Human Nature: The Constant Battle Between Good and Evil
Many humans encounter hardship when deciding between right and wrong. Everyone's pasts are different, which results in different mentalities and choices made in life. There is no true good or evil within human nature; nevertheless, humans can still make good and evil decisions. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding portrays human nature as entirely cruel; however, it is not completely good nor bad but is determined by life experiences, choices, and consequences. In Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, a group of boys is shot out of the air and crash on a deserted island. After the crash, the boys create a society to create order and civilization amongst themselves. However,
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This can be seen through the regret two boys, Ralph and Piggy, feel after partaking in an evil action. In Chapter 9 of the novel, Piggy and Ralph, along with the boys that turned to savagery, murder the one boy on the island that fully represents benevolence. However, the boys participate in this malicious event due to "…the threat of the sky…" and their need "to take a place in this demented and partly secure society." (Golding 152). Piggy and Ralph are boys that have crashed on an island without authority while flying in the middle of a war. Even though they did something very spiteful, they are still boys and have experienced an event that would be just as traumatic to an adult. The feeling of safety and security is still a feeling the boys need, even when their actions are not acceptable. After realizing their actions, Piggy tries to rationalize them when Ralph says, "That was Simon…That was murder." (Golding 156). The boys did something malicious, but they still held the feeling of regret, which many humans tend to have. Ralph and Piggy represent order and intelligence throughout the novel, but as many humans do, they need safety and …show more content…
In the novel, a character named Mayella Ewell accuses a man named Tom Robinson of assaulting her. It is never confirmed, but Tom Robinson is prominently innocent of the charges due to exceeding amounts of evidence. However, Tom Robinson is, as a result, found guilty due to obvious racist intentions towards him. Mayella Ewell made an especially villainous and immoral choice when accusing Tom, but this does not make her completely human nature evil. While in court for her case, Mayella explains the circumstances in which she lives and describes that "there was no need for the rest of them to learn—Papa needed them at home" (209). Mayella grew up in conditions that were determined by her unstable father and did not permit receiving an education along with many other necessities all children should have access to. Not having access to proper education has caused Mayella to be incredibly immature and easily influenced, especially by her father. Mayella's father has an awful reputation, which diminished the entire Ewell family due to alcoholism and abuse rumors. Later in the trial, Mayella is asked the question, "Do you love your father, Miss Mayella?" to which she responds that he is tolerable, and Atticus asks, "Except when he's drinking?" (209), and Mayella nods in response. Mayella's primary evidence is the multiple signs of abuse and struggle covering
During the trial, Tom Robinson revealed that Mayella’s father verbally and sexually abuses her. Tom states “She says she never kissed a grown man before. She says what her papa do to her don’t count.” (Doc. B) After Mr. Ewell caught Tom and Mayella, he called Mayella a “goddamn whore” and threatens her by saying “I’ll kill ya.” (Doc. B)
The firm declaration of Mayella denying that her father abuses her after claiming he can be intolerable while drunk and her hesitant answer gives us the clear conclusion that Mayella is being abused by her father and her injuries and rape were done not by Tom Robinson but by Mr. Ewell
He knew Mayella was lying just to protect her father. Mayella did not want her father to do anything worse to her, causing her to blame it on Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson, is guilty of assaulting a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Everyone in that court knew that they made the decision based on the color Tom’s skin
In the events of the trials, Mayella Ewell states that she was a victim to choking, beating, and rape. She accuses Tom Robinson of the crime, and eventually leaves the witness stand in hatred and
Evil builds up inside most of the boys’ heads because of their new leader, Jack; in this novel, evil overpowers innocence and for that reason, Simon and Piggy are killed by the stupidity of Jack. Because of the battling, Ralph
Mayella Ewell hints at an uglier relationship with her father than is ever revealed, and along her guilt and pressure from her father, she puts the blame for the abuse on a black man who could easily be convicted, setting Bob Ewell free. Mayella was lonely, and frequently tried to talk with Tom Robinson, “As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world...: white people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes would have anything to do with her because she was white...” (Doc E). Mayella's own guilt and self-conscious force her to claim Tom Robinson has raped her so that he will be taken away and she will no longer be tempted. The Ewells seemed to have picked Tom Robinson as the man to blame because he was black, and blacks rarely won court cases over
During Tom Robinson’s trial, he went to the witness box to defend himself, and prove to the jury and the judge that he was not guilty. Atticus, Tom’s lawyer, asked him different questions about the events that transpired. When on the stand Tom answered Atticus’s question while explaining “She says she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a ni**er. She says what her papa do to her don’t count” (Lee 221). With Mayella getting sexually abused by her father it leaves her in a vulnerable condition.
During trial, it is revealed that Mayella is verbally, physically, and sexually abused by her father. Mr. Ewell intimates Mayella by tipping his chair against the railing when she tries to give them an honest answer to what he really does [Doc B]. In addition, according to Tom Robinsons testimony, Mr. Ewell called his daughter a “Whore”, Threatened to kill her, which is clear verbal Abuse , Also Mayella says “What her papa do to her don’t count”, this means the actions she tried to do with Tom Robinson is the same actions Mr. Ewell does on Mayella, intimating sexual abuse[Doc B]. Finally Atticus closing statement says Mayella has been beaten “Savagely”. This means that her father beats her [Doc B].
Mayella’s father took advantage of her and used her. Not only did he use her for chores and babysitting, he abused her verbally, physically, and also sexually. Bob Ewell manipulates Mayella by forcing her to put all of the blame on Tom Robinson during the trial. Mayella is pressured by Bob Ewell, her father, to keep everything that happens at home a secret from everyone else. Also, Mayella admits that her father is tolerable to live with, except when he is drinking.
In the novel: To Kill A Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman, accused Tom Robinson, an African American, of rape. The Ewell’s are very indigent and her father, Bob Ewell, gets drunk and abuses Mayella. Since Mayella is very poor, this makes her not so powerful. In Maycomb, Alabama, A poor white woman named Mayella Ewell who lives behind the town garbage dump, accuses Tom Robinson, an African American, of rape.
Mayella was not favored by the people in Maycomb. She was extremely poor and never spoke on any harassment she suffered from her father. Tom Robinson attempts to get the truth out in the open when he is giving his testimony, “She said what her papa do to her don’t count” (Doc B). Mayella doesn’t fully understand that her father is physically abusive towards her. To her it’s just love.
On the island, the boys are continually arguing, especially when a rift occurs between the group of boys. One example of Piggy’s effort to resolve the problems boys have is when Ralph goes to Castle Rock to confront Jack. Piggy helps Ralph by repeating, “‘Ralph remember what we came for. The fire. My specs.’
Civilization is essential for keeping a controlled and ordered society. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys are deserted on an island. Their initial intent was to protect society's ways and values, but this ideal quickly came to an end. They go into savagery. With the characters, Jack, Ralph, and Piggy, William Golding demonstrates that rationality is not appreciated in society and that evil has influence over mankind.
Although Ralph may be a good leader and Piggy may be smart, they both have evil inside of them and want to be a part of Simon’s murder. Ralph and Piggy are nowhere near being savages at this point, but their love of death still shows, even if they regret it later. Their savagery is just the result of the evil human nature inside of them that is left unchecked by civil society. On the island, the boys do not have the benefit of civilization, so they revert to human nature and instinct for survival.
Mayella was probably told by her father to accuse Tom Robinson. Her father Bob Ewell was a drunk and not so smart thinking of a man . He saw his daughter with Tom Robinson, and he wasn 't happy at all.