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Innate Evil In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Decent Essays

In the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of young British boys crash on a deserted island. Throughout the story, there are three significant situations that demonstrate the theme stating that civilization can mitigate but never wipe out the innate evil that exists within all human beings. The three situations are the first pig hunt, the torture of Robert, and the attempted murder of Ralph.

First of all, the hunt of the very first piglet is a demonstration of the boys’ civil habits that are still engraved in them from their home lives. Ralph, Jack, and Simon are on their hunt for their first pig on the island when they come across squealing sounds that lead them to their prey. After they stare at the piglet for a while, they have the chance to kill it but Jack decides against it. Jack didn’t want to kill the piglet “because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into live flesh; because of the unbearable blood” (Golding 29). Jack attempts to cover up his reasoning by saying that he was thinking of a good spot to stab the pig, though Ralph and Simon knew why he hadn’t. The boys were still living in a civil society on the island as they had a leader, rules, and they all got along for the most part, so the thought of killing a pig was terrifying and unrealistic for Jack. Evidently, Jack is embarrassed in front of the boys because he did not kill their chance at food. During a meeting later that day, the other boys are asking about the pigs on the island, and Jack and Ralph are explaining why they couldn’t kill it. Jack interrupts Ralph, and tells the boys that the pig ran away “‘Before I could kill it - but - next time’” (Golding 31)! Jack says this in an aggressive tone as he is defending himself and proving he is more than capable to get them meat. The boys have not yet adapted to a life filled with chaos and savagery, so they are still hesitant about harming animals since they never had experienced anything like that back in England. However, the boys’ attitudes towards bloodletting start to become more realistic as their lives on the island progress to a life of evil. Furthermore, the torture of Robert showcases the transition from good to evil and civilized to savagery in

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