Monday, September 13, 2010

Females in LOTF

In Lord of the Flies, the presence of both boys and girls would have made a huge difference. If girls had been present then the "littluns" probably would not have gone unaccounted for from the beginning as they had with the boys. The youngest boys probably would have stayed closer to the females on the island, because they would be the closest thing the boys had to a mother. The maternal instinct that most girls have from a small age (playing with baby dolls and playing 'house') would have ensured that. And while Jack may have still become obsessed with the hunt, the boys wouldn't have fallen on themselves so readily. Girls tend to use words more than physicality, unlike boys, which would make it a lot less violent. I, personally, as a girl, related best to Piggy and Simon, so other girls who felt the same could've helped ensure that Simon and Piggy were heard – not killed.
On the other hand, when the group is all male, the boys pick on Piggy who is the weakest among them. Women are usually physically weaker than men, both as a stereotype and in fact. It's possible that the girls would be the first to get killed off by the savage boys. But I don't think that would be the case with these young boys in LOTF.

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