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Nature And Evil In Lord Of The Flies

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Lord of the Flies follows the story of british boys stranded on an island trying to make a civilization and how it comes to fall at the hands of the boys. The novel focuses in on the ideas of innocence, fear, power and primitivity. Irony in the novel shows the reader that one’s primal nature and inner evil can affect society on a large scale. Goldings use of symbolism in relation to themes in the novel shows how people can have rules in civilization but the people rule civilization. In the beginning of the novel, the boys wanted rules and order but it later went to chaos. Jack, in the beginning, said that they must have rules and order. In the novel he said, “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages”(42), meaning …show more content…

The conch was the main representation of power throughout the first part of the novel. It was used to call meetings and none of the boys were allowed to speak unless they had the conch in their possession. In the middle of the novel the conch begins to lose it’s power. During a meeting, Jack kept interrupting the person who was in possession of the conch shell and there was no consequences. It later becomes ‘okay’ for the other boys to do it because they are following by example. Closer to the end of the novel, the conch shell loses all of its power and order. The conch shell got smashed and Piggy got murdered, from there the islands sense of civilization, mannerism and order ceased to exist.'Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy. “the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.”(208) That was the end of peace and order in the island. From there is was set on fire and there was a big hunt for Ralph all after the boys lost their sense of society, order and resorted to their primal and natural instincts and behaviors. Lord of the Flies, follows a group of boys to their own destruction which ultimately leads to their rescue. The novel shows the descent and retreat to primitivity that happens when there is no society or set rules and standards to follow. There are many uses of irony with symbolism in relation to themes, the conch and power, the beast in relation to fear and primitivity and many more. Golding’s use of this helps the reader further understand what is happening to the boys throughout the

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This in itself shows how the group was quickly dematerializing, but Ralph further proves the point just one page later when he hesitates to use the conch, “if I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued.” Ralph's reaction to Piggy's request of blowing the conch emphasizes the fact that their attempt at civilization is rapidly failing.

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