Zunzi once said, “Human nature is evil, goodness is caused by intentional activity”. Human nature has changed throughout history, but most of what is seen from an outsider perspective, has been evil. It can be shown through fiction and real life. In Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” he clearly demonstrates the concept of human nature being purely evil. This is also seen in other literary works and real-world situations, frequently shown through greediness and discrimination. Golding’s view on human nature is accurately shown as evil throughout “Lord of the Flies”. There are multiple encounters where this is shown through the boys acting like savages turning on each other. What are we doing now? Humans? What is the difference between human and …show more content…
The first trait is greed. Greed can be an extremely overpowering trait not just to people in the real world, but also to the boys in “Lord of the Flies”. “We don’t need the conch anymore”. We know who ought to say things. What did Simon do, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time that some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us” (Golding 101-102). Jack shows his true colors early on, he thinks that he is superior to anyone else on the island. Jack’s self-centered approach to the island has only failed him throughout this era. He believes that he and Ralph are the only ones who deserve to speak. Thus, showing greed, he feels he must be in a power position on the island to prove his dominance. Phillip Zimbardo said, “You minimize the social responsibility...Nobody knows who you are, so therefore you are not individually liable...It provides a fear in other people because they can't see you, and you lose your humanity” (Dittmann 10). By hiding behind a mask, this is indicative of one's fear of their insecurities and identity. Even something as little as a mask can change a person completely, so they don’t have to face who they really are. This is shown in the real world and even in novels. The boys hide behind masks to cover the way that they change into savages. Some might be asking how this shows greed? It …show more content…
Unfortunately, discrimination is common in the world and shows how cruel people can be. “Sucks to your ass-mar!” (Lee 13)... “Shut up, Fatty” (Lee 21)... “Piggy sought in his mind for words to convey his passionate willingness to carry the conch against all odds” (Lee 172). The boys treated Piggy the worst on the island. They looked down upon him as if he was unequal to them, just because he was different. He had specs, asthma, and wasn’t as skinny as the other boys. But that shouldn’t have been defined. He was the knowledge left on the island. He was the last boy tied to civilization and kept Ralph from turning into a savage. Even though his specs were seen as his weakness, they were the only reason they had fired to bring signals to the real world. He was the brains behind everything Ralph did as a leader, so without him the boys are useless. “Cry about the simple hell people give other people – without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give to colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too” (Lee 170). Tom Robinson has been accused of one of the worst crimes a man can do. He has been kind and helpful to everyone at Maycomb, but just because of his skin color he gets blamed. The man who really hurt Mayella, Bob Ewell, treats everyone with disrespect and later hurts Jem. It does not matter if he has trouble with addiction, there is no excuse for treating kids
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.
This causes them to change completely and wear masks. Similarly, I made a mask that shows a personality, but hide another. Masks conceal traits by making something look completely different and also changing the characteristics. One of the characters named Ralph, wears a mask and is very relatable to me because of how we both try to hide our fears with positive characteristics. It’s not just the boys that wear a mask, but a lot of people wear masks because they don’t get judged. Some people know that they are wearing a mask, and others don’t. It’s easier to either conceal or to show a personality, depending on which group a person is in. But either way, we are exactly like the boys in “Lord Of The Flies” because everyone is wearing
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.
When viewing the atrocities of today's world on television, the starving children, the wars, the injustices, one cannot help but think that evil is rampant in this day and age. However, people in society must be aware that evil is not an external force embodied in a society but resides within each person. Man has both good qualities and faults. He must come to control these faults in order to be a good person. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding deals with this same evil which exists in all of his characters. With his mastery of such literary tools as structure, syntax, diction and imagery, The author creates a cheerless, sardonic tone to convey his own views of the nature of man and man’s role within society.
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.
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.
Humans are intricate. They have built civilizations and invented the concept of society, moving accordingly from savage primal instincts to disciplined behaviour. William Golding, however, does not praise humanity in his pessimistic novel, Lord of The Flies, which tells the story of a group of British schoolboys who are stranded on an uninhabited tropical island without any adults – a dystopia. Golding evidently expresses three views of humanity in this novel. He suggests that, without the rules and restrictions on which societies and civilizations are built, humans are intrinsically selfish, impulsive and violent.
“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”.
When anyone thinks of the word “evil” they do not think it is within themselves. In reality, without a structured and well-followed society, people are apt to follow their own corrupt desires and neglect the thought of consequence. In the allegory, Lord of the Flies, William Golding reveals that man’s selfishness and sinful nature will be unmasked when the structure of a society deteriorates.
This paper will explore the three elements of innate evil within William Golding's, Lord of the Flies, the change from civilization to savagery, the beast, and the battle on the island. Golding represents evil through his character's, their actions, and symbolism. The island becomes the biggest representation of evil because it's where the entire novel takes place. The change from civilization to savagery is another representation of how easily people can change from good to evil under unusual circumstances. Golding also explores the evil within all humans though the beast, because it's their only chance for survival and survival instinct takes over. In doing so, this paper will prove that Lord of the Flies exemplifies the innate evil that exists within all humans.
The sin of greed encompasses the desire for more power and attention than necessary. Greed is not easily satisfied, as portrayed in the novel, The Lord of the Flies, and the television series, Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Jack, the novel’s antagonist, exemplifies greed. His appetite for power and complete control consumed him, making him the representation of savagery and inhumanity. Even after he became the leader, it was not enough for Jack. In the television series, Pretty Little Liars, Charlotte DiLaurentis, more commonly known as CeCe Drake, was overwhelmed by her greed as it stemmed from obsession. All CeCe wanted was to be loved
Human nature is humankind's general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits. It defines their lives and actions; it can positively or negatively influence the world. This makes people worried because they feel humans are naturally corrupt; This makes them live in constant fear of others and themselves. William Golding is an example of someone who believes that humans are naturally corrupt, and he writes about his beliefs in his book Lord of the Flies. In his book, Golding emphasizes that humans are naturally evil by having most of his characters inhibit pridefulness, corruption, jealousy, and greed.
In a world where humanity is so often doubted, criticized, and negatively depicted, it can be difficult to see all the light that outshines the exaggerated darkness. Media heavily covers the tragic, devastating events that happen which overshadows all the inspiring and positive things in the world. Throughout William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding incorrectly depicts human nature as inherently evil rather than good; however, many other literary works and real-life events prove that humankind is innately generous and empathetic. Golding believes human nature is inherently evil and shows that with the loss of civilization, true savagery emerges. Golding often displays these evil, sadistic ideas through the character, Roger.
Humanity is plagued by a myriad of problems. Many of these problems arise from characteristics of humanity rather than outside environmental issues. Greed is a human characteristic that can lead to societal issues. While being intrinsic to the human condition, flaws like greed and others can be avoided. One way to promote being a good person and avoiding these flaws is to present the issue outside of the self—such as in another character.
Women in the Romantic Era were a long way from being treated as equals; they were expected by society to find a husband, become a typical housewife, and a good mother. So what happens when women get tired of being treated horribly and try to fight back towards getting men to treat them as an equal? Both Mary Robinson’s, “The Poor Singing Dame” and Anna Barbauld’s “The Rights of Women” show great examples of how women in the Romantic Era were disrespected and degraded by men, whereas all they wanted was to be treated with respect and dignity.