The Beast Inside Lord Of The Flies Critical Analysis

Max Coleman

2 October 2014

Mrs. Carvelli

Literature and Composition 2

FIRST DRAFT

The Beast Inside

Society’s limitations on behavior are mandatory to conceal mans innate sense of evil. Inside of each man exists an ugly side. A side thought by some to be nonexistent.

In William Golding’s esteemed novel Lord of the Flies, he makes it clear that we cannot escape our own cruel inclinations, and that without social order we break down into a state of disarray. From the opening pages, we learn that numerous English children are stuck, stranded on a mysterious island. As there is no adult existence, the boys are free from society’s rules of behavior and conduct. They have the liberty of doing as they so choose, unchained from responsibility. The

Yet when today’s youth is left unaccompanied, their inner malevolence tends to be exposed. We as a society tend to blame others for poor performance, when things do not go as planned, and even when we fear taking responsibility for our actions. We push each other’s liability onto others shoulders just to free ourselves of burden. But yet, what we didn’t realize all along is that shortening our worry only increases our later remorse. For that very reason, society offers us a leader; someone who will make decisions on our behalf. This allows us to focus on the important things in our life, not worrying about having the things that a ruler may worry about. Ralph, the main protagonist in Lord of the Flies, is the agreed upon leader from the beginning. He is courageous, has a rich moral fiber, and gets peoples attention. He has the qualities that you look for in a leader. He knows that sticking with an agreed upon group of policies is the only thing stopping all the other children from tumbling into a state of mayhem and lawlessness. "Whoever holds the conch gets to speak" (33.) Ralph understands that with a sense of order, a belief that stability is being held, the people will follow, and hopefully they will be able to get off the

Our safety would be in danger every moment, our most basic rights disregarded, and our purpose in life simply meaningless. Ralph emphasizes the importance of keeping the fire going, understanding that without that basic element their lives on the island would be forgotten, meaning virtually nothing. "The fire is the most important thing on the island … Don’t you understand? Can 't you see we ought to-- ought to die before we let the fire out?" (81.) The fire to the boys on the island is the their future, their only whisper of hope. Without that idea of hope, the idea that we mean something, we get the notion that we shouldn’t be concerned with anything. On the island, the boys begin to lose hope in being rescued, and care not whether the fire keeps going or not. They care not for each others privacy, their rights, or their well being. Children are often considered the only pure, wholesome beings on this earth today. With that said, how can these innocent children turn into savage animals who would murder one another? Could a set of laws or lack thereof telling someone what they can and cannot do really influence a life this much? Rules keep people in place. They say where we should and should not be and what we should and should not do. Without policies and guidelines on life, society would nose-dive into a state of chaotic mayhem, and there would be nothing stopping us from violating one