Good and Evil

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Recommended: Characteristics of Jack in Lord of the Flies

Evil exists in all human beings, even children. This is proven in William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies in which a group of youthful, inncocent boys are stranded without any contact with the outside world. The boys are not in the civil surrondings that they are used to, but their instincts kick in and their ultimate goal is to survive, together. The first sense of security is when all of the boys find eachother. They are given hope. Hope that is immediately lost when the division between the two born leaders, Jack and Ralph, begins. Their innocence is lost due to the lack of proper authority and consequence. They are no longer just juvenile boys under someone else's care, but survivors fighting to stay alive.
William Golding used the character Jack to portray that when away from civilization for a long enough period of time, one will loose sight of what is truely right and wrong. As many would see the good in this particular novel to be Ralph, and the evil to be Jack, there is another perspective. Each and every boy on that island has moments of savagry, and then moments of regret. They understand what is morally right, but on occasion, listen to the demon in their head that tells them to disobey their concience.
Jack is the prime representative that someone of the most evil intentions still knows whats right and wrong. In the beginning, he appears perfectly sane, slightly arrogant, but sane. '' ''I ought to be cheif,'' said Jack with simple arrogance, ''because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.'' '' (William Golding, page 22). Although Jack tries to come off as a tough, fearless dictator, he has moments of innocence, insercurity and hesitation. ''He peered at his reflection, and disliked it.'' '' (W...

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...as completely taken over.
Ralph is portrayed as the completely well-intentioned protagonist of the story, though he has moments of doubt himself. He tried to force order on the boys, which only caused them to rebel further.
Too niave and innocent, Ralph found himself inside the dancing circle, and unintentionally took part in the violent killing of his friend Simon. It was then when he truely realized how dangerous Jack and his hunters were.
Simon has a different perspective of most things then the rest of the boys. HE seems to be more mature, but simaltanously less mentally stable. He hallucinates that he speaks to the Lord of the Flies, where it says ''Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill... You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you.'' (William Golding, page 143). This quote states that the beast is inside of Simon, as it is in all of us.

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