Lord Of The Flies More Than The Beast Thesis

“ an attempt to trace the defects of human society back to the defects of human nature” said Golding when asked about his thesis. This appears plausible considering that throughout his Lord of the Flies, the island stranded characters fight with each other to the point in which they resemble modern society. In an article written about William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, R.C Townsend disagrees with the thesis saying “humans are more than the beast” and that the book’s inconsistency portrays Golding’s unsurity of his thesis. Townsend's criticism overlooks the fact that Golding’s thesis of “what lies beneath the veneer of human civilization” never explicitly compares humans to the beast, leaving it up to the reader to interpret it. Townsend

Jack sways the minds of his followers away from the world of rational thinking by claiming that he can save them from the fears that haunt them both day and night. Jack claims that “ we’ll close in and beat and beat” (91) when encountering the beast because “we're strong - we hunt”(91). This claim of protection causes boys to trust him as well as follow his every instruction because hope, even false hope, motivates people. Eventually, Jack’s followers stop thinking rationally about their actions and surroundings, slaving to Jack’s every word without a second thought. “The littluns sat solemnly thinking of meat, and dribbling” (142), as Jack instructed them to do, but act blindly towards “the cannon boomed again and the dry palm fronds clattered in a sudden gust of hot wind” ( 142). In addition to not knowing what goes on around them, they also forget about the significance of their actions. When murdering Simon, his attackers seize to refer to him as Simon and solely refer to him as “the beast” (152) because fear of the beast has taken over their thoughts. Even little Percival, who only knows his name and address, forgets it after enduring murder after murder because his mind can no longer thinks about anything but his fears; “Percival Wemys Madison sought in his head for an incantation that had faded clean away” (201). As opposed to fear taking over people, those who possess the ability to think rationally, do not fear the beast. Simon can recognize the goriness behind the actions of Jack and his followers; “The blood and his gaze was held by that ancient inescapable recognition. In Simon’s right temple, a pulse began to beat on the brain” (138). Interestingly, Simon, who can recognize barbaric actions, does not fear the beast. When asked by the beast if he feared him, “Simon shook his head” (143). Simon can see reality clearly, unlike Jack and his followers, because fear has not taken