Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies

In the novel Lord of the Flies, author William Golding explores the topic of human nature, as well as its impact on people and society. Golding portrays this through a story, a story in which a group of British school-boys are stranded on a lone island, trying to survive by any means until they are rescued. During this period of time, the boys grow savage, Golding begins to reveal the inherent evil that exists within humans, the struggles we face between being civilized and primal savages, as well as the environment which can cause these instincts to show.

Golding emphasizes the innate darkness and savagery inside individuals from the start of the story. When the teenage boys first arrive on the island, they attempt to bring order and civilization

Golding underlines the fragility of society and how easily it can be disrupted when basic instincts take over. This is demonstrated when Jack and his hunters are hunting a pig, and finally kill it. They begin to chant in excitement of the hunt and the taste of blood, chanting, “kill the pig, cut its throat, spill her blood” (Golding, 69). Jack and his group become more violent and brutal, leading to this barbaric, almost inhuman tribe of killers. At this moment in the story, Golding truly begins to unveil the most important theme in the book, the raw human instincts will only be more prominent from now

When Jack takes control of almost all the boys, excluding Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric, he becomes more tyrannical and cruel. He maintains his grasp on the tribe through fear and violence, and as a result, the hunters become increasingly violent themselves. This is displayed when Jack and his hunters mercilessly murder Piggy after a short-lived brawl between Ralph and Jack, as seen in this quote "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee: the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went. Piggy fell 40 feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy's arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig after it has been killed".
This scene is extremely violent, gory, and brutal. It truly shows the brutality and extreme violence that any one human can potentially hone and use. The destruction of the conch and the death of Piggy bring an end to peace and civility between the boys, Piggy’s humanity and intelligence as well as the unity of the conch were gone, leaving nothing but raw