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Comparing Beowulf And Lord Of The Flies

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“If life is a battle, then my inner scars are medals for valor, for swiftness, for courage, for passion. Evil is the dark haired brother of Good; they walk hand in hand -- always..” -Storm Constantine
We all know there’s a difference between good and evil. The real question is, how do we differentiate between the different types of each evil? Is evil borned within the human spirit, or is it encouraged by one’s setting? And how does each author incorporate certain types of evil? In both pieces of literature fighting and battle was a main focus, the poem Beowulf describes the evil that is influenced by external sources, while the novel Lord of the Flies demonstrates the natural born evil in the human spirit.
The great poem Beowulf focuses …show more content…

Yes, their unusual setting has an influence on their behavior. But no, that is not the main trigger for their savagery. After days stranded on a deserted island the group of boys suddenly get overwhelmed with their thirst for the death of the infamous beast that they end up murdering one of their own (Golding). This frenzy depicts the inner evil in each of the boys because none of them had the ability to stop themselves from committing a crime. The were so caught up in the chant, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 152) that they didn’t care that the “beast” they were stabbing, biting, and clawing at was actually one of their own people. Clearly, someone with self-control, someone like Beowulf, would not be caught shouting this mindless chant and acting in this manner. The boys, however, were so caught up in the moment that they were unable to contain the evil that was hiding in the depths within them. Their savage behavior was never gone, it was simply being pushed back, until one night they finally snapped. It is hinted throughout the book that “the beast” was actually inside of all of them, “Maybe there is a beast...What I mean is... maybe it’s only us” (Golding 89). Towards the end of the novel the sense of civilization is stripped away and many of them adjust themselves to the idea that murder is a pastime instead of realizing the severity of their

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