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'Hidden Nature Of Humanity In Lord Of The Flies'

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Josh Elliott Mrs. Jackson English 10H P.3 March 15, 2023 Hidden Nature of Humanity At the dawn of mankind, human nature could best be described as primal, brutal, and savage, a trait passed down by generations. These traits of humanity are represented in the spiral away from civilization in Sir William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Where when unchecked, human nature starts to show its sadistic aspects. Such is the case with Animal Farm, by George Orwell. Humanity is portrayed by the main pigs, who accede power to get to their heads, and they administer brutal and arduous ways of life unto those they see beneath them. In Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and human history, human nature is unscrupulous and malevolent. Golding’s portrayal of human nature is that of a sadistic, brutal, and impulsive complexion. He uses the main antagonist and his tribe to represent humans’ primal urges against civilization and science, which conceals the primality in people. This is an accurate portrayal of human nature when left unchecked. Without rules in place, people …show more content…

One such event was Kristallnacht or Night of the Broken Glass. It was one of the first representations of the atrocities to come from Germany under Adolf Hitler’s control, some “30,000 Jewish males were taken to concentration camps.” And about “7,500 Jewish-owned establishments were looted and destroyed” (Holocaust Museum) These crimes against humanity represented the worst that lies within all humans. However, most people have the restraint to hold back ill feelings toward people of different backgrounds or identities. These corrupt and callous people who exert their will upon others are the ones who dare to show the true side that all of humanity

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We all have a hidden chamber of our inner savagery deep within us that we all utilize when our desire to survive is not being fulfilled as done so in Lord of the Flies. The theme of Lord of the flies by William Golding reflects how

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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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Symbolizing Humanity Through Lord of the Flies Human nature is very important to civilization and culture but if it is disarranged people convert to originality and savagery. In the novel Lord of the Flies the children were stranded on an island after an airplane crash. They began to build civilization until they had been there so long they began to turn savage and kill each other. They were then rescued by a naval officer after seeing the island on fire. In Lord of the Flies Golding shows that human nature is essentially bad through the characterization of Jack, Roger, and Samneric.

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According to David Gemmell, “There is evil in us, and it is the mark of a man how he defies the evil within.” In William Golding’s 1954 novel, The Lord Of The Flies, a group of boys experience an unimaginable disaster and are stranded on an island when their plane is shot down. Initially the crisis is somewhat manageable; however, social order soon gives way to the “evil within”, which is later represented by “The Pig Head.” As the story unfolds the boys begin to abandon the logic which originally motivated the creation of their social structure, and it begins to “fall apart.” One way the author, Golding shows the defects of human nature is by describing “The Conch.”

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Piggy, for instance, has no savage feelings, while Roger seems barely capable of comprehending the rules of civilization. Generally, however, Golding implies that the instinct of savagery is far more primal and fundamental to the human psyche than the instinct of civilization. Golding sees moral behavior, in many cases, as something that civilization forces upon the individual rather than a natural expression of human individuality. When left to their own devices, Golding implies, people naturally revert to cruelty, savagery, and barbarism. This idea of innate human evil is central to Lord of the Flies, and finds expression in several important symbols, most notably the beast and the sow’s head on the stake.

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