How can Lord of the Flies and 1984 be contrasted in terms of the views of society presented?
In 1984, Oceania is a totalitarian society. This means that the government controls every single aspect of life. Citizens of Oceania are told what to do, where to work, what to read, even what to think. If anyone steps out of line, the consequences are dire. People who don't do as they're told can be imprisoned, brutally tortured, even vaporized. The ruling Party has an exclusive right to determine what is and isn't true, as expressed in contradictory propaganda slogans such as "War is peace" and "Freedom is slavery."
Conflict is an essential element of Oceanian society, both internally and externally. Citizens are encouraged to distrust one another; to see everyone else as a potential threat to their very existence. At any moment, you could be turned into the authorities on a whim by someone bearing a grudge. Even members of your own family can inform on you if you dare to deviate from the Party line. The Party figures that if people are encouraged to hate one another, then they'll learn to love Big Brother instead.
The same reasoning applies in relation to Oceania's conflicts with Eastasia and Eurasia. Although the Party peddles the propaganda line that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia, in actual fact Oceania was once allied to Eastasia, but switched its support to Eurasia. The citizens of Oceania are encouraged to vent their hate, anger, and frustration on a convenient scapegoat—namely Eastasia—in order to consolidate their loyalty to the state.
In Lord of the Flies, society is initially organized along the principles of rules and democracy. Ralph and Piggy understand that there has to be a proper system of rules in place that everyone must follow, otherwise the island will descend into anarchy and chaos. Order and stability are no less important here than in Oceania, but they are to be achieved in a completely different way.
But a number of boys, led by Jack, aren't prepared to subject themselves to any restrictions, however necessary they're supposed to be. Jack wants power for himself, and sets out to destroy Ralph and his system of rules. For Jack, no less than Big Brother, all that matters is who has the power and how they use it. And Jack, again like Big Brother, uses—or rather, abuses—power to control society.
Jack's dictatorship uses ruthless violence and terror to consolidate its stranglehold on the boys. Anyone who crosses him is likely to wind up like a pig on the end of a stick. Jack plays upon the fears and superstitions of the boys to cement his control. He knows that the more frightened and superstitious they are, the more they'll look to him for protection. In other words, Jack gets to decide what's true and what isn't on the island. If he says that there's a savage beast on the loose when he knows full where there isn't, then that's the official party line, as it were. We can see here another interesting parallel between the operation of society in Oceania in 1984 and on the remote desert island in Lord of the Flies.
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