What Does The Beast Symbolize In Lord Of The Flies

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Beauty, Betrayal, Blood. The human mind is altered at the introduction of fear. Distress consumes the mind with the need for more control and desire to hunt. How could an island with such beauty and life become overtaken with death and despair. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the symbol of the beast to illustrate that man initially responds to fear with denial and violence. In the beginning of the novel, there's an island full of excitement and glow. A beautiful oasis of the imagination, a place only someone would dream of visiting. No human life has ever discovered this place, left untouched from the present world. With a crash and a split, this island transforms from a quiet and calm place of relaxation, to a place …show more content…

The one they knew they could trust. One night, Piggy and Ralph join the hunters for a feast. A night that started out with dancing and food, turned into a night the boys would deny forever . They begin a dance, something simple and fun to the young boys, showing that they still have the young minds within. During the dance, something emerged out of the darkness. They convinced themselves it's a beast, but in reality it's one of their own. Simon is surrounded and torn apart by the boys, having completely lost their human mind and have complete control of fear. The fear has consumed the mind so greatly they use it as an act of justification. Saying Simon had it coming, and it's his fault he came out in the dark like that. Their ability to feel pity has vanished, having no remorse for their acts and instead deny it even happened. In chapter 10 Piggy states `` Coming in the dark- he hadn’t no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it.” The boys are now at a complete loss of humanity. Being overtaken by the constant fear of something on the island has turned the boys to become fully emerged in the idea of ending the beast. However, how can you end a beast that's not even real? The fear is real, but the beast isn’t, at least not in the form they think. This beast doesnt have fur and sharp teeth, instead it has rags for clothes, and no shoes. A conch and fire. This beast has been with them along, the boys have been trying to hunt something that's been in their shadow the whole time. Following their every move. The beast within