Lord Of The Flies: The Complexities Of The Human Condition

Cadence Richey

Mrs. Frank

British Literature

January 19, 2023

The Complexities of the Human Condition M. Scott Peck says, “Abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and easy answers, and begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in the mystery and paradoxes of life, not to be dismayed by the multitude of causes and consequences that are inherent in each experience – to appreciate the fact that life is complex.” This statement could not be more true and is evidenced in many of the books we have read this semester. We examined six books and a short story, groupings of which portrayed the human condition in various ways. Some fell prey to and some transcended the human inclination toward oversimplification.

As in Beowulf, the good versus evil narrative and the oversimplification of the human experience are present. In Beowulf, the story’s main character and his enemies represent good and evil respectively, whereas in Lord of the Flies, Jack and Ralph are used to symbolize these concepts. Moreover, in Lord of the Flies, humans are portrayed as inclined toward evil in a way that leaves little room for human goodness. This cultivates a cynical way of viewing the world that does not allow for the appreciation of virtue. It takes the multilayered concept of human nature and judges it as bad alone. Humans, however, are extraordinarily complex. They are creatures with demonstrable capacities for both good and evil. Contrary to the previous examples, a book that beautifully shows the complexities of being human is Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Its characters are timeless, diverse, relatable, and most importantly complex. Macbeth displays the complexity behind people’s bad decisions and how their circumstances shape who they are. The play also illustrates the inner turmoil one can face and what it looks like to be eaten alive by guilt. As the audience watches Macbeth make increasingly corrupt decisions, their loyalties are slowly forced to shift. This change in Macbeth shows how humanity is capable of both good and

In Agatha Christie’s novel, Christina and Patrick Redfern, the culprits of this mystery, rather than deceiving each other like in The Wife of Bath’s Tale, manipulate others. One of the many ways they do this is by having Christina play the role of an innocent wife who has been cheated on by Patrick with the soon-to-be-murdered Arlena. In actuality, the Redferns were simply trying to avoid suspicion by deceiving the detective and others. A further way Evil Under the Sun shows the inherent complexities of being human is having multi-dimensional characters possessing both mixed motives and flaws. Agatha Christie also gives characters differentiating opinions on the same topic, again conveying the greyness of