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Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies And The Hunger Games

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Simon met his fate, getting dismembered, Cato was cruelly devoured while Katniss watched, Rue was stabbed fatally, Ralph was ruthlessly hunted. These events all have exactly one thing in common, the brutality of children. Throughout the books Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games, many ideas about human nature have been brought forth, they have been shown through characters, like Ralph and Katniss, through objects, like the representation of fire, and through events, like the degradation of civility throughout the books. So, what is being said about human nature? In Lord of the Flies, Ralph was one of the most civil characters, he was level-headed and recognized the need to be rescued, as well as the need for a leader. Which is why he accepted to be the …show more content…

They will do anything and everything in their power to stay alive, regardless of who they might harm in the process. That is true human nature exhibited here in the text, the selfishness that consumes humans in the event that they are faced with a life-threatening situation. There is also representation of fire throughout Lord of the Flies, which reveals much about human nature. The fire is the object that they put all their hope for being rescued into. The fire that the boys created pushed away the darkness and their fears about the beast, bringing light to the darkest of times, quite literally. The fire was also a symbol of civilization, that the boys would survive and get rescued. Fire is quite profound in what it reveals about humans. The fire was the object that the hunters didn’t have, it was desirable because it was limited. The fire brought out the innate greed that humans possess. The hunters weren’t content with asking for fire from Ralph, they were too prideful and savage to be civil in any manner, so they stole it. They stole the very object that allowed for the creation of fire, Piggy’s

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Ralph is a fictional character from the famous novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Throughout the book, Ralph stood out in many ways by either his actions or by his charismatic personality. His traits made him a unique character in the book since it ranged from leadership, to sympathy for others. The other characters were not as different as Ralph as they were either too cocky, like the antagonist of the story, jack, or highly intelligent but too shy, like his friends Piggy and Simon.

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Imagine the sight of an open blue sky, trees growing, and warm dry grass moving briskly by the air. And, in front of this scene, there is a wonderful endless pit, stained by blood and some partial limbs. The whole world has just decided to jump off a cliff, because why not escape the dark gripping fears that life holds? Society has darred and pushed each other off to this dark encasing hole. Sure it will hurt, but only for a little bit, right?

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“Well, we won’t be painted,” said Ralph, “because we aren’t savages” (172). There are many great leaders all over the world. To be a great leader one must have certain qualities including, being courageous, being responsible, willing to take charge, having all priorities straight on the important things, have determination, and many more. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph shows all of these characteristics and a few more. Out of every boy on the island, Ralph would be the best choice as leader.

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So when Golding tells us that in Jack’s “left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses.” (191), it demonstrates that Jack’s savage boys now have the power to make fire. The fire symbolizes hope when on the civilized side but its inner demon is of destruction and evil. Predictably this demon does in fact come out when in the end Jack and his boys “had smoked him (Ralph) out and set the island on fire” (Golding 224), in order to kill Ralph. Ironically, the fire instead fulfills its civilized purpose, of a signal instead of killing Ralph. The purpose and the extreme strength of the fire here shows us that the boys had become brutal savages, literally killing civilization out of the their systems.

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Realizing Ralph's reliance on the fire and in otherways Piggy, Piggy begins to trust Ralph to protect him from Jack. His insecurities cause him to obsess over the idea of the fire to show that he does have some importance, while the savages are focused on power and hunting. Golding uses the struggle of power to demonstrate how destructive it can be. The desire for power causes the boys' civilization the crumble, discord and rivalries, and ends up destroying their island.

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The hidden savagery of humans that is dormant because of civilization is presented in Lord of the Flies through its symbolism, repetition and diction. The struggle for power and control on the island led to the exposure of savage nature that is present in the boys who were forced into a lawless place. Throughout the novel reason and logic are abandoned, causing the boys to act on whims and be controlled by their instincts rather than control themselves. Civilization has dampened human’s savage ways, but believing that there are no consequences could lead to the downfall of humanity and the return of the primitive ways society believes it has abandoned. Golding wrote Lord of the Flies to expose the hidden savagery that humans possess and how if humans aren’t careful they will become the savages

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Upon arriving, Ralph’s primary ambition is to get off the island safely, considering the expected immaturity in reaction to the boys’ sudden loss of authority. He manages to maintain this intention regardless of his job or worth in society among the boys. As evil challenges his capability to retain this quality by the irony of the fire, breaking of the conch, and overall destruction of civilization, demonstrates his level of mental strength considering all of the odds against his favor. Having the, “voice of someone who [knows their] own mind,” and instituting an independent attitude towards his goal, Ralph displays competence and trust in his capabilities rather than depending on that of others. As displayed in his immediate need for order, Ralph establishes a plan to get off of the island.

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The first fire quickly gets out of control and ends up killing a kid. Without the fire they would have no way of being found, no way to cook, or stay warm at night. The fire become a point of savagery. The only way on the island to make fire was with Piggy 's glasses. When Jack 's tribe steal his glasses it shows their dominance.

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Ralph is an embodiment of civilization and organization. The strong leadership ability that Ralph possesses unites the group and allows it to function without flaw. He suggests simple rules which the group can process easily to ensure the order of the group. He does not show superiority over anyone and treats everyone equally, regardless of their character. Ralph also shows intellectual ability by suggesting the signal fire.

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Golding has personified the fire and the jungle in hopes of achieving the effect of creating a parallel with human nature. He is suggesting that it is an unthinking, unfeeling entity similar to the five boys who felt awe at the deflagration of the island and were uninterested in the plight of Piggy and his words of emotion. Ultimately, the fire is about savagery, while fire was one of the first technologies created by man that separated humanity from primal animals, the way in which the fire was started in the book — taking Piggy’s glasses in a primal troop attack, by force — alludes to the notion that perhaps it wasn't enough to seperate humans from animals just

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The first fire is built to signal ships for their rescue; it symbolizes hope here. Once the fire is burning brightly, the boys “paused to enjoy the freshness of [the fire]... they flung themselves down in the shadows that lay among the shattered rocks,” (41). The fire comforts the young island inhabitants because it lets them relax with the hope of getting rescued. The boys on the island start to lose hope, even Ralph. Ralph tells Piggy “let the fire go then, for tonight,” (164), showing that he has stopped caring about getting home.

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In William Golding's The Lord of the Flies, boys trapped on an island turn into deranged savages and kill each other after they fail to follow the rules of their made-up tribe. Cruelty is used by Golding as a way to communicate his theme which could be that cruelty is in nearly everybody, but civilization’s laws and control prevent that trait from prevailing. The author leaves some evidence of him trying to convey this theme throughout the book. A part of the book that shows this theme being shown would be the demise of Piggy and civilization.

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The human nature can be a vile, corrupt, and heinous object that will do anything to benefit itself and put down others. This is the bleak reality of the human nature. LoTF, written by William Golding, and Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini are two books that follow the tragic stories of young boys who lost and sacrificed everything when they succumbed to their evil desires. Lord of the Flies and Kite runner both shed light on human nature by showing the inherent evil that can be evoked, how it can lead to the loss of childhood innocence, and the sacrifices we are willing to make.

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