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What Does The Beast Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

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The Beast is a Symbol of Human Nature Throughout history, humanity has fought and acted upon their primitive instincts of survival. The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding describes the actions of young boys after they become stranded on an island. The boys quickly create an orderly society as Ralph, the level-headed protagonist, establishes leadership. Their society soon collapses; however, due to a beast that preys upon the most primal nature of the group. The beast is not physical, but a creature created by the minds of the young boys. Golding uses the fictional beast to highlight the savagery of humanities most primal instincts; fear, control, and rage. Human nature dictates that fear is to be respected and acted upon as a top …show more content…

Golding uses the beast to exemplify the effects of rage on the human mind. During a ‘game’ that involved the Jack and the other boys attacking Rodger they all chanted, “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!” (Golding 114). Later in the novel the boys again chant but this time directed at the beast, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill the blood!” (Golding 152). Jack and the boys are in a primal state of rage, where their rage gets directed at their surroundings. Driven by rage, the boys attack the ‘beast’, but blinded by their immense anger they are unable to realize that the beast is Simon. Controlled by the flight or fight response created by their rage, the boys are not able to critically think about what they are doing and the consequences of their actions. The beast is a symbol of how rage is inherent in human nature because it is fictional and the boys were never taught the primal emotions that they were experiencing on the island. Through the process of chanting and performing rituals for the beast, such as placing a pig head on a stake and announcing, “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.” (Golding 137) the boys partially relive themselves of their rage, but through and ineffective and savage

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