Loss Of Innocence In Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies showcases the loss of innocence in major characters through the use of powerful imagery; more specifically, Simon’s vision of the pig’s head, Jack’s new identity with his painted face and Roger’s determination to kill demonstrate that innocence is broken during times of survival.
In the first instance, Simon is a young boy that distances himself from the other children; additionally, his visit to the “acres of fruit trees” (Golding 56), and his encounter with “dark aromatic bushes” implies that he represents the goodness of human nature. However, when he returns back to the jungle, he witnesses “the spilled guts” (137) on the pig’s head; moreover, Golding describes the pile of guts as “a black blob

of flies that buzzed like a saw” (138). Stunned by the horrific image, Simon is puzzled and confused when he sights the pig’s head; because of his feelings of perplexity, he “f[a]ll[s] down and los[es] consciousness” (144). Simon is unable to respond to his hallucination because he is a child that has never faced pure evil; because of this mature event, we can infer that Simon will never be able to return back to his old ways because he has experienced the darkness that lurks within every human soul.

Furthermore, Golding’s use of the phrase “black blob” (138) reveals that the pig’s head was not an ordinary object for children to view; because of this phrase, readers learn that it

will be impossible now for Simon to live a pure life because of the trauma that he endured with this vision. Even though he is told that he is “a silly little boy” (143), this perception will never leave his mind because Satan has evoked him; consequently, his life will never be the same as it was before coming to the island.
In addition to Simon’s confrontation with devilry, Jack is a boy that is devastated when his desires are not fulfilled; hence, after declaring that “Next time there would be no mercy” (31), he decides to use camouflage to give himself an advantage while hunting.

Additionally, Jack abandons Ralph’s group out of frustration; but, his anger drives many boys to join his tribe. After Simon suffers a tragic death, most of Ralph’s allies become part of Jack’s army, and Jack gains full power over his tribe; because of his aspirations, he “was sitting there, naked to the waist [with] his face blocked out on white and red” (160). Motivated by his eagerness for meat, Jack chooses to change his identity when he camouflages himself with clay and charcoal; because of his actions, we can surmise that Jack is now a primitive animal and not the innocent boy he was before. His ambition has taken over his entire soul because he will not give up until he reaches his goals; furthermore, Golding’s use of the phrase “no mercy” (31) foreshadowed his destiny to become a true savage. Resultantly, Jack is no longer a human but rather a violent

creature.
Finally, Roger is a character that undergoes a major change in his personality; specifically, he becomes a ruthless boy that has the enthusiasm to create chaos. Initially, he attempts to throw stones at Henry; but, he held back because of the “taboo of old life” (62). However, as the novel progresses, Roger develops into a dangerous character that is manipulated from the craving of power; thereby, when Jack and Ralph attempt to settle their grudge, Roger has “a sense of delirious abandonment [and] lean[s] all his weight on the lever” (180). Driven by his evil motives, Roger releases the huge boulder without hesitation; hence, Piggy falls to his death, which exposes Roger’s brutality and passion to hurt others. Golding use of the phrase “delirious abandonment” (180) depicts that Roger has lost all of his self control because he is no longer a preteen with strong morals. Readers can suspect that Roger has lost all humanity within him because his intentions are to commit barbarity; likewise, this cruel act showcases Roger’s beastlike personality in his soul. His insanity unveils that he is a menacing creature with unpredictable qualities; more specifically, he has become an unstoppable wild beast.
In Lord of the Flies, there are many instances where characters were forced to make certain decisions that were necessary for individual survival but destroyed their innocence and maintained major conflicts, so we can conceptualize children’s suffering and abandonment of civilization, which made primal savagery apparent on the island; as a result, we can conclude that the boys have ended their childhood because the hardships of the world were discovered.