Human nature is inherently malicious. In a lawless society, we act more like feral animals than we do civilized people. In Lord of the Flies, a group of boys are stranded on an island, and are forced to use their survival instincts to survive. However, in the absence of rules, they quickly turn on each other and most of them begin to only care for themselves. The author, William Golding, illustrates a picture of a society that breaks humans down to their core nature, showing just how primal and savage humanity is capable of being. Throughout the novel, Golding establishes the point that humans are more evil than they are good, since the most basic, primal instinct is to do anything it takes to benefit an individual’s own survival. Golding’s …show more content…
An example of these savage instincts is seen with Jack when he is upset with the hunters. He was so angry that he was driven to violence, and he was glad to be “able at last to hit someone” and he “struck his fist into Piggy’s stomach” (Golding 71). Since Jack was feeling insecure and threatened, he resorted to his first instinct, which was to act aggressive and violent. This behavior is seen frequently throughout the novel, since Jack is one of the first and most extreme examples of the boys giving in to their aggressive, savage nature when they are feeling threatened or challenged. “...Anger is commonly defined as a response to social threat, provocation, or frustration...” (R.J.R. Blair, Traits of Empathy and Anger. Aggression is an instinctual, biological response in the human brain to feeling threatened, and Jack’s reaction was based on his primal instincts. He acted violently and lashed out because it was his primary instinct. Humans’ first reaction when challenged is to respond with anger and aggression, proving that human nature is predominantly …show more content…
Even from the beginning of the book, Jack is painted as arrogant, and his sour attitude foreshadows his future on the island. He claims that he “ought to be chief” (Golding 19) because he wanted the power for himself. Proving himself to be a tyrannical leader, Jack resorted to drastic measures of violence. His first, and seemingly only, instinct is to hinder and harm others for his own gain, Jack proves that human nature, when reduced to a primal level, lacks compassion and empathy for others. Jack’s corrupt leadership is like that seen in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where the pigs altered the commandments of the farm to benefit themselves: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (Orwell 68). Both Jack and the pigs share a greed for power, and they both show that they are willing to go to extreme measures to maintain their control. Both Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm criticize the morals and foundations of human society, sending the message that humanity is flawed and peoples’ natural instincts are corrupt and
Jack’s negative effects on others are shown when “Maurice pretended to be the pig and ran squealing into the center, and the hunters, circling still, pretended to beat him” (75). This quote displays Jack’s evil influence because he has made perfectly normal British boys act like mindless savages and participate in this sadistic ritual. The hunters seem to regress to more prehistoric times as they enjoy performing this act. Jack also changes the boys’ behavior when, “The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (153). This quote is essential because it conveys that Jack has altered the boys’ minds to such a degree, that they are blinded by their bloodlust and can’t even tell that the “beast” that they are mutilating is really Simon. It also shows how delirious Jack has made these once civilized children. As you can see, Jack is not a necessarily evil person, but he creates evil
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies portrays the lives of young British boys whose plane crashed on a deserted island and their struggle for survival. The task of survival was challenging for such young boys, while maintaining the civilized orders and humanity they were so accustomed too. These extremely difficult circumstances and the need for survival turned these innocent boys into the most primitive and savaged mankind could imagine. William Golding illustrates man’s capacity for evil, which is revealed in man’s inherent nature. Golding uses characterization, symbolism and style of writing to show man’s inhumanity and evil towards one another.
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.
Golding's views about human nature are displayed and developed quite extensively in chapter four. This essay is going to explore what they are and how they are portrayed throughout the duration of this chapter.
Humans, by nature, are genuinely good people who show compassion and concern for others, right? Well true, if we all lived in a utopian land. Unfortunately, humans are, in fact, evil and easily corrupted by others. In William Golding’s 1954 published Lord of the Flies, the boy’s on the island learn that a peaceful civilization is easily destroyed without cooperation or agreement. The frustration manifested itself, making a transformation of the boys into meat hungry, hunters, who even try to hunt the other boys who don’t follow the pack. Golding analyzes the flaws of human society, directly related to human nature.
Within each of us lurks a beast waiting for the first opportunity to bare its ugly fangs. A vestige of ages past, when violence and destruction was man’s only language, the beast only needs a bit of chaos to resurface. William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, is hinged on this idea. In the story, a group of English schoolboys are stranded on an island without a single adult. They try initially to keep a rough semblance of civilization in place, calling assemblies and lighting signal fires, but the beast is soon awoken from its primeval slumber to wreak terror among them. Golding makes it his duty to reveal the innate evil of the human soul in Lord of the Flies by not only displaying general chaos, but detailing specific instances where the violent nature of man bleeds through. The “darkness of man’s heart” (Golding 202) is demonstrated when Roger feels the sudden urge to throw rocks toward a younger boy, when the boys’ game of mock hunting turns a little too real, and when the little savages murder Simon in a passionate frenzy.
What is human nature? How does William Golding use it in such a simple story of English boys to precisely illustrate how truly destructive humans can be? Golding was in World War Two, he saw how destructive humans can be, and how a normal person can go from a civilized human beign into savages. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the theme of human nature to show how easily society can collapse, and how self-destructive human nature is. Throughout the story Golding conveys a theme of how twisted and sick human nature can lead us to be. Many different parts of human nature can all lead to the collapse of society. Some of the aspects of human nature Golding plugged into the book are; destruction, demoralization, hysteria and panic. These emotions all attribute to the collapse of society. Golding includes character, conflict, and as well as symbolism to portray that men are inherently evil.
From the beginning of the novel Jack intimidates the other boys with his flaming red hair, his long black cape, and the brutal way he shouts orders to his choir. Although he is not a good-looking boy, he is amazingly arrogant. He always has to look good in people's eyes. Not that he cares if people like him, but more that they respect him. The only way he knows how to gain people's admiration is by getting them to fear him. He spots Piggy as an easy target and immediately starts to humiliate him in front of the others: "You're talking too much," said Jack Merridew. "Shut up, Fatty."(21) He sizes up Piggy right from the beginning knowing that Piggy wouldn't stand up to him and by making fun of him he was letting the other boys know that he not one to be messed with. When he feels that people are about to think him to be weak or gutless, he uses his knife as if it were a symbol of his superiority: "Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked round challengingly"(33). His knife gives him power, a weapon that he would use against anyone who dares to mock him.
Golding has a rather pessimistic view of humanity having selfishness, impulsiveness and violence within, shown in his dark yet allegorical novel Lord of the Flies. Throughout the novel, the boys show great self-concern, act rashly, and pummel beasts, boys and bacon. The delicate facade of society is easily toppled by man's true beastly nature.
Consequently speaking, Jack demonstrates parallels that are similar to the aspect of a bully. “He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach. Piggy sat down with a grunt. Jack stood over him. His voice was vicious was humiliation”(Golding 71). As every liquid has a boiling point, so does Jack’s temper for violence against others. This act of violence represents Jack’s attitude against his stubbornness and regretful nature. Jack is being verbally attacked for his careless behavior about surviving on the island. He has been put up against a wall, testing his ability for receiving constructive criticism. The arrogance Jack projects onto the others creates him to act violently to hide his vulnerability. Instead of ignoring Piggy’s remarks, he defends himself by displacing his anger on Piggy, who happens to be the weakest of the children, from Jack’s perspectives. “Children who fear expressing anger against their parents may displace it by kicking the family pet. Students upset over an exam may snap at a roomate” (Myers 600). The defense mechanism of displacement diverts aggression towards a less threatening object or person. In this case, Jack displaces Piggy. As most bullies do, they project their anger towards people who are weaker to make them look more confident and stronger than
We can see that Jack treats the others like he is superior and dominant while the others have to obey his commands. In Lord of the Flies, the character Jack shows himself to be an arrogant tyrant because throughout the novel he acts in a way that is violent, mean, and savage. He achieves his goal by tormenting others and gets his hunters to follow his
In a civilized society, certain aspects of humanity must be adhered to. Qualities such as empathy, respect, compassion, and kindness are key to maintaining order. What happens in society when these qualities disintegrate, and cease to exist altogether? William Golding’s “lord of the Flies” accurately demonstrates that in the absence of humanity, civilized society quickly evolves into one of savagery. Golding shows this evolution through the steady decay of the boy’s morals, values, and laws. The evolution of savagery begins with the individual.
When you're injured at work, you're entitled to workers' compensation. This can help alleviate the responsibility of medical bills from your doctor, bills from procedures like x-rays and MRIs or medications and transportation costs associated with an injury. It can also cover much of the wages you lost. If you're disabled and unable to work in the future, a lump sum of money might be possible.
The fact that Jack acts like this is very important to the story. Jack’s lust for power and blood sped the story up a lot faster. It’s possible that without Jack the boys wouldn’t even become savage. Jack is also a bully, and forces the boys out of fear into what he wants them to do. In, “The Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding, Jack is pretty much equivalent to a middle school bully, but the circumstances he is in, turns him into something even worse.
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is an author’s painting of the evil that resides in all of the human race. The tropical island setting presents an environment free from civil order introducing a battle ground for the war of good and evil. Showing different side of human nature one can ponder the question “What would I do?” Golding explains the good, bad and balance of human nature, revealing that in times of despair man can easily regress to a primitive state, leaving the strong willed to promote civil order, but often be extremely out numbered.