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Lord Of The Flies Inherently Good Analysis

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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

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Savagery, uncivilized, and hypocritical children have clouded their judgment when trying to figure out if there is a real beastie. A monstrous figure frightens the juvenile boys that landed on this forsaken island. In the Lord of the Flies, these English boys are all alone to defend for themselves, thats when it all unravels. This mythical monster sooner called the “beast” is symbolized a fear of a mistaken beast, as the darkness of war, and the evilness of humanity waiting to be unleashed.

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In the boy’s heads, the beast is a source of the evil and darkness on the island on the island. Although, in reality,the beast is just a representation of the bad side of every person, which is causing the safety of the life on the island to quickly deteriorate. Simon begins to understand this concept even before his run in with the Lord of the Flies, and whilst a fight over how real the beast was, he trys to help the other boys come to terms with this idea. Anxiously, Simon explains to them, "Maybe, maybe there is a beast... What I mean is maybe it's only us" (p. 89). As a result to Simon's declaration, the other boys, who had finally come to a conclusion creating a moment of peace, immediately reignited their argument, more fiercely this time than the last.

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Initially, the Lord of the Flies uses the boy's fear of a mythical monster to illustrate their assumption that evil arises from external forces rather than from themselves. This fearsome beast initially takes form in their imaginations as a snake-type animal that disguises itself as jungle vines; later, they consider the possibility of a creature that rises from the sea or the more nebulous entity of a ghost. When they spot the dead paratrooper who has landed on the mountain, the boys feel sure that they have proof of a beast's existence. In fact a demon does roam the island, but not in the form the boys image.

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430 Words | 2 Pages

While in the jungle and climbing up to the mountain he is unafraid and even goes to see the beast on his own. In conclusion, Simon is very symbolic in the book Lord of the Flies and represents a Christ-like character who reveals darker parts of human nature. Simon’s character represents the themes of savagery and the beast and of civilization. The “beast” that the author William Golding uses in the book represents the the savage impulses

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772 Words | 4 Pages

When the Lord of the Flies said to Simon, “fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill!” (Golding. pg.158), it showed that even if Simon did not know it, he subconsciously understood that the beast was not real, but something within all of them. This also shows that no matter how hard the boys try to stay good, the evil within them is something they cannot get rid of. Additionally, the end of the conversation Simon had with the Lord of the Flies also represents evil.

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As the crowd dissipates, they “could see how small a beast it was.” It was in actuality Simon, who ironically died to what he came to tell them of. This savage nature that humanity was capable of was frequently alluded to by the book, and commented on by Golding himself, ultimately showing us the true meaning of the “beast”. Throughout “The Lord of the Flies”, the “beast” is ever present and ever changing. It manifests their fears, the war, then their savagery.

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In the imagination of the boys, the beast is a tangible monster of evil on the island. At first, most of the boys disregard the Beast, but as they fall further from civilization, they put more faith in it. The Beast is a symbol for the evil and malice that reside within everyone, and it gets more powerful as the boys capitulate to their savagery. It causes life on the island to deteriorate. Simon is the first one to realize that it is them who are becoming evil and that there is no beast on the island.

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The quote “‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head.” (Golding 164) expresses that the Lord of the Flies is divulging to Simon that the evil is not something that can be hunted or killed but is within the boys. Simon also learns that the beast of evilness was in the boys all along. The theme Inherent Evil of Man is displayed through Simon learning that evil is within the boys and that this was the beast. This shows how the evil action appears as a beast and the understanding of evilness by

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In the novel, “The Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding, the many symbols and characteristics represented by the group will all change starting with a boy named Roger who represents pure evilness, to the deserted island that the boys fall upon which unfolds one of the most famous biblical stories, The Garden of Eden. But unlike other stories, in this book evil does conquer good and this villains name is “The Beast,” who terrorizes all and slowly eats away at all of the boys sanity and replaces it with savagery.

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Although there are many symbols and motifs throughout Lord of the flies, the most important is the beast who represents the fear within the boys. The notion of fear among the boys is quickly noticed when they crash on the island. A little un whose only identification

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Thesis Statement: In Lord of the Flies William Golding throughout the book is trying to show you that society should recognize man is evil. Introduction Paragraph: In the book Lord of the Flies the author William Golding shows a group of boys losing their innocence throughout their life stuck on this inhabited island in the pacific ocean. These boys go from being quiet and shy to violent and dangerous young little boys. Golding uses the pigs, hunting, and the boys face painting to show their lose of innocence throughout the story. There 's no rules of any sort on this island these boys landed on they are free to do whatever they want whenever they want.

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321 Words | 2 Pages

Everyone has a dark side to them. This dark side brings out fear, war, and the savagery of man. In Lord of the Flies, the kid’s dark side shows what the “beast” is. In the story the “beast” is represented by fear, war, and the savage side of man.

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In the highly disturbing and honestly quite terrifying subplot of chapter eight with Simon and the “Lord of the Flies” character, the Lord of the Flies says this: “Get back to the others and we’ll forget the whole thing… This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there-so don’t try to escape” (143). What it means by “you’ll only meet me down there” is that this entity, the Lord of the Flies, is the representation of evil and darkness on the island, and so you’ll never escape its presence there. “The Lord of the Flies” also calls itself “the beast” (143), which makes perfect sense, since the beast doesn’t actually exist and so it’s only another title for the evil, violence, and fury of the island, which again is the same entity that the “Lord of the Flies” is.

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1127 Words | 5 Pages

During Simon’s encounter with the Lord of the Flies, Golding reveals the central issue concerning human nature. Simon reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that the beast is inside each boy and cannot be killed. The boys go from behaving like civilized young men to brutal savages. “What I mean is…maybe it’s only us.”

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1528 Words | 7 Pages

The “Beast” give the children frightens all the boys, this gives the readers a symbol for the instinct of savagery. As their savagery grows, their belief in the beast grows stronger “Beast” grows, "There was confusion in the darkness and the creature lifted its head, holding toward them the ruin of face. "1 As the boys begin making it sacrifices and treating it as their leader, the boys' behavior is what brings the beast into reality, so the more savage the boys become, the more real the beast seems to be. After Simon discovers, the severed pig’s head, Lord of the Flies, Simon believes that it is talking to him and telling him about how evil lies within every human heart.

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