By Brianna

The pursuit of happiness, is blindly following the rainbow in search of the pot of gold. As
one hunts for the end goal of being happy, they miss out on the journey itself. In the novel, Lord
of the Flies, the characters take on a foreign life to them and are forced to live without the
guidance and supervision of adults. Up until this point the boys had been reliant upon them for
everything until the plane crashed and they found themselves having to face this abrupt change
when everything they had come to know was turned upside down. Forcing them to attempt
survival on their own, and demonstrate their ability to make tough decisions and prioritize the
different aspects needed for survival. These choices show their ability or inability to compromise
their own happiness for something that will play a more significant role in their survival. Jack,
Ralph and Piggy, demonstrate the difference an individual's goals can have on the pursuit of
happiness. When an individual finds themselves facing new pressures and is under a lot of
stress, often they lose sight of the importance of happiness and resort instead to a survival
mode showing their basic instincts. For Ralph, his basic urge is to attain order, which is seen in
his leadership role on the island.

From the moment the boys become united on the beach Ralph is recognized as different
and assumes a leadership role. The other boys immediately look up to him not because of his
brains or strength but instead because of the conch he holds and the significance behind it; as
seen in the quote Most obscurely, yet most powerfully their was the conch. The being that had
blown that, had sat waiting for them...was set apart.(page 22) The conch is a seen as a symbol
of order and establishes a sense of security for the boys, because Ralph was responsible for
the initial blowing of the conch these feelings became associated with him and left him in a
leadership role. Ralph realized that the boys wouldnt truly be happy until they were rescued, so
although he was determined to build a functioning society by creating rules, Will have rules! he
cried excitedly. lots of rules!(page 33) he put the majority of his efforts into establishing a
signal with the outside world. He was driven to keep the fire going to avoid [living] like animals,
[that] will never be rescued.(page 92) Ralph was able to sacrifice his current happiness and
postpone it for the greater joy of returning home safe. Later in the novel, Ralph is tempted to
stray from his commitment to the bigger picture as he gets a glimpse out how good life could be
if he thought about the here and now instead of the future. He meant to refuse meat, but his
past diet gave him too little resistance.(page 73), however he quickly recovers from this slip
and continues on his mission of long term happiness. Unlike Ralph however, Jack is unable to
make this distinction between short and long term happiness and decides to take a different
path for survival on the island.

At the start of the novel, Jack is clearly shown as The most obvious leader(page 22),
but as it progresses and the young boys begin to feel the pressures of life on their own it
becomes evident that their initial speculations about him no longer applied. Originally, Jack
faithfully followed Ralph even though he was a better fit for the leadership role, and is portrayed
with youthful innocence. This vulnerability is seen when he is unable to take the life of the pig
and is understood because, They knew very well why he hadnt: because of the enormity of the
knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood.(page 31) As
Jacks view changes from long term to short term happiness, his actions become more
impulsive and he loses his sense of morals turning into a bloodthirsty, monster. You and your
blood Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home-(page 70) He
completely loses sight of the chance they could escape the island and instead becomes
consumed by his current desires, letting them fuel his longing for blood and the rush a kill
provided him with. Once he became aware of this exhilaration his own ego consume him His
mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when
they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted the a living thing
imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.(page 70) His actions
clash against Ralphs and exemplify how a person's views will affect their overall happiness.
Piggy provides a third reaction to the situation choosing to see happiness in his day to day life,
while still bearing in mind the end goal of being rescued.

Piggy is able to maintain a positive attitude throughout the stressful situation due to the
tough skin he has built up in his life at home. As The only boy in our school that had asthma,
said the fat boy with a touch of pride. And Ive been wearing specs since I was three.(page 9),
he learned quickly not to take others words to heart and instead to find his own happiness. Even
though the other boys showed nothing but disrespect for him through their actions and decision
to call him piggy he shows his ability to rise above and cooperation in their rescue effort. What
intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy(page 22) He demonstrated that although
he was capable of finding his own happiness right now his efforts to make it back to his aunt
would provide him with a greater sense of joy as he was reunited with those he loved. With this
in mind he made the other boys realize that There arent any grownups. We shall have to look
after ourselves.(page 33)In order to be rescued, they must Put first things first and act
proper(page 45). This ability to overlook the others rudeness to accomplish something greater
is what has kept Piggy so strong, and able to maintain his happiness despite tough situations.
There is no way to predict how one will respond when faced with so many unknowns, however
one common observation from these three individuals, is that it will bring out their core values
on what is important to them and the role that their own happiness plays in their decision
making.

Although happiness can be compromised when an individual is in a survival situation,

the three main characters of Lord of the Flies demonstrate that we have control over the extent
to which it is effected. It becomes apparent that in the end it will always be the the individual's
decision to pursue happiness; outside influences may make it more difficult, but it still remains
their choice to make the best of the situation. Some may believe that happiness can be
sacrificed temporarily, while others find this notion unfathomable. Their argument being what is
the point in living if in order to do so they must give up the joy that leaves their lungs wanting to
inhale another breath. Whether they find a situation without happiness to be merely
uncomfortable or altogether unbearable, is the reason there is so much diversity in their choices
and actions in response to the situation. Ultimately though, no situation has the ability to remove
ones happiness that is up to the individual. To put it simply, Your happiness will not come to
you. It cn only come from you.-Ralph Marston