Nothing to Gain from Compromise - LotF Essay
A compromise is an agreement between two sides, usually with both sides winning and losing some. Compromises are made with hopes of a semi-peaceful ending. What happens when one side is not willing to compromise? It depends. In certain cases, this could result in both sides losing things. In other cases, if one side is weak, the possibility of a compromise between the two sides is less likely. The weaker side, not having much to give, might not see the point in compromising with the stronger side. On the other hand, the stronger side might already have everything they need, and see nothing to gain from the compromise with the other side. While compromise is important in some situations, either one of the sides in the conflict won’t be willing if they don’t think they could gain from it.
The book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, in which a group of boys are stranded on an island with no supervision, provides many examples that show why a side in a fight between two groups would not be open to compromise. In chapter ten of the book, Jack, one of the “leaders” of the groups, steals the glasses from his rival side’s advisor, Piggy, so that his “tribe” could make fire. In the next chapter, Ralph, the other “leader”, and Piggy go to get Piggy’s glasses back from Jack. Once they arrive and confront Jack, he demands for Ralph to leave. “You go away Ralph. You keep to your end. This is my end and my tribe. You leave me alone (176).” Even though not much had happened between the two groups in this scene, tension had already risen because of Jack’s previous actions and Ralph, the conflicting group, appearing in Jack’s “territory”. Since Jack stole the glasses from Ralph’s group in order to get the thing he wanted and needed, fire, more conflict was created between the two groups. At this point in the book, Jack’s crew is much larger than Ralph’s and Ralph makes it clear that he would have been willing to compromise with Jack if he had just asked to use the glasses. This demonstrates that the stronger side in a fight might not compromise with the opposing side because compromising wouldn’t benefit them.
Another example from the book that showcases issues regarding compromise is the scene soon after Ralph and Jack meet face to face with each other. During this scene, the two boys begin to argue, which leads them to start jabbing at each other with the butt ends of their spears. This continues for a short while before Ralph tries to reason with Jack again. “Listen. We’ve come to say this. First you’ve got to give back Piggy’s specs. If he hasn’t got them he can’t see. You aren’t playing the game—(177)” This quote further shows that Ralph would have been willing to cooperate with Jack and his crew. Ralph hoped that if all the boys were a big group again, things would operate smoother on the island. Instead of reasoning with Ralph, Jack continued to hold his grudge against Ralph, and did not want to change the “superior” way that he had built up his tribe. In this case, the weaker side wanted to compromise so they could be on equal ground as the stronger side. However, the stronger side in this scenario, Jack and his group, see no point in compromising with Ralph because they have nothing to gain from doing so. Compromising with Ralph would not have aided Jack’s agenda on the island any more than being forceful would. In fact, Jack believed he was strong enough that he didn’t need to compromise.
The conflict between Jack and Ralph in the book is not the only example of want and rejection of compromise. The Melian Dialogue was a meeting between the Melians and Athenians during the Peloponnesian War, with the Athenians wanting to compromise with the Melians and the Melians wanting to stay out of the war. The reason for The Melian Dialogue caused a very similar situation to what happened in the book, except it is reversed. Instead of the weaker side, the Melians, wanting to compromise, the stronger side, the Athenians, asked to compromise instead. The Athenians were going around offering to form alliances with other groups of people, relying on force to subdue them if they refused (similar to how Jack decided to steal Piggy’s glasses, except without the asking part first). Melians, inhabitants of Melos, wanted to be and stay neutral while other areas struggled with the Athenians. Eventually the Athenians targeted them to be allies as well. The Melians refused the Athenians, using their honor and hope as an excuse.
The Melians did not see how compromising would benefit either themselves or the Athenians. The only thing the Athenians promised them if they became allies was to spare Melos. The Melians were a small group of people and didn’t have much to give to the Athenians. In this event, the weaker side saw no point in compromising with the stronger side. The Athenians warned the Melians that they would take Melos by force if the Melian’s final answer was to not cooperate with them. The Melians figured that Melos was so small and weak compared to the Athenian forces that they would have nothing to give if they were allies, and nothing to lose if they refused. In the end, the Melians rejected the Athenians proposal, and the Athenians took Melos using force.
Compromise, in many cases, will help both sides reach their goal. When compromise is not an option or not an accepted tactic, usually one group comes out on top. More often than not, this group is the stronger one. The reason compromise is not a possibility is because while a strong group relies on force to get them what they want, the weak group depends more on hope to get where they want to go. These reasons prevent compromise between the groups. Regardless of which side is asking which to compromise in situations like these, the group being asked to compromise will not because they believe there is nothing to gain from working together.
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