Human Nature in Lord of the Flies

600 Words2 Pages

Human Nature in Lord of the Flies

Good morning/afternoon Mrs. Visser and class,

I will be speaking about human nature and what it means to be human. Now what does it truly mean to be human and what makes us human? The main thing about humanity is we see ourselves as superior to nature and the animals in it. We see this in Lord of the Flies when the boys first land on the island. Even though there are animals and plants on the island they disregard it and claim the island as their own.

Now what would make man superior to nature, his ability to think? To alter his surroundings to make his life easier? Arrogance or how about that it is how it is always been? Man seems to try and force his views upon others, through different means. Jack for example uses fear and manipulation to control his tribe, while Ralph hung onto the values he was taught in society.

Now behind Ralph was piggy, who in the novel represented man’s knowledge and civilized man’s ideals. He was the one Ralph turned to when he was in doubt about what he must do, about what the civilized thing to do would be. Behind Jack was Rodger who represented the savagery and nature instinct that a human has to survive. Simon represented the spirituality and nature in the book.

Simon is also one of those that seek the truth. When the beast is mentioned, he was the first and only person until later on to suggest that the beast was human’s. He was the first person to see that the beast was an internal thing. People like Simon who seek the truth soon find that they are not accepted in society. Simon was laughed at when he suggested that the beast was internal. It is in human nature to try and blame something else for our mistakes. This separates him and makes him an outsider as it is in human nature not to accept the truth.

Later on when he finds out who and what the beast is, all the boys help to attack and kill him. This shows that it is in human nature to reject the truth as a lie or even insanity. When Simon dies it shows the death of spirituality and a foreshadowing of what the inherit evil in man will do to nature later on.

The inherit evil in man is represented by in the following ways by the following people:

Show More
Related

  • Fear in William Golding´s Lord of the Flies

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    Our first aspect of Fear in the novel comes into play with the Beast. This fictional character becomes the center of the boys problems on the island and brings a long chaos and death. Simon is murdered due to the befuddlement of Simon being mistaken as the beast when in fact he was the jesus like figure and his death was a representation of sacrifice. The beast was not something tangible it was simply the boys because the beast was themselves. Our biggest demons in life rest within oneself, and on the island the beast was just a justification for the boys to blame their wrong doings on. William Golding refers to this using the role of simon by stating: “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are" (158)?

    Read More

  • Edgar Derby and Simon: Life, Death, and Message

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...hat the beast is not real and that all the boys are living in fear of something that does not exist. The boys have no reason to be afraid, however, when he goes to tell them this, they brutally murder him because they think that he is, in fact, the beast, thus preventing Simon from delivering his message. Even though Simon does not get to deliver his message to the boys, he serves a “symbolic function in the novel as the agent who provides the text’s fibular message – that ‘mankind is both heroic and sick’”. Although Simon did not get to release the boys from their overwhelming fear of the beast, he helps the readers grasp the novel’s overarching message by exemplifying both heroic and sick qualities. This apparent switch between two opposing traits functions as his message to the reader and makes Simon an extraordinarily important character. TRANSITION. TRANSITION.

    Read More

  • Simon Lord Of The Flies Conflict Essay

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    During Simon’s encounter with the Lord of the Flies in Chapter 8, the Lord of the Flies says “Fancy thinking the beast was something you could kill.” (143) The Lord of the Flies represents Simon’s subconscious within the book. Due to this this scene shows that regardless of the fact Simon is consciously thinking about how the beast is really inside man, subconsciously he has toyed with the idea of believing in the belief that the beast is external, an attempt to deceive himself from his previous thoughts that it is within man, emphasizing the internal struggle going on within his

    Read More

  • 'The Lord of the Flies' - Savagery

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Simon was trying to tell the boys that the beast did not exist, his death symbolises that mankind can’t face the truth about their inner desires.

    Read More

  • Piggy Lord Of The Flies Names Analysis

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because Simon symbolizes the recognition between good and evil, it also important to recognize the murder of Simon as a symbol. As the boys savagely murder Simon they are also killing what he represents; which, once again is the recognition of good and

    Read More

  • The Importance of Simon in Lord of the Flies

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite his frailty, Simon soldiers on his quest to discover the identity of the beast on the mountaintop because he sees that need for the boys to face their fears, to understand the true identity of the false beast on the mountain and to get on with the business of facing the beast within themselves. His character signifies morality, kindness and compassion and ironically, it is these qualities which lead to his murder, and ultimately the final collapse of society on the island and deterioration into savagery of the boys.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies: Character Vs. Society

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the aforementioned arguments, it goes to show that the conflict of character vs. society is present in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Some characters that encountered conflicts with society in the story are Ralph and Piggy. Ralph continuously has to fight to have everyone maintain organized in order to survive and be rescued. Piggy struggles with prejudice as everybody overlooks his ability to contribute to the group and being only recognized for his bully given name and his

    Read More

  • Inherent Evil of Man Exposed in Lord of the Flies

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    Inherent Evil of Man Exposed in Lord of the Flies  & nbsp; The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding used a group of British boys beached on a deserted island to illustrate the malicious nature of mankind. Lord of the Flies dealt with the changes the boys underwent as they gradually adapted to the freedom of their society. William Golding's basic philosophy that man was inherently evil was expressed in such instances as the death of Simon, the beast within the boys, and the way Ralph was fervently hunted. & nbsp; Through the story, Simon acted as the Christ Figure. The death of Simon symbolized the loss of religious reasoning.

    Read More

  • Lord of the Flies Character Analysis Essay (Simon)

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bullies, while they might be horrible, turn out to be harmless when confronted, just like Simon when he confronted the Beast. In the end, even though he failed to inform the other boys of it, Simon through his use of spiritual power was able to recognize the truth. He stood strong against evil, even though it consumed the island after his death. People can look to him as an example of how to act in real life. And to be honest, Simon is an important character in Lord of the Flies by William Golding, not just for all this, but because he is what every person should wish to be.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies; An Attempt To Trace The Defects Of Human Nature

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    "An attempt to trace the defects of human society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable."

    Read More

  • Lord of the Flies

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    Simon is perhaps the most important character in the novel for he is the first and only character to come to the realization that the Beast is inside them all, and is not represented by a physical manifestation. Simon is a follower, not a leader. He believes and trusts what Ralph, his leader, says. That’s why he mentions that the beast could be inside all of them once, and immediately discards that because Ralph doesn’t think so. His confrontation with the Lord of the Flies is the only way he can liberate that information to himself. The encounter begins with “Even if he shut his eyes the sow’s head still remained like an after-image.” This represents the beginning of the fixation Simon is having on the head, thinking of it even after he shuts his eyes. Golding then points out that the pig had half shut eyes and were dim with infinite cynicism of adult life. Those details come back a little later. It’s at this point where Simon asks himself a question and answers it aloud. “ ‘I know that.’ Simon discovered that he had spoken aloud”. “He opened his eyes quickly and there was the head grinning amusedly in the strange daylight, ignoring the flies, the spilled guts, even ignoring the indignity of being spiked on a stick.” That sentence shows the continuing evolution of the fixation Simon has in this encounter. The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is the head, and he ignores every detail around it. This is when Simon comes to the realization that his original conclusion is credible, the one he let be because of Ralph. He looks away, trying to forget the head even exists, but cannot accomplish that task.. He pulls himself back to the head “Might not the beast come for it?”, simply because he believes the Beast is not a physical manifestation, therefore being impossible for it to come. According to Simon, the head seems to agree with him. At this point, he knows the Beast doesn’t exist physically, but he is hesitant none-the-less. The head says “Run away […] go back to the others. It was a joke really—why should you bother? You were wrong, that’s all. A little headache, something you ate, perhaps. Go back, child.” Simon is making excuses for himself through the pig. Here, the fixation on the head is nearly complete.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... middle of paper ... ... The frenzied state they are in is being caused by the beast, a symbol of fear. The barbaric way the boys attacked Simon without a moment of restraint shows that the beast had summoned their inner evil, primal, and savage minds.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies: Human Nature

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would always be the same. The

    Read More

  • Lessons Taught By William Golding's "Lord of the Flies"

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    Man’s inhumanity to man literally means human’s cruelty towards other humans. This is a major theme of the story and is seen throughout it. Golding himself even states that “man produces evil as a bee produces honey.” A review of the book states how Golding portrays this “because the boys are suffering from the terrible disease of being human.” Piggy, Ralph, and Simon are the “rational good of mankind” portrayed in the book, and Jack and his hunters are the “evil savagery of mankind.” “The beast” is a symbol for the evil in all humans, and Simon and Piggy, or rationality, are almost helpless in his presence. Simon, though, in a book filled with evil, is a symbol of vision and salvation. He is the one to see the evil as it truly exists, in the hearts of all humanity. When he tries to tell the others of this truth, however, he is killed, much like Christ was trying to bring salvation to the ignorant. Simon being there gives us hope; the truth is available to those who seek it. In the book, Jack and his hunters become so evil that they end up killing two boys while on the island. Man’s tendencies towards evil in The Lord of the Flies are also compared to the book of Genesis in the Bible. Nature, beauty, and childhood can all be corrupted by the darkness within humankind. The ending of this truly dark and evil story tells readers how Golding feels about evil within society and where he thinks humanity is headed. Evil will triumph over the intellect and good, unless some force intercedes. In th...

    Read More

  • Lord of the Flies

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    Simon is the morally good boy. His selflessness and goodness comes from within. He is kind to the little boys, and helps the outcasts. For example, when none of the boys want to give Piggy meat from the first pig, Simon steps up and takes him meat. "Simon…wiped his mouth and shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy…"(p.74) While everyone else is cruel to the young ones, he helps the "lil'uns" grab meat from the trees when they can't reach. "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest…passed them back to the endless, outstretched hands." (p.56) Simon helps those whom no one else is kind to, perhaps remembering that he was looked down upon once. He realizes what it's like to be scorned and to be the "little one", so he tries to make it less miserable for the outcasts by being kind to them. He wants to always help others, so when he discovers the beast is inside of everyone, not external, as they had imagined, he instantly runs down the mountain to tell him. He helps others even to the point of death.

    Read More

More about Human Nature in Lord of the Flies

Open Document