Cynicism In Lord Of The Flies Essay

Cynicism has a prominent role in the creation of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. This characteristic of the author’s writing is found in every symbolic expression this book holds; the author ended this book in such a way that the pessimism throughout the novel is enhanced and elevated. The novel, Lord of the Flies, exhibits a pessimistic ending when Ralph is close to death, when the Navy arrives shortly after Piggy’s death, and when the boys are robbed of their innocence by selfishness and poor judgement. Ralph nearly dying at the end of the novel shows the readers that although Ralph had the utmost positivism for his time on the island in the beginning, the absence of rules and regulations of civilization can change the views of many for the worse. “Viciously, with full intention, he hurled his spear at Ralph. The point tore the skin and flesh over Ralph’s ribs, then sheared off and fell in the water. Ralph stumbled, feeling not pain, but panic…” (181). Jack violent towards Ralph in this quote, which puts Ralph into a panicked state. Negative thinking for the fate of Ralph and the boys is imbued into the readers’ thinking as pages of the novel seem to dwindle; there are no elements towards the closure of the writing that show any optimism that

The death of this unacclaimed leader heavily impacted the tone of the events to follow. Piggy was influential in many ways, but was highly underappreciated by many. His death in Chapter 11 greatly affected Ralph’s emotions. “And in the middle of them . with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (202). The Navy coming in Chapter 12 right after Piggy’s death is pessimistically placed by Golding. Unfortunately, Piggy was killed at a time where the boys were extremely savage and the Navy was close to finding the