Representation of moral crisis and social order across cultures An analysis of three texts goldings lord of the flies camus s the plague and U R Ananthamurthy s samskara

Abstract

The growth of human civilization has always been accompanied by unexpected turns and twists caused by individuals and communities exhibiting inexplicable behavior. For every effort of greatness, there has been an equal amount of meanness and debauchery making the humankind more and more inscrutable. Human beings have defied all definitions about themselves and still go about with a perplexing image of both noble and brutal. They create a social order to ensure a newlinecohesive existence but end up breaking it, unable to face the moral crisis caused by the extreme turn of events. This study attempts to see the staging of human recovery from such situations through the fictional narratives of three writers belonging to three cultures and the crises faced by those societies, through a study of The Plague (1947 ) by the French writer, Albert Camus (1913 -1960 ), Lord of the Flies (1954) by the English writer, William Golding (1911 1993) newlineand Samskara (1965) by the Indian writer, U. R. Ananthamurthy (1932 - newline2014). newlineNo society or culture has escaped the throes of crisis be it moral, social, political or otherwise. The crisis that may be surmountable in one culture may shake the foundation of another. Of all the crises prevalent in society, one of the major causes for concern in the eyes of the participants newlineof the New Dialogue is moral crisis . Studies undertaken across the globe have thrown up the alarming fact that this is a crisis which could jolt the social order with its amoral way of thinking. America s moral integrity has been eroded by an anything goes culture abetted by the moral permissiveness of contemporary liberalism. The concern that the waning of tradition is giving way to moral confusion and anarchy is shared the world over including China and India despite their strong traditions. The reasons could be aplenty-ranging from the outbreak of wars, outbreak of epidemics and even crumbling of societies under the burden of orthodoxy of religion and caste.