“Maybe, … maybe there is a beast…. Maybe it’s only us.” (Golding 68). Every human is born with an innate capacity for evil, although humans are also born with the capacity for good. In Lord of the Flies, Golding chooses to depict a story of evil, implying that humans by nature are also evil at their core. However, human nature cannot be summed up by the actions of a few. It is the experiences of a person that creates their nature.
The brutal nature of Golding’s Lord of the Flies portrays a side of humans that Golding believes to reside in each person. The capacity for evil. Through Lord of the Flies, Golding begins to suggest that humans are evil at the core and depicts that through the savage nature of the boys stranded on the island. The
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This story is one that focuses on a theme of the moral nature of human beings and if it is good or evil. Throughout the story it is seen that Atticus understands the nature of humans and realizes that people can exist with good and evil traits. One of Atticus’s most famous quotes, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” is a perfect example of how experiences create a person. (Lee 30). It is never known the reasoning for a person’s actions until, their point of view is seen. However, one’s point of view can not easily be deciphered. A point of view or reasoning can be the concoction of many memories and experiences that helps a person form a course of action. For example, 2 people witness a fire caused by an pan filled with oil. Person A runs to get some water and flings it on to the flame hoping that the fire gets extinguished. Person A has failed and instead caused the fire to grow out of control. Person B however, quickly puts a lid on the pot that the fire is originating from. The lid would help suffocate the fire in a safe and effective way. Person B is successful. Person A could argue that they are only reacting in the way their body felt natural, and because of that, is not responsible for the excess damage caused to the house. Meanwhile, Person B knew exactly what to do because they had previously had a problem just like this one. Is it fair to hold Person A accountable for the consequences of their actions? After all it was only their natural response. If Person A truly was evil and wanted to inflict pain or damage, their must have been a reason. Not one person is born evil or good. It’s what is done after their birth that determines their