1/16/2023 0 Comments Evil inside us![]() A sharpened stick about five feet long trailed from his right hand, and except for a pair of tattered shorts held up by his knife-belt he was naked.” (p 66-67) Golding uses Jack’s changing appearance as a metaphor for his diminishing humanity. “His sandy hair, considerably longer than it had been when they dropped in, was lighter now and his bare back was a mass of dark freckles and peeling sunburn. They start off confined by the rules of the society that they were accustomed to. From the moment they arrive on the island, these boundaries are removed and instead the boys must decide for themselves what is judicious. The boys in Lord of the Flies come from a world where their parents controlled and educated them. Without rule or order within a society, they are destined to crumble. Humans are inherently evil when left to fend for themselves. Humankind’s natural instinct to act impulsively in the face of fear makes them savage and unruly. The boys’ struggle against the beast results in Simon’s gruesome death which symbolises humanity’s incapability when confronted with apprehension. “Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society.” (p 187) Even the most rational characters in this novel felt willing to go against their morals and values to join Jack’s tribe because it assured the somewhat safety against the beast. Jack uses this fear to gain power and defect the children to join his side where he promises meat and security. This shows when faced with a possible threat, human’s natural instinct to eradicate what they are frightened of incapacitates their rational thinking. Jack suggests that the ideal approach is to kill the beast even though he has no knowledge of what the beast is or what it is capable of. And we’ll look for the snake too.” (p 48) In this quote, Jack’s repetition of the ‘snake’ highlights their terror in dealing with the beast. We’re going to hunt pigs to get meat for everybody. But if there was a snake we’d hunt and kill it. The boys start wondering if they were in fact not alone on the island and start doubting their safety. Fear first starts to appear at nightfall, when the younger boys have appearances of monstrous creatures in their dreams. ![]() The theme of ‘fear of the unknown’ runs throughout the book and is represented through the boys’ fear of the beast and the island. Golding also uses the boy’s conception of the ‘beastie’ as a symbol of the ‘beast’ within us. ![]() He explores the result of the absence of authority and order within a society. William Golding uses the concept of ‘fear of the unknown’ to show how it creates apprehension amongst the boys which leads to their chaotic behaviour. It explores the primitivism and savagery that comes with the human nature through the various characters and language choices. Lord of the Flies delves into the subject of ‘the darkness of man’s heart’. ![]()
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