How does evil manifest in society? Lord of the Flies offers a simple enough premise. A group of boys on an island, with no adults and no rules to keep them in check. However, throughout the novel, author William Golding weaves together a complex narrative to teach a lesson about his views on evil. Fear can change the human mind, savagery will always rise to the top of civilization, and evil is inherent. Let’s explore how he shows this. Civilisation is the singular idea the boys cling to when they arrive on the island. The group craves order. They need a roll-call, a leader, and the figure of the conch to control speaking. The lack of adults forces the group to create their society. But soon, the cracks of fear show. “We may stay here till we die.” Says Piggy. This word, “Die.” seems to bring fear to the island in chapter one. The ‘Beastie’ comes up in chapter two. And the fire going out later directly results from fear. If the hunters did not …show more content…
Soon enough, the group splits. The boys have different priorities. Some want to lead, some want to hunt, and the littluns just want to play. The difference between the hunters and the rest of the group is the first hint towards the savagery that will show its face in the novel. Even though they are both leaders, Jack is violent, and Ralph attempts to be civilised. “... There was the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill; and there was the world of longing and baffled commonsense.” In this quote, Golding is suggesting that, for humans, the path to civilization is more difficult than the path to tyranny. The quote from the first chapter, “This… brought sniggers from the choir, who perched like blackbirds on the criss-cross trunks and examined Ralph with interest.” Foreshadows the idea that the choir will become Ralph’s enemy. This describes the point that primitive actions are easier than civilised ones, and that those evil actions will overtake any