Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

The goal of society is to correct the human nature and reform it so that it becomes more humane and civilized, but underlying society’s teachings is the basic human nature, that is much more primitive and savage in form. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys become stranded on an island. While there the boys become consumed with an idea of a beast that lives on the island. Though the boys form a democratic society to make a power structure, the power on the island lies not within the hands of any boy, but with the single idea of the beast. The single idea that arose from frightened children spreads like wildfire among the kids, big and small ,shaping every one of their decisions leading them away from civilization and

At one democratic meeting Jack states “ There isn’t a snake-thing. But if there was a snake we’d hunt it and kill it. We’re going to hunt pigs to get meat for everybody. And we’ll look for the snake too–” “But there isn’t a snake!” “We’ll make sure when we go hunting.”(Golding 50). The boys are playing only to the rules that their far away society had nurtured them on for their entire lives. The beast is a simple idea that is used by Jack as a power grab. Most of the boys stick to their societal values and see the beast as a kid’s tale, that doesn’t affect any half mature kid. Though the boys say they don’t believe in the beast, “A thin wail out of the darkness chilled them and set them grabbing for each other.”(133). The beast is similar to the Nazi Party of the Weimar Republic, weak, and an unthinkable future, but grows strong when society fails. Similar to the Weimar republic, the boys society is very weak and only holds on by a grasp. As the society that keeps these boys beliefs firm starts to fail they start to regress into their natural primitive state, and fear the childish idea of the