Stages of the Beast An imaginary evil is destructive to one’s mental and physical self. Lord of the Flies portrays the beast, as an imaginary evil. The beast is exhibited in how the boys interact and react to the circumstances they find themselves in on the island. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, the symbol of the beast is relevant throughout in Golding’s use of fear, violence and control. To begin, a physical beast is thought to be on the island with the boys but is the manifestation of fear. A littlun with the mulberry-colored birthmark tries to tell Ralph and the other boys about this snake, named the “beastie”. The boy tells the others where and when he saw this “beastie”, but they just laugh at him. A character …show more content…
Violence is progressing as the fear of the beast grows stronger. According to Lord of the Flies, “Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering” (Golding 114). Ralph is an example of the evil within, escalating into violence. With each act of violence the beast is conveyed throughout the boy’s appalling behavior. For example, the mutilation of the sows head and the discussion of blood. Roger was following Henry, the littlun, and tossing stones nearby him. The bigun, Roger, made sure not to hit Henry with the stones but he is entertaining the thought of striking Henry until the littlun wanders off. Jack says, “ ‘Roger’ ‘Jack was standing under a tree . . . when Roger opened his eyes and saw him, a darker shadow crept beneath the swarthiness of his skin; but Jack noticed nothing’ ” (Golding 62). The beast within is the sin nature we are all born with since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. From the beginning of time man has struggled with the old sin nature capable of murder and other heinous acts. The model began when Cain killed Abel due to