Lost and Lord of the Flies - Essay Example

On the other hand, the characters of Lost suffered injuries of varying degrees – some survivors were revived with CPR, some wounds were stitched up, and others were fatal. There were even survivors who were killed on the island when the wreckage blew up.

Another apparent difference between the two scenarios is the fact that in the novel, the plane wreck was not on the island. So the boys had to make everything they need out of what are available on the island. The only thing that they have from civilization is Piggy’s eyeglass which they used to create a fire. In stark contrast, in the TV series Lost, the wreckage of the plane was on the island. Hence the survivors were able to retrieve their belongings as well as the cargo of the plane. The Lost survivors had food, fire, clothing, blankets as well as first aid kits to keep them warm and safe on their first night. Because they already have their primary needs, they had the time to look out for one another and to think things over.

Moreover, while the novel features a rather homogenous cast of innocent pre-adolescent boys, the series Lost has a more realistic composition of characters with a representative sample for different age groups, races, gender, and even skills. While the boys had to conduct a meeting to organize themselves, the adults of lost do not need supervision from anybody. Everyone took the initiative to be of help to one another. One creates fire and asks another to keep it going while another person gathered food and distributed them to the other survivors.

Finally, between the boys of the novel Lord of the Flies and the men and women of the TV series Lost, the latter have far better chances of survival and of being rescued back into civilization. First, the boys were at an age where they are still generally under the care of their parents. There is the presumption that they still lack the necessary skills and knowledge to survive by themselves, let alone in the jungle. The boys had to survive based on pure instinct and whatever knowledge and skills they have acquired at a young age. In the jungle, it was trial and error; they are still discovering what they are capable of doing.

Meanwhile, the survivors of Lost were adults who have already been living and surviving on their own before they found themselves in the jungle. They possess the skills and knowledge to survive and make do with whatever resources are available to them. Aside from the physical strength to battle the elements of nature and the hardships of living in the jungle, they have the medical and other skills which are necessary for survival given their limited resources.

Altogether, the two groups of survivors may have a lot of differences in their circumstances but they do share one very important thing – the will to survive.