Death in Lord of The Flies by William Golding

723 Words2 Pages

Death and Social Collapse

Oscar Hammling has said, "We die ourselves every time we kill in others something that deserved to live." Man's relationship with death from the hour of his birth and his inherent concern for himself above others are themes often used in literary works to depict mankind's mental, spiritual, and social weaknesses. Death is a prominent motif in William Golding's Lord of the Flies and specific events throughout the novel are important in the development of the story and in expressing the tragedy that ultimately results from manifestations of evil in mankind. The demises of the mulberry-marked boy, the sow, Simon, Piggy, and the attempted murder of Ralph are among the most important events used by Golding as catalysts in the expansion of the plot.

The death of the mulberry-marked boy is the first of several events that ultimately leads to the destruction of society in the novel. He is the first of the boys to introduce the beast and is also the first to die. His death results from irresponsible actions on the part of the other boys and foreshadows evil to come. The boy's untimely end serves as a reminder of guilt for Ralph, who does not even notice that the child is missing until Piggy notifies everyone. Ralph also feels remorse because of his earlier ridicule and humiliation of the boy. The mulberry-marked boy's demise signifies a weakening of the newly formed societal structure on the island and predicts further instability.

The sow's death is instrumental in several ways. First of all, it demonstrates Roger's true self; he is an evil, uncompassionate individual who simply enjoys inflicting pain in others. The pig's death also indicates a further weakening of the structure of civilization on the ...

... middle of paper ...

...irect result of the complete collapse in societal structure on the island, exemplifies the loss of reasoning and rational thinking. The fact that the boys hunt him with the intention to kill him and place his head on a stake is the final illustration of the evil that has overcome the island like a cloud of volcanic ash, eating away at humanity like acid.

William Golding further enhances his theme by his portrayal of death and the crumbling structure of civilization on the island. The correlation between malevolence and complete social collapse is evident in the paired symbolic and literal uses of death and evil in the boys' isolated community; indeed, each of the deaths in the novel is instrumental in the author's depiction of inborn evil and effectively acts as a catalyst in the chain of events culminating in the complete destruction of society on the island.

Open Document