Listen to Your Conscience!

Out of the eight billion people who roam the grounds of this world, there are two types of inhabitants- the righteous and the evil. The renowned J.F. Clarke claims, “The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience.” Since people are human and have consciences, they can determine whether their next decision in life is setting them on the right and honorable path or leading them on a wrong and regretful course. In most works of literature, characters are either portrayed as magnificent, kindhearted saviors or wretched, malicious villains. The allegorical novels, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, and Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, both exhibit how the characters in these novels follow their consciences when dealing with challenging events.

Certainly, in the racist and prejudiced town of Maycomb County, the honorable and heroic figure Atticus Finch exemplifies himself obeying his conscience, when protecting and helping a black man, Tom Robinson, with his court case, of being accused of raping the town drunk’s daughter, Mayella Ewell. The setting of this novel takes place in the 1930s, American South, where segregation between white and black folks still occur, even after the defeat of the Confederates in the late 19th century, American Civil War. When analyzing and comprehending the text of the book, white man, Atticus Finch, takes on a dangerous role. His conscience compels him to take on the role of Tom Robinson’s attorney, when no other white folk dared to support a black man in a court case. Atticus knows that his goal of defending his client will be a challenge and will possibly lead him to a path of terrible failure, due to his racist surrounding, but the main point he tries to convey is that the racist remarks and acts occurring in Maycomb reflect how vile and uncivilized the citizens are whenever a black individual or a white individual is faced with similar crimes. Atticus believes that every person is equal, no matter their race, social class, etc. He passes on this significant lesson to his children, Scout and Jem, for them to understand that every human is different from one another physically and mentally- even the color of their skin. While the majority of Maycomb’s white society criticizes the Black community whenever they can, and lack to obey their consciences to determine what is the valid approach to treating black individuals, Atticus Finch displays the total opposite by giving himself the chance to use his conscience righteously and treat everybody fairly and respectfully, causing him to be the bigger and better person. As the trial approaches, a group of white men joins forces to form some type of lynch mob, wanting to murder Tom in his jail cell before his trial begins. When hearing this turn of events from Officer Heck Tate, Atticus immediately rushes to the jailhouse, where Tom is located, abiding by his promise of protecting Tom until the case ends. He does not let the lynch mob get anywhere near Tom and would rather sacrifice himself than let his client die a traumatic death for a crime he allegedly committed. Any situation involving a black person, no matter if it is a minor or major scenario, is always seen as a threat to the white society of Maycomb. The group of men who proceeded to murder Tom do not care about the trial determining whether Tom is found guilty or not; they only care that he must suffer because he is black. When Atticus drove immediately to the jailhouse to protect Tom, it reflected the pure-heartedness Atticus has within himself, due to following his conscience. Nevertheless, as Atticus is known for his heroic and honorable actions, the racist and malicious, Bob Ewell displays the polar opposite. Atticus is known for his righteous conscience, understanding the significant differences between what is right and what is wrong; though Bob Ewell lacks to obey his conscience, causing him to approach important scenarios, terribly. In particular, Bob Ewell’s title in Maycomb is claimed to be ‘the town drunk’. He is a father of eight, living near a garbage dump, and does not give his children the attention they should receive from a parental figure. He could not care less about what his children do throughout the day. Nonetheless, during his testimonial speech in Tom Robinson’s trial, the idiotic words he arranges into sentences, causes him to not be taken seriously in this tragic event. It is as if he thinks that this whole situation is a joke, when in fact it can cost an innocent man’s life. Since Bob lacks to approach the case earnestly, as well as knowing his status in the town, it can be inferred that he is the one who abuses or even sexually abuses his daughter Mayella, making Tom Robinson an innocent man. When comparing the character, Atticus Finch, to the antagonist, Bob Ewell, it can be seen that there are disparities between the two. Atticus would never lay a hand on his children, nor let them enter the world of racism and inequity without them understanding the true and accurate ways to be a respectful civilian. There are only a few people who share the same uncommon belief that Atticus possesses in Maycomb; though Atticus tries to make a difference by using his good morals and conscience, whereas the others sit back and observe innocent people suffering in the wretched and wicked world. As stated previously, Bob Ewell lacks using his conscience and making the right decision as Atticus does.

Additionally, whether it is a crowd of adults stranded on the North Pole, or in William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of juveniles deserted on an uninhabited island, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, the eldest of the bunch most generally displays the most efficient leadership qualities. Although only being a twelve-year-old adolescent, Ralph, who is the eldest of the children who crashed onto the island, reflects a sense of reliability and virtue, using his conscience, when taking the initiative to protect and assemble the boys into various workforces, so they can receive all the necessities required for survival, and will allow him to maintain their behavior in a civilized manner. The children are ranged from the ages of six to twelve; the older kids are anointed as the ‘bigguns’ whereas the younger kids are referred to as the ‘lilluns’. Ralph assigns mainly the ‘bigguns’ to perform tasks while the ‘lilluns’ roam around the fruit grove and beach finding some sort of way to be useful. The ‘bigguns’ had many duties, a couple of which were to create huts out of vines, boulders, and trees, or to hunt for meat. Ralph’s goal, so far, met his expectations, since everyone has a task to fulfill, are still maintaining a civilized demeanor, and are preventing themselves from living unrighteously and savagely on the island. When sustaining this power over the boys -- which will benefit them until they are saved off the island -- Ralph digs deep to unravel his true conscience knowing the most useful method to protect himself and the boys. Unfortunately, Ralph’s high authority begins to collapse when the leader of the hunting clan, Jack Merridew, attempts to cease dominion over the boys. Ever since awakening from a deep slumber on the island after the plane crash, Jack yearns to take charge of the whole group. Although he does resemble leadership skills, since being the leader of the choir group in his school, all the other boys consider Ralph the best fit for the position. At the beginning of the novel, Ralph and Jack have a well-bounded relationship; though when not meeting with the same terms throughout the storyline, an inclination of tension ascends between the two, signifying which of the two either obeys their conscience or neglects it. Specifically, one scene demonstrating the fissure in their relationship is when Ralph tries to demonstrate to the boys the significance of living an orderly life on the island, as they gradually evolve into uncivilized beings. Jack, who opposes Ralph’s method of living on the island, assumes that the most reasonable and effective form of survival should be, first, to ignore Ralph’s establishment of democracy, and second, to hunt and behave like wild animals. Ralph and Jack have dissimilar approaches when it comes to leadership; Ralph wants effective governance and safety for the boys whereas Jack wants anarchy and compels the boys to act like barbaric savages. Notwithstanding, as reaching nearer to the end of the story, the boys are being manipulated to join Jack’s crew, where hunting and evolving into murderous heathens is the only way to remain alive. Ralph, who trusted his conscience and is still not devoting himself to joining Jack’s homicidal pact, causes him to be isolated from the rest. It is not until a naval officer rescues the boys, which yields them to eradicate all this brutality occurring on the island and unravel their emotions. It can be inferred that the boys will eventually deal with some form of PTSD, due to the poor choices they made during their time on the island, such as killing Simon, murdering Piggy, and attempting to kill Ralph. If the boys were to heed Ralph’s orders and even obey their consciences such as Ralph did, then the aftermath trauma they would undergo would not be that impairing to them. Since they listened to Jack, who manipulated them, who knows what the boys have in store for themselves when recollecting those dark and ruinous memories. During moments where life and death are both options, one should listen to his/her conscience and select what would be the suitable course of action to overlook in the situation.

Atticus Finch, in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Ralph, in Lord of the Flies, endeavor to choose the ethical route over the unprincipled track, by listening to their true consciences. The antagonists, Bob Ewell and Jack Merridew, mirror the contrasting perspective by lacking to comprehend their own. If one considers following the goodness and virtuous pathway of life, it is not guaranteed that they will receive a satisfying finale. This concept is especially witnessed in a multitude of works of literature, including To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies. Both Atticus Finch and Ralph vow to accomplish the same purpose- to protect the people they said they would. Unfortunately, they failed miserably. At the end of the day, it does not matter whether one's conscience aided someone or did the absolute opposite; it is recognizing that the acts of propriety one chooses to observe, will allow them to express a courageous and bold standing.