After the Second World War, William Golding said, “I had discovered what one man could do to another. I must say that anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey must have been blind or wrong in the head” (Brainy Quote). Golding witnessed pure evil and savagery and wrote a timeless novel inspired by it. The William Golding book, Lord of the Flies, supports the idea that human beings are fundamentally selfish, individualistic, and violent. It is easy for human beings to demonstrate evil, lose their humanity, and act out of desperation. Despite the evidence, some may also argue that human beings are good and altruistic. Lord of the Flies shows that human nature is solipsistic, violent, …show more content…
Chapter 11 in the novel shows readers the level of violence and evil the children have really gotten to. Roger took enjoyment in watching the boulder, he pushed off the ledge, killing Piggy. Roger lost all his humanity and showed the true evil within him. He had a rush of excitement and joy from killing another human who wasn’t even threatening him. The evil and violence shown in Lord of the Flies connects closely to the idea that people can quickly change their behavior and lose the values they would usually have. In the novel, readers witness how people can easily flip a switch and act differently from what they typically do. With this, they also lose their morals in situations when they aren’t acting like themselves. In chapter 4 of Lord of the Flies, it states, “His laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Golding 75). This highlights the event of a character not feeling like himself when he puts the mud all over his face. He could no longer be embarrassed and uncomfortable because his confidence quickly skyrocketed after painting his …show more content…
Evidence that could support this is in Chapter 7 of Lord of the Flies, when Simon hikes back through the forest by himself to tell Piggy and the little ‘uns the group would not return until later (Golding 143). However, this overlooks the fact that even good people have evil in them. Simon, Ralph, and Piggy just held on to their humanity longer than Roger or Jack could. In chapter 4 of the novel, the hunters brutally kill a pig. It reads, “The gutted carcass of a pig swung from the stake. the head hung down with a gaping neck. The chant floated up at them: ‘Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood!’” (Golding 81). This recognizes that many of the children are losing their humanity. Evil and savagery are taking over, and they aren’t necessarily fighting it. The hunters, including Jack and his choir group, killed the pig much more brutally than they needed to, but they felt a sense of excitement and found joy in spilling its blood. Without a doubt, the children were showing violence and didn’t have any regard for the living animal they were killing. Lord of the Flies, a William Golding novel, proves that human beings are fundamentally selfish, individualistic, and