In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men it is clearly presented that isolation is both figuratively and literally a death sentence. Isolation is dangerous because it provides no outside protection, it leads to bad decisions, and can lead to depression.
Isolation makes a person vulnerable. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men the two main characters, George Milton and Lennie Small, are two migrant workers during the Great Depression. Lennie has a mental disorder that often affects his ability to get work. George says the following about being isolated, “You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time” (Steinbeck 11). They lose their jobs and are forced to move around a lot restricting their budget and making them vulnerable. They are isolated with no permanent neighborhood or family outside of themselves. Isolation or living on the outskirts of society leaves them without a safety net. There is no one to look after or protect them besides each other.
Isolation provides no protection. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies the cast of characters, six to twelve year old boys, are the survivors of a plane crash and are stranded on an island. Two of the main characters realize that none of the adults survived the plane crash and that the surviving boys were scattered all over the island. These two lead characters call a meeting to establish some order or sense of community. At this meeting a little boy with a mulberry-colored mark on his face steps forward with the help of an older boy to say he has seen a “beastie” on the island. The main protagonist and character leading the meeting, Ralph ridicules him for saying the beastie came at night by declaring, “‘Then he couldn’t see it!’” (Golding 36). After this comment the little boy is forgotten as the story progresses until a later meeting one of the older boys says “‘That little ‘un that had a mark on his face-where is-he now? I tell you I don’t see him’” (46). The little boy was isolated, forgotten because of his seemingly unrealistic observations. He is placed in a very dangerous and vulnerable situation with no one to protect him. Beastie or no beastie it is not safe to be isolated. When he needed comfort and reassurance, he was ridiculed and disbelieved.
Isolation leads to bad decisions. In Lord of the Flies the boys on the island elect Ralph as their chief. One of the boys named Jack also wanted to be chief but settled for being in charge of the hunters. As the situation on the island escalates Jack tries for a re-vote for chief. “‘Hands up,’ said Jack strongly, ‘whoever wants Ralph not to be chief?’
The silence continued, breathless and heavy and full of shame. Slowly the red drained from Jack’s cheeks, then came back with a painful rush. He licked his lips and turned his head at an angle so that his gaze avoided the embarrassment of linking with another’s eye” (127).
Jack runs off to the forest and decides to form his own tribe. He convinces the boys to participate in a hunting dance in which the boys dance around in a circle chanting “‘Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!’” (152) One of the boys named Simon ends up in the middle of the circle and was killed by all the other boys. The violence only escalates from there. “‘[Jack]’s going to beat Wilfred.’
‘What for?’
Robert shook his head doubtfully.
‘I don’t know’” (159).
Jack extended himself emotionally when he publicly asked for approval and validation as the chief and when he wasn’t chosen he turned his anger and resentment into hatred. Since he was emotionally compromised he made the decision to try and divide the island. That decision and his later actions led to a lot of suffering on the island. The division created competition and animosity. His selfishness and feeling of betrayal fueled poor decisions. Instead of thinking about the needs of everyone stranded on the island, Jack thought only about his needs, and what he was good at. He enjoyed the company of his fellow hunters and decided to elevate them above Ralph’s group and create his own tribe. To maintain his status with the hunters he had to foster the opposition and create his own misguided sense of community. He wasn't isolated in a physical sense but he was emotionally withdraw with no care for logic.
Ralph, the main protagonist from Lord of the Flies, begins to feel isolated once he loses most of his followers to Jack´s new tribe. He wishes for the boys to remain in a group even taking part in their hunting dance. In the book it says “Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society” (152). Ralph knows what they are doing is demented but has the fear of being isolated. In their wild frenzy the boys end up murdering a fellow stranded child named Simon. His fear of isolation drove him to act in a way he originally wouldn’t have.
Isolation leads to depression. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie accidentally kills his boss’s son’s wife. George kills his best friend Lennie to save him from the wrath of the husband of the woman he killed. George reacts by looking “steadily at his right hand that had held the gun” “But sat stiffly on the bank and looked at his right hand that had thrown the gun away” (Steinbeck 107). George has known Lennie in the story longer than the story has been told. They began the story isolated together. George emotionally isolated himself by destroying his closest relationship. Whether he understood the consequences or not, he further isolated himself. From George’s reaction it is clear he is very distressed and will live with the psychological effects of killing his best friend for the rest of his life. He will feel the impact of his emotional isolation for the rest of his life.
Isolation has negative effects on your emotional well-being. In Lord of the Flies Ralph is forced to hide from Jack’s angry tribe in the forest. “He knelt among the shadows and felt his isolation bitterly” (Golding 185). His best friend Piggy is dead as well as his friend Simon. The twins Sam and Eric joined Jack’s tribe and “were guarding the Castle Rock against him” (186). He feels so alone he even resorts to trying to visit Samneric saying “It’s only me. Ralph” (187). Ralph is clearly broken from his isolation on the island. He has no one left. He resorts to going to a place he is not welcome in search of human interaction. He proves that isolation inhibits your logical mind and emotionally damages a person.
Some may argue, isolation is safer than inclusion because it eliminates peer pressures, it limits danger from other people, and it promotes clearer thinking. However, in comparison, the original claim is better supported.
Isolation is dangerous because it provides no outside protection, it leads to bad decisions, and leads to depression. Humans are social creatures and require interaction. Isolated, we have no one to share our thoughts, ideas, and fears with. Left alone with these thoughts without a contradiction, we can allow poor decisions and ideas to breed and sprout without opposition to test or strengthen the reason behind the thoughts. Safety or strength of conviction is best created through trial and error, contrasting different thoughts and opinions. Seeing their consequences and then evaluating and taking the good and reducing or eliminating the bad.
Works Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 1954.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
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