Lord of the Flies Essay - 1050 Words

The Evil Within Children are traditionally portrayed as innocent and pure. However, in the novel Lord of the Flies, the boys stranded on the island turn from a group of proper, English school boys to uncivilized savages. Adults place a nonexistent innocence on children; all humans are born with evil tendencies. Throughout the novel, William Golding reveals that not even children are purely innocent. William Golding reveals this through the controllability and power that fear has over humans, the lust for violence that humans are born with and the natural desire for power that humans have. First of all, Golding demonstrates that adults place a nonexistent innocence on children through the controllability and power that fear has†¦show more content†¦Ralph enjoys knowing that he is able to kill a boar and he wants to continue doing it after feeling the thrill of killing. Ralph starts losing control of his violence and slowly starts becoming a savage like Jack and his hunters, as was impossibl e to escape such a fate. Third of all, Golding demonstrates that adults place a nonexistent innocence on children through the desire for power that humans have. All humans crave power. It lets us have control and get things to go the way we want. However, power is easily able to corrupt and cause conflict and separation. This is shown through Jack’s character from the start. Jack’s desire for power is revealed when he wants to be elected as chief. Jack enjoys having power and control; he likes having things go the way he wants. â€Å"‘I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp’† (Golding 18). Jack’s hunger for power leads to conflict and separation of the boys. Furthermore, Golding demonstrates this through Ralph’s character. From the beginning, when the boys are voting on who should be chosen as chief, Ralph tells the boys to shut up and ho lds the conch in the air. â€Å"‘Shut up’ said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. ‘Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things’† (Golding 18). The conch represents authority. By Ralph holding the conch in the air, he is trying to persuade the other boys thatShow MoreRelatedLord of The Flies Essay1673 Words   |  7 PagesLord of the Flies was published in 1954 by William Golding. Today Lord of the Flies is a well known literary criticism. Many schools require their students to read Lord of the Flies because of the literary criticisms in the book. In this paper three themes or literary criticisms are talked about: good vs. evil, symbolism of characters, and maturity of characters. Another topic in Goldings Lord of the Flies is the battle of good vs. evil. Everything seems to start out just fine on the island; theRead MoreLord of the Flies Essay523 Words   |  3 Pages Lord of the Flies Essay â€Å"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend Piggy’(Golding 202). Peter Brooks movie and Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, express the idea of evil in human nature and through the evils we see the boys on the island change over time. Both the movie directed by a Peter Brooks and the novel written by William Golding demonstrate the defects of human nature through the characters dialogue andRead More Lord of the Flies Essay1446 Words   |  6 Pagesbe symbolic of the tangible as well as the non-tangible. In addition, characters can often be looked at with a psychological approach to literature in order to better determine or understand their symbolic significance. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, special symbolic significance may be found in the characters, Piggy, Ralph, and Jack. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Piggy, the heavy, asthmatic, nearsighted boy, was often teased and ridiculed, however Golding made it obvious to the reader thatRead MoreLord Of The Flies Essay819 Words   |  4 PagesPranti Ahmed Blue 4 British Literature February 16, 2015 Lord of the flies Individual Essay Many critics argue that the book â€Å"Lord of The Flies† portrays too much of a frightening side of human nature and young people should not be exposed to such things nor should they be expected to understand it. While it is true the book has a rather gruesome/violent tone that’s no justification in depriving young people of any book at all. The only way anyone is able to understandRead MoreLord of the Flies Essay2000 Words   |  8 PagesLord of the Flies Essay The Power and Theme of the Conch Shell The novel; â€Å"Lord of the Flies† is a highly renowned novel written by William Golding and published in 1954. The novel embodies many themes and events that are mysterious and unanticipated for the reader. During the course of the essay I will explain how the conch shell that is found at the foundation of the first chapter plays a significant role throughout the novel and how diverse themes are brought on from this influential shellRead More Lord of the Flies Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesLord of the Flies The main theme of Lord of the Flies is that moral nature is not instinctive in mankind. There is a capacity for evil in all people, and their morality is superficial. Nonetheless, it is this moral integrity that must continue in order for a person to be ethical, for society to be maintained, and to keep society from falling in on itself. Society holds everyone together. Without the rules and the structure, evil in everyone becomes more prominent, and ideals, values, and basicsRead More The Lord of the Flies Essay1220 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Golding’s masterful use of symbolism is exemplified in his book Lord of the Flies, in which he uses masks to represent . These masks come in many forms, and by careful study of events throughout Golding’s novel, one discovers their significance. Physical masks are used by many characters such as Jack and Piggy, and they are perhaps the least ambiguous forms found in the book. The idea of a mask encompasses more than just the se literal interpretations, however. Metaphorical masks are usedRead MoreLord of the Flies Essay1218 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the novel Lord of the Flies, various views and motifs are portrayed. Of these views and motifs, the main message which is illustrated is one that questions society. It is clear from the very beginning that is a message conveyed in this novel. On the whole, Golding is portraying a good versus evil which are represented by Jack and Ralph. In Lord of the Flies a variety of ideas can be extracted on what the message Golding is trying to show. Golding wrote this novel in order to show the basicRead More Lord of the flies essay562 Words   |  3 Pages Lord of the Flies Project nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"Breakdowns in society result when people avoid their responsibilities to the community to pursue their own ends.† This seems entirely true. For example, in â€Å"Lord of the Flies† most of the kids decide going around hunting and not worrying about anything else is what is important, and eventually turn into savages. This could also be true if the people of a farming community started becoming lazy and stopped caring for their crops and animalsRead MoreEssay on Lord of the Flies694 Words   |  3 PagesLord of the Flies Society frees the individual from the tyranny of disorder. When people are working together with rules, chaos does not occur. In Lord of the Flies, the shell signifies society and order. The book begins with Ralph and Piggy blowing the conch to call the other boys together to order and unity. Skinner explains this by people being completely controlled by their environment. The conch is similar to a bell at school where the boys instinctively come after hearing the noise