary works which will
be useful to support the analysis in writing the hypothesis. The research also includes
the use of Internet sources to help me find information I need for my research.
Finally, I draw a conclusion from the analysis I have done of the two novels.
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Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is divided into four chapters, preceded by Acknowledgements,
Table of Contents and Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of
the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study,
the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the
Analysis of Theme through Social Conflicts in William Golding‟s Lord of the Flies.
Chapter Three is the Analysis of Theme through Social Conflicts in Harper Lee‟s To
Kill a Mockingbird. Chapter Four is the Conclusion. This thesis ends with the
Bibliography and the Appendices, which contain the Synopsis of the two novels and
the Biography of the Authors.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Harper Lee’s To Kill
a Mockingbird, I would like to draw some conclusions.
The theme of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is: ‘A situation without
order may cause human beings to show their evil nature.’ The theme is revealed
through social conflicts. The main conflict in Lord of the Flies is between Ralph, the
protagonist, and Jack, the antagonist.
In the first social conflict, Ralph and Piggy are arguing with Jack regarding
the signal fire. In the end, Jack slaps Piggy. Although Ralph is there as the leader but
Jack does not acknowledge him and shows his evil nature by slapping Piggy.
In the second social conflict, Simon is being beaten to death by the group as
the group think that Simon is the beast which they want to hunt. There is no formal
authority who can tell them the right thing to do so they show their evil nature by
beating Simon to death.
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In the third social conflict, Ralph and Jack are arguing about the glasses that
Jack steals from Piggy. Once again, the boys show their evil nature and Piggy
becomes the victim of it because of the situation without order.
The fourth conflict talks about the argument between Jack’s group and
Ralph’s. Jack wants the fire that Ralph’s group has. The condition without order
makes Jack’s group shows their evil nature by attacking Ralph’s and steals the fire.
The fifth conflict is between Ralph’s group and Jack’s. Jack wants Piggy’s
glasses so he can make his own fire by using it. Related to the theme, Jack’s group
attack Ralph’s because the situation without order makes them show their evil nature.
The theme of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is: ‘With understanding,
one may see others’ good nature.’ The theme is revealed through social conflicts. The
main conflict is between Scout, the protagonist, with her father, Atticus, about their
understanding of other people.
The first social conflict is between Atticus and Scout regarding Miss Caroline.
Scout does not want to go to school because of her new teacher, Miss Caroline. With
understanding, finally Scout can tolerate Miss Caroline and has the same opinion
with Atticus.
The second social conflict is between Scout and Atticus about Tom Robinson.
Atticus tries to convince Scout that actually Tom has a good nature and finally Scout
can understand Tom’s situation and they are of the same opinion.
In the third social conflict, Scout and Atticus are arguing about Mr.
Cunningham who attacks Atticus because Atticus defends Tom Robinson. Atticus
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can understand Mr. Cunningham’s situation and tolerate his action because Atticus
believes that basically he is a good person.
In the fourth social conflict, Boo Radley becomes the topic of the argument
between Atticus and Scout. When Boo saves Scout, Scout can see Boo’s good nature.
The similarity of the conflicts in the two novels is involving children in the
conflicts. In Lord of the Flies, the boys are about 12 to 14 years old. Meanwhile, in
To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, the protagonist, is 6 years old. They are children who
are not mentally stable. They need someone who can guide them in their life. This is
where the difference between those two novels comes out as Scout has her father,
Atticus, to guide her meanwhile the boys in Lord of the Flies have no one to depend
on. Atticus can teach Scout about understanding which makes Scout can see human
beings from both sides. However, there is no one who can teach the boys about
understanding, moreover, the situation without order makes thing even worse.
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
is like opposing each other. In Lord of the Flies, it seems that human being only
consists of evil side. But in To Kill a Mockingbird, human being also has good side.
So, I conclude that human being is consisted of good and evil side. They cannot be
separated. We cannot see human being from just one side. We should see them from
both sides in order to see them completely because human have their own strengths
and weaknesses. In order to understand them as a whole being, we should accept their
strengths as well as their weaknesses.
In relation to the theme, the situation without order in Lord of the Flies makes
the boys show their evil nature. They cannot see the good side that others have
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because they do not understand each other. In my opinion, they think that everyone is
evil, and they think like that because they are still children, as there are no older
people there who can act like their mentor or as a father for them. Not having adults
around them creates a condition without order which brings out their evil nature.
Meanwhile, Scout is luckier. Scout has Atticus as her father who can teach her how to
understand other people. Thus, she can see others’ good sides and not just their bad
sides.
In my opinion, I prefer To Kill a Mockingbird to Lord of the Flies. I like the
theme that ‘With understanding, one may see others’ good nature’ because I believe
that a human being has two sides. For example, I believe that one has a good side
even though he is a very evil person. I believe that deep within him, he has his good
side. It is just a matter of how we see it. That is why we need to understand others so
that we can see it. We should not judge a person just by one’s own point of view; we
should also consider other’s point of view so we can understand his or her situation.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber Limited. 1954.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing. 1960.
References:
“Harper Lee.”, Wikipedia.org, 2009. 14 Sept. 2009.
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee>
“Literature 1983.”, Nobelprize.org. 14 Sept. 2009.
“Lord of the Flies Study Guide-About Lord of the Flies.”, Gradesaver.com. 14
Sept. 2009.
Pauli, Michelle. “Harper Lee tops librarians' must-read list.”, Guardian.co.uk,
2006. 14 Sept. 2009.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. United States: McGraw-Hill, Inc.,
1972
“The Big Read-To Kill a Mockingbird.”, Neabigread.org. 14 Sept. 2009.
“Theme.”, Wikipedia.org, 2009. 14 Sept. 2009.
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“William Golding.”, Wikipedia.org, 2009. 14 Sept. 2009.
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