Moral Issues In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

A moral reading on the novel Lord of the Flies would mean to focus on what is right from wrong throughout the novel, when reading one may notice that the chaos caused throughout the novel caused by knowing which moral values shine through the characters, and whether those are positive or negative feelings. Firstly, “He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill what was swallowing him up. “I went on. I thought, by myself--” The madness came into his eyes again. “I thought I might kill.”” (Golding 51). Describing how one of the boys, Jack, is being swallowed by the intention of killing someone shows to readers that he is trying to suppress the desire to kill something. This was something that was suppressed by rules and from people,

most likely adults, telling Jack what not to do and criticizing him for doing so. Without someone criticizing him for his cruel actions, Jack’s behavior only continues to worsen throughout the novel resulting in a horrific end.

Secondly, “The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the center, its arm folded overs it’s face. It was crying out against the abominable noise, something about a body on the hill,” (Golding 152). In this quote the boys are shown to be beating up one of their peers brutally, and unknowingly. They were all beating up Simon who was friends with most of the older boys and littluns throughout the story, meaning there was no reason for the boys to treat him this way. It is unrecognizable to the boys that their actions were cruel and uncalled until after he is gone, and this was caused by the separation of the boys into two groups. Once separated all ties are cut loose and that consequences consist of not only their friends dying, but their death being caused by one another. The lack of order had led to the corruption of everyone’s minds. Blinding them from knowing when they had gone to far, and the lack of understanding that what they are doing is cruel and unacceptable if they were to have been still at home. Lastly, “‘It was dark. There was that-- that bloody

dance. There was lightning and thunder and rain. We was scared!’ ‘I wasn’t scared,’ said Ralph slowly, ‘I was-- I don’t know what I was,’” (Golding 156). The boys at this point in the novel have allowed themselves to do whatever they please, due to the lack of authority amongst them. Ralph was scared and confused by the actions occurring, because he was one of the only boys who understood that in order to survive and get rescued they all had to get along and there would need to be a leader. When his leadership fell through and the boys split up is when the boy’s lose control and end up killing Simon. Not only did they just harm him they killed him, and whether or not it was intentional from any of them, the lack of rules led to the death of one of the boys. Without the boys knowing what was right from wrong, it led to the collapse of their government and especially the murder of Simon, who was attacked by the others.