Steven Warren

Bell 2A
1/13/14
Integrity Essay: What is Integrity?

In teg ri ty noun Firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values, the
quality of being honest and fair. While this definition of integrity is accepted almost universally,
it does not give any example of what integrity actually is. To explore this, one must look at
specific examples of people in life and literature, so in this piece, the life of Nikola Tesla and the
literature of The Lord of the Flies have been chosen for examination. Those of the characters that
show integrity all have traits in common while those that lack morals lack these traits as well. A
person of integrity adheres to his moral and ethical principles even when there are no negative
consequences to inhibit his immoral acts.
Nikola Tesla is one such example of someone with sound moral character. Tesla needed
to find a solid investor so that he could continue his work on perfecting the A/C motor. When
Tesla finally found this investor, his dreams had come true. He now had enough money flowing
from royalties that he could finally make his case for the Alternating Current (A/C) motor over
the Direct Current (D/C) motor his rival Thomas Edison used. However, after a few years of
paying Tesla for the sale of his inventions, the investors company ran out of money. When
approached with this predicament, Tesla immediately tore up the contract, absolving the
company of payments and preventing its destruction. This clearly exhibits Tesla as a person of
integrity, as his moral and ethical principles overruled his thirst for knowledge and the money
needed to acquire it. There were also no negative consequences for Tesla, as if the company
continued to pay him, he would have continued to profit until it was completely bankrupt and
shut down. Nikola Tesla is clearly a person of integrity, demonstrating exemplary moral conduct
and refusing to profit from an action that contradicted his principles.
Opposite from Tesla, as far as integrity goes, is Jack from The Lord of the Flies, an
abuser of power and a manipulator of companions. From the start of the islands civil society,
Jack refused to adhere to the islands rules. He does not accept Ralph as his leader, even though
Jack was given complete control over the hunters. After being continually reprimanded by Ralph
for his inability to follow orders, Jack creates a rival tribe for the sole purpose of undermining
Ralphs rule. He performs night raids on Ralphs civilian camp and steals Piggys glasses. When
Jack is confronted by Ralph about all of this, he promptly murders Piggy and forces Ralph to flee
for his life to escape the merciless murderer of the true and wise friend called Piggy. Jack does
not exhibit any of the characteristics of integrity, as he acts on whims instead of principles and he
benefits from these infractions of honor. Jacks actions clearly label him as a person with no
integrity.
Thankfully, there existed several intelligent and ethical children on the island, the most
notable example being Piggy. Piggy is content to do the backstage work to run the island, and as
a consequence is seen as never helping with their society. His glasses are repeatedly smashed and
he is repeatedly bullied because of his ass-mar and corpulence, but he does not lash out at
those who taunt him. He supports Ralph in his decisions and offers solutions to Ralphs problems
constantly. Piggy even marches to his death defending Ralph, his specs, the conch, and all that
it stands for. Piggy is clearly a person of integrity as he adheres to his morals and ethics in the
actions listed above and gains very little for supporting Ralph. In fact, his largest gain from
this endeavor was his death, which is hardly a motive to stand up for ones beliefs. Piggy stuck to
his beliefs, even knowing that it would bring him emotional, social, and physical harm.
After looking at Tesla, Piggy, and Jack, one thing becomes clear: that the first two are
people of integrity and that Jack is not. However, who is to say that Jack does not follow his own
principles and that he is not executing actions which he sees to be perfectly moral and ethical?
So, the question raised here is what sets these two groups apart? Both follow their own ethics
without faltering and make decisions based off of their own moral codes. While at first, both
groups appear identical, it is the profit that they make from their actions that separates them.
Tesla and Piggy gain nothing for their troubles, while Jack becomes the leader of the island!
After viewing this evidence, one must not only be principled when there are no consequences for
not doing so, but also be principled when there are indeed consequences for doing so.
Morals, ethics, principles, and selflessness lie at the center of any man of integrity. These
four characteristics are what set apart the honorable from the dishonorable, the trustworthy from
the liars, and the lawful from the criminals. Characters like Piggy and men like Nikola Tesla
balance out those who lack these characteristics such as Jack, though this does not excuse Jacks
actions. One who keeps to his moral and ethical principle, is not deterred by punishment for
doing so, and is selfless in his actions is a person of integrity.