In the modern world, society is an important part of our daily lives. However, society can often harm moral values. In Lord of the Flies and I Only Came to Use the Phone, the authors criticize society and point out its flaws. To demonstrate these flaws, the authors use characters, from both sides of the power struggle, to criticize the societies in their book. Additionally, by using symbolism, the authors are able to provide parallel criticisms to the people as a whole. Which allows the authors to highlight the many faults of humanity. To begin, we can analyze characters wronged by society. In I only came to use the telephone, by Garcia Marquez, the criticisms are manifested through the imprisonment of the character of Maria. Maria is seen as helpless throughout the novella, as shown when she "realized there was nothing in the world she wouldn't do to escape this hell" but still hasn't found means of escape (86). In one quote, on page 73, a matron says, “Stop, I said!” » then the text later says: "Maria looked under the blanket and saw a pair of icy eyes and an unmissable index finger pointing her towards the line." The quotes show the lack of freedom he was given and how impossible it was to go against society's wishes. The longer she remained trapped in sanitarium society, the more it began to take a toll on her mental health. The quote: “That night, in a fit of rage, Maria snatched the lithograph of the Generalissimo in the refectory, crushed herself with all her strength against the stained glass window overlooking the garden and threw herself to the ground, covered in blood” , shows the extent to which society has damaged his mental health (86). Marquez uses Maria's suffering to demonstrate...... middle of paper ...... every citizen around the world because all societies try to get people to conform to their law and by criticizing society corrupt sanatorium in I Only Came to Use the Phone Marquez is able to connect these critiques to today's authoritarian societies. In conclusion, the authors of Lord of the Flies and I Only Came to Use the Phone support the idea that society can have negative consequences. They created strong critiques of societies in their respective works through the harmful effects they have on the characters and the violence of the characters. Then, by broadening their critiques, through symbolism, they are able to apply them to humanity and show the flawed natures of society. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print. Mark, Gabriel. Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories. New York: Knopf, 1993. Print.