Good Versus Evil in Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay

Siddhārtha Gautama, a man who founded the basis for a religion with 500 million faithful followers, postulated that “‘It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.’” Gautama describes that one’s flawed decisions are not influenced by his enemies, and one’s final decision is his to make alone, not to be affected by others. This is illustrated by the actions of the main figures in Lord of the Flies. The characters in the novel are British schoolboys under the age of twelve, yet on multiple accounts it is demonstrated how violent the youngsters can be. The narrative is an ongoing struggle between the juveniles and their own thoughts, which they refer to as the Beast. They refuse to accept that the Beast is in their minds, so they portray it as a monster which lurks during nighttime. The boys whose minds develop negatively create a civilization where brutality is emboldened, while the few that resist the temptation to become hateful are loathed and killed by the others. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding the literary element characterization depicts how loneliness can adversely affect the sanity and mind of an individual.

Although humankind attempts its best at preventing evil actions, eventually evil rises above all else. While humans are living ordinary lives and living in ignorance, evil is always scheming and waiting to slide up behind the turned backs of society as depicted in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. One could argue that this is not the case and that good deeds always overshadow evil and that evil is just an occasional blip. However, what one’s opinion of society does not outshine the cold hard facts of humankind’s natural tendencies; specifically, how things are never as they seem, how easily humans can betray their emotions and how humans choose to ignore difficult situations in the search for an easy

William Golding once said, “ Anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man products evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or wrong in the head.” Thomas Hobbes was a prominent philosopher during the Enlightenment era, who wrote a book regarding his beliefs on how the government affects the people. One of his most controversial ideas is that without an authority figure to keep them in check, humans will naturally be against each other, in chaos and disorder. Similarly, William Golding sought to manifest this idea on human nature in his novel, Lord of the Flies, where a group of boys descend into savagery when left without an adult on a deserted island. On the other hand, there are a few that differ from this perspective that men are inherently evil such as: Tom Stafford, Don Terry, and Abraham Maslow.

When pushed beyond what humanity can usually handle, is it justified to react the way we naturally do? The themes from Lord of the Flies by William Golding seem to beg to differ. From innocent symbols like the conch and a child's pair of glasses, to the haunting beast and unknown island, they all represent characteristics of our society. Specific themes and characters are considerably relatable during the darkest hours those may experience, which makes Lord of the Flies what it is. It is the harsh metaphor of how evil humans can become.

Do you believe people are born naturally good or evil? Some people might think that humans are born naturally good. Those of who believe people are basically good have simply made a decision to believe that and ignore all the evidences. After reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Animal Farm by George Orwell, and watching a movie about if humans are born good or evil by testing babies, these books and videos say that humans are born naturally evil. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, people are naturally evil, selfish and wicked, but behave well only because they have leaders who control them or they have laws to obey.

In history, ancient and recent, society always undergoes challenges and terrifying revelations of how vile human nature can be. Whether it is the horrific battles of the Crusades or the gruesome actions of the Nazi Party in World War 2, it seems without a stable society people fall to chaos. This is no different than the point Golding is trying to make in Lord of the Flies. In the novel, Golding writes, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!... Simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea” (Golding 153-154). This part of the novel shows the last fall into savagery the boys face. They are too caught up in their bloodlust and too set in their minds that the beast is real they tear Simon apart with their hands and teeth. This part of the novel also illustrates just how bad people can become when there is no rules or consequences for their actions from a higher power (adults in this

In the book, Lord of the Flies, William Golding is trying various allegories to prove whether a man is inherently born evil or with virtuous qualities. Through the lens of psychology, the author is trying to prove that man is inherently born evil. He proves this by comparing the virtuous people with individuals who lack essential traits of civilization. In the end, it can easily be interpreted that a virtuous person can drift to the wrong path. For example Ralph, who, in the commencement of the book, is really strict about the morals and values. He wants people to realize that they did not come fro vacations on the island, but they should work to survive on the island. He is frustrated with the littluns always playing, and Jack and the Hunters

Subject Evil is inherent in everyone. In the boys, in us, and in everything around them. Theme statement Lord of the Flies.

It is human nature to be savage, cruel and evil, as seen in Lord of the Flies and in a variety of other places. Simon is one of the minor characters in Golding’s novel, and he encounters the Lord of the Flies, which is a pig head

Sigmund Freud’s tripartite model of the id, ego, and superego states that all desires stem from the id, an unconscious part of the human mind. Though it may be in reaction to something else, all actions made by humans come from innate desires. Therefore, actions that may be seen as evil, unjust, or spiteful from the view of others are all instinctive and are the rawest forms of desire to draw pleasure. Freud’s idea that evil comes from within and is not learned by outside experiences is proven by the characters in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. First of all, the notion that the island itself is evil must be interred.

Human beings are born innocent and with all the potential to be good, and it is the environment and situations surrounding an individual that will shape them, for good or for evil. Although the author, William Golding, of the novel Lord of the Flies believes that every human is born with the prosperity to do evil, his book disproves this belief. Throughout the boy’s time alone on an island, specific characters and situations prove that human nature is in fact, naturally good. Evil is a very ambiguous idea capable of different definitions. An act can be evil and person can perform an evil act, but that does not automatically make that person an evil being.

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies depicts a society of young schoolboys who are stranded on an island. Order is kept for very short period, and as the story progresses we see the boys revert to savagery. The true nature of man is then revealed as the reader sees the darkness in the boys as soon as order ceases. It’s now clear to see how man is naturally evil, with this darkness tamed only with authority and order.

In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, some critics think his two themes are that there is no hope for humankind and that evil is an inborn trait in all people. They think this because they are becoming chaotic savages, abusing their power and their instinct to survive and kill starts to take over. The critics think the themes are there is no hope for humankind and evil is in all people because the boys in the book become savages and everything turns to chaos and violence. At the beginning of the book the boys elect a chief and start to create jobs for everyone, like attending the fire and hunting. Although, as the story continues the boys start to not care about tending the fire, they only care about having fun.

Humans have been around for about six million years. Humans have had their ups and their down. We have gained faith in humanity, yet we have lost faith in humanity. Which brings up the question, are humans inherently good or evil. The book Lord Of The Flies and documentary Promises clearly show how humans are inherently good. Humans are inherently good until they are changed because of the environment they are born in and how they are treated.

The rules in our society help prevent conflict between people and to make the world a safer place, but can rules and the way we’re raised actually conceal natural instincts of human beings? Golding expresses, in “Why Boys Become Vicious”, that good and evil is an inborn trait of all mankind which puts a certain pressure on parents to raise their children the right way. Without the love and support a child needs, fear and chaos can take over and lead to the fulfillment of their darkest instincts. By the end of Lord of the Flies, almost all the boys are taken over by a dark and cruel instinct that transforms them into savages. The reason for this were the boys’ fear of what lied on the island, and the chaos that took place among the two groups. This reflects Golding’s view by showing how the boys became vicious and inhumane without the presence of an adult like figure and living in conditions of chaos and fear. With evidence from different sources and real life situations, it is true that chaos and fear trigger people to embrace the dark side of their mind.