For centuries philosophers have been arguing about whether human nature is inherently good or evil. William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, is a powerful allegorical tale that explores the darker aspects of human nature. The novel tells the story of a group of English boys that are stranded on an uninhabited island after their plane gets shot down during the war. With no source of connection to the mainland and no adults on the island, the boys are left by themselves and hope for rescue. Golding uses the island setting as a microcosm for both society and human nature, using the characters and their actions to illustrate his views on the inherent flaws of human beings. One of the most powerful symbols in the novel is the "beast" that the …show more content…
Simon is the only boy who truly understands the nature of the beast and tries to communicate this to the others, but he is ultimately killed by the other boys in a frenzy of violence: "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!... You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you?" (Golding 142). The quote is directed at Simon, who has come to the realization that the "beast" is not a physical creature on the island, but rather a symbol of the boys' own inner darkness and fear. The Lord of the Flies is essentially a representation of the evil that resides within all human beings. The quote suggests that the "beast" cannot be hunted and killed like a physical creature, because it is not an external enemy, but rather a part of the boys themselves. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that he is "part of" the boys, implying that the darkness and evil that the "beast" represents is inherent in all human beings. The quote highlights the novel's central theme, which is the inherent darkness and evil that resides within human nature. The boys' experience on the island serves as a microcosm of the larger idea that without the constraints of society, humans can quickly descend into chaos and violence. The "beast" represents the boys' inner darkness and fear, and the Lord of the Flies suggests that this darkness is a part of all human beings, not just the boys on the