Hannah Pointer
Mrs. Kimble
4 May, 2012
Final Synthesis Essay
The Help, The Lord of the Flies, and The Queen of Water all had reoccurring
themes. Even though all of the characters came from different walks of life, they all
had common problems. The theme that continuously appeared was that people's
perception of humanity is based on their reality, therefore truth is needed to
eliminate chaos.
In The Help, the story takes place deep in the south of the United States of
America. All of the black women serve as maids to the white households cleaning,
taking care of the children, and cooking. They are expected to work long hours for
little pay. The work that these women had to put up with was very tedious and the
while folks tended to start rumors about the black women so that they would not
get hired. Almost all of the white people would believe the lies, and the maids
wanted their story to be heard, and it finally got out. It seems as though after
everyone got past all of their silly little lies and everyone started to find out the
truth, there was still chaos, but just not as much. The theme that also appears in
other books was recognized when “The book is not about Jackson!” Hilly to the
bridge club ladies after Skeeter’s novel comes out. (Stockett 428). Hilly wants to
deny that she is in the book. All of Hell breaks loose as soon as the public gets ahold
of the book. The rumors finally resolve after the truth gets out into the open.
In The Lord of the Flies, a part of the story says, "The silence of the forest was
more oppressive than the heat, and at this hour of the day there was not even the
whine of insects." (Golding 39). The quote connects to the universal truth because it
Hannah Pointer
Mrs. Kimble
4 May, 2012
Final Synthesis Essay
talks about being lonely. An additional message that can be assumed from the
universal truth is that no one likes to be alone. When drama and rumors are started,
it makes a person feel like they don’t have anyone that they can depend on. People
begin creating their own world with their over exaggerated stories, and it all blows
out of proportion from there. When they boy in The Lord of the Flies was in the
forest, he was all alone. One can only imagine how that feels. Whenever the group of
boys first appear on the island, there are no adults around to tell them what to do.
Initially when they realize there are no adults, it seems like all fun and games. They
find out it isn't as soon as they have to choose a leader. The boys divide and become
enemies because the truth isn't coming fully out. They soon figure out that if they
keep lying to themselves, the chaos will never disappear.
In The Queen of Water, a young girl named Virginia. She has quite a hard life
working on a farm and never really feels loved because she has been given up from
her biological family to go work for a richer family who does not treat her well. She
goes through many trials, but throughout it all, she tries to stay happy. Virginia
constantly feels alone because she really doesn't have anything or anyone besides
the little boy that belongs to the rich family. Virginia says, "Anger is fire that can
burn you up, the way it made my father hurt his family. Or it can shine like the sun
and provide energy for photosynthesis. I will use my fire as fuel to live the life I want
to lead. Whether I’m a longa or mestiza or whatever, Antonio was right, I have a
blazing sun inside me and I will use it." (Resau). The theme of this story works its
Hannah Pointer
Mrs. Kimble
4 May, 2012
Final Synthesis Essay
way into the universal truth, even though it does not hit it directly on point.
The meaning of this story is relatable to the universal truth in one way, however.
Virginia feels alone just like the boys in The Lord of the Flies feel. All of those
characters know the feeling of having no one great to depend on like they were
formerly accustomed to.
All three of the different authors seem to work in the idea that
people's perception of humanity is based on their reality, therefore truth is needed
to eliminate chaos. Each character, in some way, is alone. Whenever no one but you
knows the truth and everything is up in the air, it seems like it will never stop. As
you can tell from the stories, the chaos has to end at some point. Through all of this,
it is apparent that no matter how bad other people try to ruin things for you, they
cannot because each time you wake up, it is a new day. The characters seem to do
that pretty well with their own daily routines. They do not let the actions of other
dictate their life and well-being.
The universal truth: people's perception of humanity is based on their reality,
therefore truth is needed to eliminate chaos is observable and relevant in any one
individual's life because at some point, other people will try to control you by the
actions and things they say. As long as the truth stays hidden, so will the order of
society. The longer lies hang around, the longer chaos will be striking everyone.
Hannah Pointer
Mrs. Kimble
4 May, 2012
Final Synthesis Essay