Good And Evil In Lord Of The Flies Essay

“There is a tendency for good and evil in everyone”.
William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ is novel on a group of young English boys who have been stranded on a deserted island when their plane crashes. In Lord of the Flies, the author conveys the transformation from a group of civilised school boys to ritualistic savages. Golding has portrayed the struggle between good and evil through many symbolic references. 3 major examples of symbolism focused around the theme is the conch, beast and Simon and his tragic death. The book is based around the events and actions of main characters Ralph, Piggy, Jack Simon and Roger.
It is important to note the fact that the story had been written around the period in which the Cold War was at it its worst

and after World War II. This means that Golding would have agonised and viewed the brutality and savagery of man. “Behind them on the grass the headless and paunched body of a sow lay where they had dropped it” pin points that the boys aren’t interested in eating the pig but as if they are killing for humour; something that Golding clearly states as “Savage”. These bitter acts from the “Savages” may symbolise the evil doings of axis powers during World War II. Ralph and his group can be symbolised as the allies who try to establish Law and Order on the island.
Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach in the opening stages of the novel and utilize it to muster the schoolboys together after the crash divides them. Used with this potential, the conch shell has established its position as a dominant symbol of civilisation and system in the book. The conch adequately dictates their assemblies for the one who attains the shell is eligible to speak. Characters such as Jack respected the conch in the opening stages of the novel as he “laid the conch with great care in the grass at his feet”. Although he does not want to play by the rules, he does respect them. Interpreted as such, the conch is more than just a representation but is the insignia of authority and civilisation on the island. As formal civilisation among the island undermines and the boys resort to savagery, the conch loses its power and influence among them. Ralph clutches the conch devastatingly after the murder of Simon. This shows he is clinging to the remnants of civilization. In the later stages of the novel, members of Jack’s tribe ignore Ralph and attack him with stones when he attempts to blow the conch at their camp. They then state that the conch’s power does not apply in their part of the island. Roger then rolls a boulder onto Piggy which crushes the conch as well, signalling the collapse of the civilised inclination among almost all the boys on the island.

The beast that disturbs the batch of boys is created by Golding to represent the primitive inclination of “Savagery” that is present among all human beings.The beast is nothing more than the consequence of their imaginations.

It is first brought up by the little un’s who are afraid of the things they hear or see at night. This speech from the younger boys is seen as a joke but leaves a significant mark on the group. Piggy gives his insights on the beast, basically saying that the beast is just fear of the unknown: "I know there isn't no beast—not with claws and all that, I mean—but I know there isn't no fear, either". Everyone in the group fears the beast but only Simon reaches the comprehension that the beast is “only us”. As the boys resort to savagery, their conviction in the beast becomes greater. By the final stages of the book, the boys leave sacrifices and treat the beast as a tribal god “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift”. The behaviour of the boys is what uplifts the beast’s existence, and as the violence among the boys heightens, the beast is brought to life. Only Simon knew who the beast really was after his encounter with the ‘Lord of the Flies’, however he was tragically killed when he was mistaken for the beast when he was trying to inform them about the

truth.