preview

Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies

Decent Essays
Open Document

Human nature is an important subject for people to think about and whether it is primarily good or evil is controversial. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a plane crashes on an island and several pre-adolescent boys get stranded there. At first, they live in peace with Ralph as their leader. However, without adults and established rules, they cannot stay civilized for long. Jack makes a grab for power, and when he fails he breaks away and creates a murderous tribe of savages. In the end, they get rescued, but not before two boys die and the island goes up in flames. Although Ralph is nearly slaughtered and the once idyllic island has become an inferno, the officer who appears to rescue the boys ignores the obvious violence making clear …show more content…

This is made clear by looking at the appearances of the officer, the boys, and the island as well as his reactions to these. There is plenty of obvious evidence of the bestial nature of man through the appearances of the officer, the boys, and the island. The officer is in the middle of fighting a war, which is easily determined by looking at his appearance. ¬¬¬¬¬He is in uniform with “a white topped cap, … white drill, epaulettes, a revolver, [and] a row of gilt buttons down the front” (200). He comes on a ship armed with “a sub machine gun” (200). He is dressed this way so that he can go to war and kill people. In describing his uniform and his ship, the author reminds the reader of this and emphasizes the idea that even seemingly civilized adults can be savage and violent. The boys look filthy and wild, showing that they are unable to do simple tasks like taking care of their appearance. They are all in dire need of “a bath, a haircut, a nosewipe, and a good deal of ointment” (201). This …show more content…

When he first sees the island and the boys, he should see savagery, but he does not, he sees children having fun. He “grin[s] cheerfully at Ralph” (200), like he approves of how the boys have been acting on the island. The way that the officer perceives the boys’ behavior as normal shows his savage nature. Looking at the appearances of the boys and the island, it is obvious that what the boys have been doing is dangerous, but the officer refuses to acknowledge it, and instead smiles at Ralph cheerfully like everything is okay. The officer is blind to the seriousness of the situation and this is shown through what he says to the boys. He calls what they are doing on the island “fun and games” (200) and he says he “thought that a pack of British boys … would have been able to put up a better show than that” (201-202). The officer blatantly ignores how savage the boys are and reduces their war to a childhood game. He said that he expected better from the boys, since they are British, but he still calls it a show, like it is not a real war that killed two people. He’s refusing to accept that the boys’ true nature is beast-like and murderous and not simply playful. The officer’s reaction when the boys cry shows his insensitivity and further denial of how awful the boys’ time on the island has been. He is “moved and a little embarrassed [and] he [turns] away to

Get Access
Related
Get Access