“Maybe, … maybe there is a beast…. Maybe it’s only us.” (Golding 68). Every human is born with an innate capacity for evil, although humans are also born with the capacity for good. In Lord of the Flies, Golding chooses to depict a story of evil, implying that humans by nature are also evil at their core. However, human nature cannot be summed up by the actions of a few. It is the experiences of a person that creates their nature. The brutal nature of Golding’s Lord of the Flies portrays a side of humans that Golding believes to reside in each person. The capacity for evil. Through Lord of the Flies, Golding begins to suggest that humans are evil at the core and depicts that through the savage nature of the boys stranded on the island. The …show more content…
This story is one that focuses on a theme of the moral nature of human beings and if it is good or evil. Throughout the story it is seen that Atticus understands the nature of humans and realizes that people can exist with good and evil traits. One of Atticus’s most famous quotes, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” is a perfect example of how experiences create a person. (Lee 30). It is never known the reasoning for a person’s actions until, their point of view is seen. However, one’s point of view can not easily be deciphered. A point of view or reasoning can be the concoction of many memories and experiences that helps a person form a course of action. For example, 2 people witness a fire caused by an pan filled with oil. Person A runs to get some water and flings it on to the flame hoping that the fire gets extinguished. Person A has failed and instead caused the fire to grow out of control. Person B however, quickly puts a lid on the pot that the fire is originating from. The lid would help suffocate the fire in a safe and effective way. Person B is successful. Person A could argue that they are only reacting in the way their body felt natural, and because of that, is not responsible for the excess damage caused to the house. Meanwhile, Person B knew exactly what to do because they had previously had a problem just like this one. Is it fair to hold Person A accountable for the consequences of their actions? After all it was only their natural response. If Person A truly was evil and wanted to inflict pain or damage, their must have been a reason. Not one person is born evil or good. It’s what is done after their birth that determines their
For example, “Then I woke up, pushed the boy aside, caught the unburned upper part of the draperies and pulled them down. As they fell, they smothered some of the flames within themselves, and they exposed a half-open window. I picked them up quickly and threw them out the window.” (Butler 20). This demonstrates Dana choosing to help Rufus by putting out the fire he originally set.
William Golding's book Lord of the Flies, shows how evil humans are at heart. The book is about a group of British boys who crash on an island and slowly turn savage. Jack and Ralph are split into two groups and after all the conflict ends up with people dead. William Golding in his book Lord of the flies tells us that people are more evil than good. This is shown in the killing of Simon, the killing of Piggy, and the killing of the sow.
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
Why do some people seem to get away with doing things that hurt others? Is it because they are evil? Some people may act evil because they view themselves as savages, doing what is necessary to survive in a cruel and brutal world. William Golding's Lord of the Flies demonstrates in the novel, how as a result of human activity, man is intrinsically defective and corrupt. Every age sees a stronger and stronger manifestation of this trend, which fuels a growth in evil and injustice.
The true nature of human instincts and evil actions lurk behind the social masks that society forces upon. In William Golding’s fictional novel Lord of the Flies, the author features the alteration of a group of young males who are isolated on a deserted island, projecting their regression from innocent children to killer savages. Golding conveys how effortlessly one's morality can be ripped apart when isolated from civilization which is shown through the savagery and remorse of the group of boys. In chapter 11, the young group of boys dispute on the idea of civilization or savageness being better. Ralph, who stands together with Piggy, fights for the goodness of mankind and believes in orderly conduct as opposed to unlawfulness and killing for fun.
Golding claims that human nature is inherently evil, due to the events that occur during Lord of the Flies, however, he is wrong, while humans can do terrible things, it is usually due to surroundings and circumstances, overall, human nature is good. In Lord of the Flies, the boys
Throughout the novel, the Lord of the Flies, cruelty functions to help develop major themes that are not noticeable at first glance. At first, the book seems to be about just a group of boys stranded on an island. But with deeper examination, the novel shows the true darkness that exists in every human being. Golding tells a story that shows the fight between democracy and dictatorship, the struggle between bad and good, and how cruelty is destined to be the downfall of
The events of Lord of the Flies are almost entirely reflective of the defects, flaws, and traits which lurk within our characters. Each character with their own ideologies and desires, constantly contradicting the ideas of one another. William Golding paints a picture of how society would crumble without law, order, and strong leadership. Highlighting the main events, impactful quotes, and brazen acts driving the action in this novel, ultimately causing the collapse of civilized behavior and death of two young boys.
For centuries philosophers have been arguing about whether human nature is inherently good or evil. William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, is a powerful allegorical tale that explores the darker aspects of human nature. The novel tells the story of a group of English boys that are stranded on an uninhabited island after their plane gets shot down during the war. With no source of connection to the mainland and no adults on the island, the boys are left by themselves and hope for rescue. Golding uses the island setting as a microcosm for both society and human nature, using the characters and their actions to illustrate his views on the inherent flaws of human beings.
The quote “‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head.” (Golding 164) expresses that the Lord of the Flies is divulging to Simon that the evil is not something that can be hunted or killed but is within the boys. Simon also learns that the beast of evilness was in the boys all along. The theme Inherent Evil of Man is displayed through Simon learning that evil is within the boys and that this was the beast. This shows how the evil action appears as a beast and the understanding of evilness by
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding, a naval officer during WWII, demonstrates evil when a plane full of British boys crash on an unknown island with no discipline or rules and the boys try to survive against nature. As time goes by, boys such as the elected leader Ralph, sensible Piggy and good Simon manage to remain disciplinary, but the others boys like Jack and his tribe choose to behave like savages. Without the sense of order in man, man will lose the essence of being civilized to savagery. Golding presents his view that man is inherently evil when nature challenges the decision of what’s right and wrong, he shows this by using symbolism, biblical parallels and morals of mankind.
Man is Inherently Evil In Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, there are several themes expressed through the boys from the beginning to the end. The main theme conveys that man is inherently evil. This can be understood from most aspects of the book. Golding conveys that man is inherently evil through the boys need to undermine each other and the loss of morality in their decent to chaos.
Golding might also be trying to show, through Biblical references like the island originally resembling the Garden of Eden and the character of Simon symbolizing the Savior, or Jesus Christ, that there is something more than just what man has inside of him that is required to defeat these internal forces. These motifs show the drastic change that occurred in many of the boys without being disciplined and commanded what to do. When one is outside of their comfort zone, one is vulnerable to being influenced by the thing inside them that tempts them to turn to savagery and disorder; this thing is the Lord of the Flies. Although the book was written nearly four decades ago, its theme reminds us that, even today, we must fight against the same
Lord of the Flies was an overall “sad’’ book, but it taught about society and how humans act under great pressure. I chose to base this essay off of prompt#2 because even I was confused why these kids acted in such a brutal manor. The author of this book, William Golding blamed this evilness on human nature. He believed humans were naturally evil and just had hatred in their blood. In later parts of this book this selfishness will lead to missed opportunities for these boys.
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.