Lord Of The Flies Inherently Wrong

If left alone without no repercussions, what would humans do? Would they stay civilized or resort to savagery? In the novel, Lord Of The Flies by William Golding, Ralph tries to keep a group of stranded boys together, but despite his effort the boys turn to barbarism and abandon human reasoning without an adult leader. When humans don't have any consequences for their actions, they become selfish and eventually revert back to their primitive roots and aggressive nature. Humans will do anything to guarantee their survival, even if it means abandoning their moral values. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the characters Jack and Ralph to express the idea that humans are inherently evil, and when unbound by the rules of society, they

According to William Golding in his article “Why Boys Become Vicious”, it is stated that “If parents are absent, if fathers do not provide strength and mothers do not provide love, then children will plumb the depths of their nature.”If children are not guided into becoming a good person by an adult parental figure, then they will become selfish and insensible. Jack does everything for personal benefit while Simon, Piggy, and Ralph all think for the good of the group. Despite this they are unable to control the boys because they are not an adequate authority figure. Jack and his hunters fail to keep the fire lit when they are hunting and the island is passed by a ship, causing an argument with Ralph: ¨you and your blood Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home.¨(Golding 66). Jack is not afraid of getting punished so he does not do as he is instructed. He is very self-centered, prioritizing his personal wants over the other boys’ needs. Some people might say that humans are inherently good but that is untrue. Humans are selfish and greedy, and they do not always do the right thing. Young boys who are not punished for doing bad things will become narcissistic and stop thinking about others. In essence, it is clear that all humans have the capacity for evil and, if put into the right situation, will act on their own needs and do anything for their

This causes them to act impulsively and in some cases use violence, as showcased in chapter 10 of the novel:, ¨Don't you understand, Piggy? The things we did…¨(157) Ralph participated in the killing of Simon. During this moment, Ralph reverted back to primal ways and hurt Simon, he was not thinking about his future or morals. Although he didn’t directly cause Simon’s death, he still participated in the savagery and disorder that occurred because of Jack. This event depicts the ideology that everyone has the capacity to be egotistical and crude if put in the right situation. Ralph acted with no thought of the effects of his actions and was only thinking about himself at the moment. Even though Ralph is the most reasonable of the boys, he too struggles with urges to succumb to inhumanity. Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development argues that elementary school aged boys such as the ones in the book only do moral things to avoid consequence. In his study he found, “The first level of moral thinking is that generally found at the elementary school level. In the first stage of this level, people behave according to socially acceptable norms because they are told to do so by some authority figure (e.g., parent or teacher). This obedience is compelled by the threat or application of punishment”. the boys are not inherently good and will become incharitable if