Good and Evil

659 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

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...

... middle of paper ...

...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.

Show More
Related

  • Jack - Dynamic Character in "Lord of the Flies"

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jack’s authoritative figure in the beginning of Lord of the Flies is one quality that shows how he is a dynamic character. To begin with, Jack shows he is authoritative by sabotaging Ralph’s integrity and rules. For instance, on pages one-hundred and one and one-hundred and two, Jack says, “We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us.” Jack is trying to get rid of the idea that the conch, or freedom of speech, is needed. This is another step away from civilized behavior because a newly established order of power replaces the conch. Another way Jack shows he is authoritative is by wanting to be a leader. First, Jack forms his own group that he calls the hunters. Then, Jack intimidates the other boys to join his group by talking about the beast. Jack tells the little ‘uns that are scared that they will forget about the beast. ...

    Read More

  • Decision Making Authority in Peter Brook's Lord of the Flies

    602 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ralph is the character who always tried the orderly approach. Throughout the film, he tried to care for the others and be the leader that the younger children needed.

    Read More

  • Cruelty And Violence In Lord Of The Flies Essay

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ralph’s power at the beginning is secure but as the group succumbs to their savage instincts, Ralph’s influence declines as Jack’s rises. This is due mainly to the cruelty and violence that goes on in the story. This cruelty reveals that Ralph’s commitment to civilization and being rescued is so strong that he will not allow himself to change his morals and become cruel like the others. The cruelty in this novel also shows that Ralph is a very intelligent character. His intelligence can be proven because there was a point in the novel when he hunts a boar for the first time and he experiences the thrill of bloodlust. He also attends one of Jack’s feast where he is swept away by the frenzy and participates in the killing of Simon. This is a very tragic moment for Ralph because this is when he realizes the evil that lives within himself and every human being. It is the cruel acts that happen in this novel that reveals Ralph’s character of being intelligent and being able to think deeply about human experiences. He even weeps when getting saved because of his knowledge about the human capacity for

    Read More

  • 'The Lord of the Flies' - Savagery

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    We can see other evidence of this conflict within ourselves, with the masks that Jack and his hunters put on. We are informed that Jack “ rubbed the charcoal stick between the patches of red and white on his face” The mask represents the dark line (charcoal) between good (white) and evil (red) within ourselves. These masks also let the boys hide from their conscience; we can see this when we are informed, “The mask was a thing on it’s own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness.” We can see that the mask releases Jack from rational behaviour, which helps him, assert power.... ...

    Read More

  • Jack And Ralph In Lord Of The Flies

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jack was given the position of being lead hunter, with his obedient choir. Jack, not having killed anything in his life before, was afraid of killing a pig the for the first time. He let the fact of him letting a pig go eat him alive. “I was going to, .. I was choosing a place. Next time —.” Jack’s killing rampage begins. He deicides he is tired of being under Ralph rules, and moves to the other side of the island with anyone who wanted to hunt and did not want rules. Jack’s authority takes the most of him, as Ralph’s did to himself. Jack gets to a point even to where he begins a chant to where his men eventually kill one of Ralph’s civilized, Simon. “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.” This chant that began the murder became connected to Jack’s obsession with murder of animals, and now

    Read More

  • good or evil

    1895 Words  | 4 Pages

    The argument as to whether humans are born good or evil is one that been philosophized for hundreds of years by many of the world’s greatest minds. Are humans born with a particular set of qualities that define their character and how they are perceived in society? Are they born with the power to choose between good and evil? The idea of human nature relies on the theory that there is an engrained set of features which are shared by all humans—components that determine the way people reason and behave. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes are two opposing philosophers who have devoted many years to studying this subject. For Locke, the state of nature— the original condition of all humanity before civilization and order were established —is one where man is born free, equal and have rights that others should respect, such as the right to live and the right to liberty. These rights were essentially derived from natural law— an unwritten law in which every man must judge his/her own actions against. For Hobbes, however, the state of nature is one of constant war; solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short ; it is, in Hobbes’ mind, civilization that separates humans from their primitive state. Hobbes believed that an individual’s only drive in life is to serve themselves above all else. In order to obtain this goal, humans must use conflict as a means of self-gain to take what they desire for their self-serving nature. Although Hobbes’ theory on human nature is…..…John Locke provides one of the best in depth accounts of true human nature, as he suggests that man is not born with any pre-conceived ideals, apart from being born free. Locke theorised that man was born with a clean slate, thus, they have the ability to make decisions that are e...

    Read More

  • How Is Simon Better Than Everyone In Lord Of The Flies

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Simons deep understanding of human nature allows him to realize they should be more scared of themselves than the ‘beastie’. Near the end of the story when Simon encounters the lord of the flies, which is actually just Simons conscious, The Lord of the Flies says “‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill![...]You knew didn't you? I’m part of you?’”(Golding 143) This demonstrates how Simon knew that all along themselves are what they should be fearing the most. The insightfulness shown in Simon helps him understand that the boys are the real beast who are far more capable of death and destruction then the ‘beastie’. Simon’s knowledge of the cruelty of human nature allows him to try to convince the other boys who they should really be afraid of. Although little listen to what he has to say, Simon still tries to help the boys understand what they should really be afraid

    Read More

  • Inherently Evil Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mankind is innately evil. The allegorical novel, The Lord of the Flies, allows for little interpretation about human nature. William Golding depicts the idea, “evil is an inborn trait of man” (Golding). Throughout the novel the children who have crash landed on the island begin to uncover their savage nature. Although all of the children somehow succumb to a heinous behaviour, Jack, Ralph, and Roger become most noticeably corrupt. Ultimately, it becomes clear that malicious intent is intrinsic in mankind.

    Read More

  • Essay On Man's Capacity For Evil In Lord Of The Flies

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ralph is the novel’s protagonist and tries to maintain the sense of civility and order as the boys run wild. Ralph represents the good in mankind by treating and caring for all equally, which is completely opposite of Jack’s savage nature. Jack is the antagonist in the novel and provokes the most internal evil of all the boys. Jack is seen at first as a great and innocent leader but he becomes t...

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies - Analyzing

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ralph, the first character introduced to the audience, is probably the most likable character in the entire story. Although he does not ponder such deeply like Piggy, is not as spiritual like Simon, or as energetic as Jack, there is something in him that attracts the audience. Ralph serves as the protagonist of the story. He is described as being a playful, innocent child in the beginning, but towards the end he matures significantly. In the first chapter where he takes his clothes off and goes swimming like any child would do, he seems to be Adam in the Garden of Eden, a child left to play with the nature.

    Read More

  • What Is Good, Good Or Evil?

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    In my opinion, what is considered “good” and what is considered “evil” is almost entirely subjective, though heavily shaped and molded by the society in which an individual lives. The established rules and norms to which every society adheres tend to be cultural and will obviously differ between respective cultures accordingly. One culture’s interpretation of “good” can very well be another culture’s interpretation of “evil” and so on. This is even true between individuals within the confines of the same society or culture—obviously not everyone thinks the same or holds the general rules and norms of their culture in high esteem. Another important influence on the way in which people perceive and regard what is “good” and what is “evil” is

    Read More

  • William Golding's "Lord of the Flies": Similar to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    1938 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...and is being consumed by fire, concludes the end of a long and treacherous experience for each of the boys. Through the process of showing how the boys arrive on the island conditioned by society to act civilized and leave the island at the end more savage and more evil, Golding succeeds in trying to depict how man possesses inherent evil. The concept of inner evil in man can be connected to the inner evil in Brutus, from the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. While Brutus is a trusted advisor and good friend to Caesar, he still conspires and is involved with the assassination of Caesar. His desire to murder, even as he holds a prominent position among Caesar’s advisors, provides proof of his inherent evil. Golding ultimately seeks to prove in the Lord of the Flies that evil is the prevalent force in man and that it takes precedence over even childhood innocence.

    Read More

  • lord of the flies

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jack shouted “Who cares?” Ralph exclaims “Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got!” ( pg 91) Ralph was the one who tried to keep everyone together and Jack did every thing to turn the other boys away from Ralph. There were times when Ralph almost when to the dark side.

    Read More

  • Evil in Humanity in Lord of the Flies by William Golding

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of young boys from England are evacuated out of their country due to a war. The plane is then shot down and results into a plane crash on a deserted island. The boys are left all alone with no adults, no supplies, and no one to come and rescue them. They are all on their own and have to establish a new “society”. The boys have to choose someone to govern them and that person ends up being Ralph, who had an internal struggle between what is right and wrong closer to the end of the novel. The boys turn into savages, killing each other, and showing their evil inside each of them. According to, William Golding man is inherently evil, evil is in all of us, but it is oppressed by society, and comes out when there is not anything to hold us back, civilization is what holds back evil from coming out, or it is what triggers evil inside of man.

    Read More

  • good or evil

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book Lord of the Flies brings up the question of whether man is born evil, and needs society to keep him in check, or that man is born good, and society makes him evil. Man is actually a mixture of both ideas. Man is neither born good nor evil, but both; a mixture of the two. Also, no one is just pure evil or pure good. Finally, society doesn’t make someone evil or good but it does have impacts on the decisions that we make.

    Read More

More about Good and Evil

Open Document