The Lord Of The Flies: The Beast Within

The Beast Within People can transition from civilized to savage in a matter of seconds, as is represented in William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies. The author, William Golding, wrote this novel to express his feelings toward humanity. Golding fought in WWII, and memories of his horrific encounters caused him to write a story about the disappearance of sanity and civility. Golding believed there is evil within all of us and portrays this through his characters in this novel. The beast is manifested psychologically within Ralph’s unknown fears, Jack’s longing to hunt, and Simon as the Beast within us all. Ralph is the leader of the group, but the idea of not knowing if the beast is real or not scares him. Ralph is afraid of the unknown and is persuaded into the possibility of believing in a beast. Although Ralph tries to be brave in front of the other boys, he creates a sense of tension when he says, “‘They talk and scream. The littleuns. Even some of the others. As if -’” (Golding, 52). Ralph’s pause in the middle of his thought demonstrates his uncertainty toward the existence of the beast.

Simon’s psychological decline causes him to see the Lord of the Flies, a pig head that is staked into the ground. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon, “‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!...I’m part of you? Close, close, close!...I’m the reason why things are the way they are?’” (Golding, 143). Simon learns from the Lord of the Flies that the beast is within him and within all of us. This idea is confirmed when Simon tries to inform the other boys and is brutally murdered. Simon was ripped apart because the boys believed he was the beast coming out of the forest. It is fear that is controlling the boys, causing them to act savagely toward one another. Fear is in charge on the island. This fear can eventually lead to the decline of