Foreshadowing In Lord Of The Flies Essay

The author of Lord of the Flies William Golding makes the claim that people are inherently evil and savage. Countless times throughout the novel, Golding compares the young male characters to animals in their actions, thoughts and recent ways of life. From the moment they landed on the deserted island to just a few hours further in time, it seems like the boys already begin to act in a savage manner. Some of the literary devices that Golding uses during the gruesome story to convey the message that people are inherently evil and savage, are motifs, archetypes, and imagery. One way Golding shows that people are inherently evil is through the use of motifs.

Similarly, in his novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding argues that the human capacity for evil is shown through a change in the environment and its conditions. There is a realization

Countless works of literature have mused on the complex struggle between the human characteristics of greed, selfishness and treachery and the edifice of morality and reason on which human society is built. Often times this struggle is characterized as a battle between the forces of good and evil, good being the desire to help mankind and evil the desire to do the opposite. George MacDonald’s poem “Evil Influence” follows this trend in its title and subject matter, describing the terrible nature of evil that precedes violent deeds. While William Golding’s Lord of the Flies primarily explores the natural state of man contained by the walls of society, the presence of its titular being ~Raw Writing~ ...brings up the idea of something sinister influencing the boys’ actions on the island.

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the characters Jack and Ralph to express the idea that humans are inherently evil, and when unbound by the rules of society, they

Man Born Evil People argue that some men were born evil while others were born innocent. Society plays a big part on changing people to either be corrupt or civilized. Individuals who are corrupted and need society to keep them civilized is due to them facing a challenge that could have happened when they were born. Man is born evil and needs society to keep him civilized due to survival because they're fearful, mental issues since it changes their behavior and racism which teaches them hate.

“... man produces evil as a bee produces honey…” (Golding, 1958) William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, believed that man was inherently vile and corrupted. Furthermore, to prove his point, he wrote his novel as a response to Coral Island. Golding writes how he believes that the beast is not a physical (outside) factor but a mental (inside) problem.

Human Nature: Good vs Evil In 1954 when William Golding published Lord of the Flies, in his novel it showed, human nature between Good vs Evil. Being easily influenced, feeling lost and wanting to fit in; and not wanting to feel vulnerable, which leads to seeking power, can make a person loses their identity, and it can open up the door for evil to take over. This is how William Golding will demonstrate this thesis throughout Lord of the Flies. Firstly, being easily influenced can make a person lose their identity, and it can open up the door for evil to take over because, if a person does not know who they are, other peoples influences can change them for the good or evil.

Throughout human’s existence, there has been a recurring them in which humans always end up bad; since humans are essentially bad. It has been shown through the action of looking for the easy way out and avoiding responsibility, the art of manipulation, and acting on emotion instead of logic. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the object of paint frees the boys from civilized behavior and is used as a scape goat for Jack to blame his savage actions. Jack, the antagonist, begins civilized but transforms into someone who cannot be satisfied and desires more than what owns. Furthermore, he instills a lot of fear to manipulate the other inhabitants of the island.

In Lord of the Flies, Golding utilizes the characters of adolescent boys to portray the fact mankind may be conditioned by society to behave a certain way, but no matter how much man is trained by society, society can never rid the evil that lurks within man; they can simply mask it. When the boys are put in a situation where they must force society’s cemented mask off, the question of human nature begins to arise as well as a desperation to the answer to the struggle between morals and natural instinct. “What are we? Humans? Or animals?

For centuries, many famous philosophers debate whether humans are naturally born good or evil, or if they are influenced by their environment and circumstances. People such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes have conflicting points of view on this matter. Early on John Locke believed that all humans were born with a clean mind, and therefore they were naturally good at the time of their birth. Thomas Hobbes disagreed with John Locke and introduced the theory that man is wicked and must be controlled. This extraordinary classic, Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding has presented more of a cynical perspective on human nature.

Evil exists inside of everyone. In the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of young boys are stranded on an island, with no adults to guide them. Although the group starts out organized and civilized with Ralph as their leader, Jack disrupts this balance. He is the one who convinces everyone that hunting is much more important than being rescued or following rules and this makes him more popular with the boys. As Jack gains power it is like a rubber band continuing to be stretched more and more until it finally snaps back.

The boys perform actions that they may deem as necessary for survival but the way the actions occur show the evil and savagery. The evil within humans energies when one fears to accept their actions, has desire for power and pride People will do anything to experience the feeling of power, even things that are inhumane. In the book the “Lord Of The Flies”

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel that will open eyes to the psychology and twisted nature of man and the consideration of human evil; this is a complex topic that involves an examination not only of human nature but also the causes, effects, and manifestations of evil. Lord of the Flies demands also a close observation of the methods or ideologies humankind uses to combat evil and whether those methods are effective. Golding addresses these topics throughout his novel. Golding’s response when asked about the theme of the book was as follows:

Throughout the novel of Lord of the Flies, William Golding provides a profound insight into human nature. Golding builds on a message that all human beings have natural evil inside them. To emphasize, the innate evil is revealed when there’s lack of civilization. The boys are constantly faced with numerous fears and eventually break up into two different groups. Although the boys believe the beast lives in the jungle, Golding makes it clear that it lurks in their hearts.

The term evil can be defined as savage behaviours followed by strong desires. In both Lord of the Flies(LOTF) by William Golding and Jekyll and Hyde(J&H) written by Robert Louis Stevenson, evil is portrayed as cruel and selfish power that can make innocent boys and a well-respected gentleman even commit violence without feeling guilt. As their pursuit for physical satisfaction overweighs moral principles, evil emerges and completely dominates some of these novel’s characters. LOTF portrays how evil transforms innocent boys into vicious savages away from civilisation, while J&H depicts how evil takes over one individual completely. This essay will explore how the authors illustrate evil by comparing and contrasting the settings, characters and how evil itself takes over the good side of human.