Children all over the world hold many of the same characteristics. Most children are good at heart, but at times seem like little mischievous devils. Children enjoy having fun and causing trouble but under some supervision can be obedient little boys and girls. Everybody, at one time in his or her lives, was a child and knows what it is like to have no worries at all. Children have their own interests and react to different things in peculiar and sometimes strange ways. For example, in the novel The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, one can see how children react to certain situations.
Children, when given the opportunity, would choose to play and have fun rather than to do boring, hard work. Also, when children have no other adults to look up to they turn to other children for leadership. Finally, children stray towards savagery when they are without adult authority. Therefore, Golding succeeds in effectively portraying the interests and attitudes of young children in this novel. When children are given the opportunity, they would rather surround themselves in pleasure and play than in the stresses of work. The boys show opposition towards building the shelters, even though this work is important, to engage in minor activities. The boys act typically of most children their age by being more interested in having fun than working. .
When children are without adults to look to for leadership, they look for an adult-like person for leadership. At the beginning of the novel, when the boys first realize they are all alone, they turn to Ralph for leadership. The fact that there are no adults has caused the boys to be attracted to Ralph as a leader. Jack now has obtained full authority over the other boys. Without adults, the children are turning towards barbarianism but are not fully away from the order and discipline of their previous life to be considered savages. Children misbehave when not around adults because there is no one to discipline or punish them.