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Evil In Lord Of The Flies

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Philosophers and psychologists have studied the human nature and wonder whether humans are morally good and selfless or innately evil and selfish. William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, perceives civilization and order as good, and any lifestyle straying from civilization is evil. Golding portrays this struggle between civilised and savage aspects of human nature by a group of British boys, who are too young to have moral convictions of their own. Golding uses the symbols of Ralph, the Beast, and the naval officer to convey the fundamental human instinct to resort to being savage when apart from civilization. Throughout the story, Ralph represents how easily humans can turn away from civilization as he gradually becomes more affected …show more content…

Ralph points this deeply innate fear out to Jack saying, “‘They talk and scream. The littluns. Even some of the others. As if—""As if it wasn't a good island." Astonished at the interruption, they looked up at Simon's serious face."As if," said Simon, "the beastie, the beastie or the snake-thing, was real. Remember?’”(52) Though many of the older years know that the Beastie is only the vines in the trees, the group still feels as if there was a monster that makes the island itself evil. However, the Beast was really the dark aspect of human nature and existed through their actions, corrupting the island, not the other way around. Simon, a representation of innate goodness and wisdom, is the first to realize that the Beast is inside of of human beings. Simon felt, “felt a flicker of incredulity—a beast with claws that scratched, that sat on a mountain-top, that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Samneric. However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human, at once heroic and sick”(103). Simon, unlike Piggy and the others, did not imagine a monster or other people as the Beast, but humans who intended to be the “hero” and became “sick” with greed for power and fear. Jack utilizes fear of the Beast to increase his own power among the boys, …show more content…

The Naval Officer is described, "...looked up at a huge peaked cap. It was a white-topped cap, and above the green shade of the peak was a crown, a anchor, gold foliage. He saw white drill, epaulettes, a revolver, a row of gilt buttons down the front of a uniform."(200) The officer’s uniform is similar to the ones the boys were wearing when they first arrived at the island, when they were still following the rules of society. It is ironic that the officer’s uniform is a symbol of order and civilization when it also correlates to war. The officer does not see a group of savages, but a group of little boys who played a little rough, despite knowing that there is at least two boys who are dead. The officer reprimands them, saying, “I should have thought that a pack of British boys—you’re all British, aren’t you?—would have been able to put up a better show than that—I mean—”(202). The officer’s perspective on the dirty little boys contrast sharply to what Ralph and the other boys experienced. Despite being an adult and an officer of war, the officer remains ignorant on how easily a person can become savage. It is ironic symbolism that an officer of war is the person who rescues them. The naval officer, “turned away to give them time to pull themselves together; and waited, allowing his eyes to

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