preview

The Human Tendency Towards War Exemplified in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies

Decent Essays
Open Document
Thomas Hobbes once said, “Hereby it is a manifest, that during the time man live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war . . .” (Hobbes 64). Thomas Hobbes, an enlightenment thinker, believes that humans are born evil, and without a good leader, everything will turn into chaos. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies rightly gives examples on Hobbes’ viewpoint. Throughout the story, it shows the process in which the boys slowly loses their civilized self and turn into savages, how the boys would do anything just for survival or just purely entertainment. William Golding shows the innate evilness within humans by employing religious allegory as by using events, characters, and settings that…show more content…
Furthermore, the characters in the story parallels to other characters in the Bible. When Ralph starts condemning himself, Simon cheers him up by saying, “You’ll get back to where you came from” (Golding 111). According to the Bible, only Satan causes condemnation. By interrupting Ralph and giving him hope, Golding illustrates Simon as Jesus because he saves Ralph from being torn apart by Satan. The quote also suggests Simon knows something Ralph does not know. It shows that Simon may have the ability to foresee future events. Later, when Simon talks to the beast, or Lord of the Flies, it says, “I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?” (Golding 143). The Lord of the Flies symbolizes Satan. In the New Testament, after baptism, Satan temps Jesus with various things for forty days. Simon is the only person that is able to speak to the beast on the island. His innate goodness helps him to be able to speak to the Lord of the Flies without being afraid, which is something only Jesus can do. Throughout the story, Simon displays various traits of Jesus such as being deeply spiritual, compassionated, and non-violent. The setting of the story are also related to stories in the Bible. The island is described as “The air was thick with butterflies, lifting, fluttering, settling” (Golding 28). The image described resembles to that of the paradise. Just like the Garden of Eden, the island has an ideal weather, an abundance of fruits,
Get Access
Related
Get Access