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How Does Golding Present The Evil In Lord Of The Flies

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The British Lit. Beelzebub In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding used a group of young schoolboys to illustrate his views of humanity. He believed there was an evil within all human beings, and evil usually won out. The novel, a horrific tale of savagery and woe, explains this point quite clearly. Lord of the Flies shows what would happen if a group of schoolchildren could have survived a plane crash on a deserted island, with no rules or regulations, and no adults. Golding tried to illustrate the idea that in a moral vacuum, man will naturally veer off of the beaten path of society’s laws and explore the world of his own demons. He believed that man needed laws, social structure, and government to ensure safety and justice. In most of the book, he portrayed the worst case scenario that evil wins at every turn, and without the guidance of a strong moral center, many of the boys allow their evils to win within themselves. Jack, one of the older boys, is driven mad through power hunger and paranoia. Simon, the symbol of young innocence, and Piggy, the symbol of logic and reason, are murdered in cold blood. Almost no one cares about anything actually important, i. e. rescue. Golding’s theory has its hold in reality as well. After …show more content…

This is evident when the tribe has a feast and, though Jack despises Piggy and Ralph, he allows them to approach the fire and take some of the roasted pig. (Golding, 149) Jack’s choice to acknowledge Ralph as his equal is a sign of conflict within Jack between his fleshly desires and what he still knows is morally right. That same night, his hunters murder the truest symbol of good on the island- Simon- without a second thought. The boys simply lack control, rational control, and the fact that discipline is required to keep them in check acts as evidence to Golding’s case for an evil human

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