Everyone’s Evil Human Nature Without society, humans will always rely on human nature, and except for a select few, it is bad. In the allegorical novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a plane full of British school boys is shot down onto an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and they are stranded without adult supervision or means to communicate with the outside world. The boys begin by electing their leader, Ralph, but lose hope of rescue and descend into chaos and evil. One of the frequently recurring themes is the question of human nature: whether it is good or bad. Based on the events in this story, there is evil within everyone and the only thing preventing it from manifesting is the norms and laws of society. The …show more content…
For example, when Roger throws the stones, there is some form of evil inside encouraging him to throw rocks at the child, “Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps 6 yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life” (Golding 62). If Roger does not have his morals, which he loses later on, there is nothing preventing him from hitting a child with rocks, and he could easily injure or kill Henry. Roger would not hit a littlun because it is not acceptable in society to throw rocks at small children. The cultural norms prevent him from doing so, but later, Roger and the rest of the boys lose their morals that they learn from society and descend into further evil and savagery, such as when “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee… Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went… Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back” (Golding 181). After killing Simon, the boys feel no regret or uneasiness, and later kill Piggy by smashing him off a cliff with a massive boulder. They do not appreciate Piggy’s intelligence, so instead of diplomatically and peacefully waiting their turn to talk or debate, they push a boulder to kill him, implying that they are complete savages. Roger and the rest of Jack’s followers are no longer bound by society’s laws,
... In the end, Piggy faces "sniggering," "jeering" and "booing" from the others before Roger unleashes the boulder that knocks Piggy off the cliff and onto the rocks below. This demonstrates that the further the intensity of bullying increases the more society decline and this should terrify the reader because of the shear amount of bullying we have in modern day society.
Like Jack, the boys no longer value kindness, compassion, or empathy, Instead, they resort to violence and force. This is shown when the boys do their dance and chant “kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 168) This chant is one of violence and savagery. When the boys see Simon crawling out of the jungle, they don’t care if it’s a human or a beast, their first instinct is just to kill. Another example of the boy’s lack of compassion and empathy, is when they participate in tying up Wilfred and allow Jack to beat him for no apparent reason. Jack’s tribe continues to slip further into savagery. They rebel against, and destroy everything that represents kindness, order and civilization. This is evident when Jack, Roger, and Maurice go to Ralph’s camp, taunt Piggy, steal his glasses to make a fire, and beat up the civilized group. Piggy’s death and the breaking of the conch also represent the group’s disintegration of humanity. Piggy says while holding the conch: “Which is better-to be a pack of painted niggers like you are, or be sensible like Ralph is?” (Golding 200) The tribe chooses savagery over order when Roger releases the boulder that kills Piggy, and shatters the conch. The evolution of savagery is complete when the group’s morals and values become the laws in which they abide
“Everybody has good and evil within them. All we're trying to say is that people are not all good or all bad. People are more complicated than you think, and one has to be more knowledgeable about the complexities.” This quotation from Stephen Schwartz establishes that even the best of people can be bitter by their own nature. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding removes the restraints of society to prove that it is human nature to live primitively and that evil lies within all of us. The sanctions of society begin to deteriorate due to the loss of communication, Jack’s obsession with hunting, and the inhumane nature of Jack and his “tribe”.
Most of the boys disrespect him throughout the story, Jack especially. On the other hand, Jack and Roger, who are symbols of the evil that lies within every human & the savegry, are respected greatly. Throughout the novel, there is tension between Jack and Piggy, which in the wider perspective, shows how conforming to society's standards of being a moral man and the innate savegry that lies within all humankind clash and cannot go hand in hand. The tension between law and anarchy eventually causes the group of boys to split into two groups; one under Ralph's control, who represents the citizens conform to the standards of the ideal moral man, and another under Jack's control, who represents the people in society who regress back into savages.
The issue on whether man is good or evil has been debated over several generations. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys are stranded on an uninhabited island. In the beginning, the boys have fun and are carefree while adventuring on the island. With no adults around to tell them how to behave, the boys declare war on one another and face several conflicts. These conflicts provide Golding with the opportunity to explore the idea that society restrains the evil intentions of human nature.
There was very little intelligence among the boys as it is, and the two boys who held that glimmer of intelligence were both murdered. The death of intelligence is so important because without it, rules and order can’t be accomplished. Those three things have to balance each other out because if they don’t there is no peace. Peace comes from rules, order, and intelligence, without these all we have is chaos and savagery. Piggy was the only one of the boys, besides Simon, who expressed intelligence and logic. Piggy’s life was ended by sheer savagery, and along with that, so was his intelligence. An act of cruelty just as bad was when Roger, “Struck Piggy a glancing blow from knee to chin” (181). Roger had no real reason to kill Piggy, he did it because he simply felt like it. He knew he couldn’t get in trouble for it because there was no one there who can punish him for his actions. The rock destroyed Piggy from his head, which was full of intelligence, to his body, for which he was made fun of for. Piggy’s head which was full of wisdom and logic was literally crushed open, showing an end to the intelligence
Golding uses harsh words and descriptions to show that the group of boys have lost their minds. In the passage it is said that, “Jack had backed against the tribe and they were a solid mass of menace that bristled with spears”. Golding literally states that the group of boys are armed and going to cause harm to Ralph and Piggy. As teenagers, it is not normal for kids to kill other kids. The group being ready to fight at a moments notice shows they need to defend their own by being their own authoritative figure. Violent imagery is also shown with Piggy, “By him stood Piggy still holding out the talisman, the fragile, shining beauty of the shell”. Time and time again he is not able to show authority even though he holds the power of “order”. The readers get a feeling of sorrow from this scene because Piggy is helpless and that is what makes this scene so violent. During this passage violent action is also shown when Golding says, “He was aware of a jolt in the earth that came to him through the soles of his feet, and the breaking sound of stones at the top of the cliff”. The sound of the rocks breaking foreshadow the breaking of the conch and the loss of order that is soon to come. Along with the violent picture of Piggy being crushed by the rock. Image after image it is soon shown that these boys have become
This being proven true, mostly with Jack and Roger. Particularly with Roger as he has shown that he harbours somewhat brutal characteristics. To illustrate, he has proven this by his hostility towards certain people, like when he tortured Samneric, and shoves the rock down the mountain, which ultimately kills Piggy. He seems to enjoy and is amused by other people's pain. Jack, on the other hand, all he cares about is power, it was slightly evident when his character was first introduced, however, it became even more evident. Jack fails the see significance in being rescued, all he cares about is having power over the boys on an uninhabited island. He does not appear to care if the boys
After a period of time this society starts to brake up. With the fear of the 'beastie', the boys have become terrified of this 'creature' which lead up to the death of Simon and then Piggy. But there is a difference between these two deaths, as Simon's death was accidental and Piggy's death was deliberate. This shows the darkness inside man's heart, which is released when mankind becomes savages. Fear is what provokes savagery, as Roger lost control of his actions because of fear. With the destruction of the conch along with the death of Piggy, it also shows the destruction of authority and civilisation.
Roger is shown throwing stones at younger children at the beginning of this novel, but is careful not to hit any of them with the pebbles. With the immoral ideas of violence and bloodlust being praised by Jack and the other boys, Roger mutates into an unrecognizable monster over the course of weeks. As Piggy demands the return of his stolen spectacles, Roger responds by pushing a boulder on him. The overbearing force of the rock hurls Piggy off a nearby cliff to his gruesome death. Roger’s soul plunges into darkness as he does not repent for his murderous actions nor stops his uncontrollable behavior.