Emmy Speiser
Honors Literature and Composition
Dr. Rees
4-13-22
The Darkness Among All Humans
The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding follows a group of British boys who have been deserted on an island and must try to survive. As time goes on, most of them lose sight of their ultimate goal to get rescued and an inner beast within all of them transpires. In the novel Lord of the Flies, the murder of Simon and their rescue at the end, illuminates the overall message that humans are inherently evil. The murder of Simon is a pivotal moment in the novel because the animalistic nature within the boys completely emerges for the first time. Ironically, when Simon goes to tell the boys that he discovered the beast does not exist, the beast within all of them is what murders Simon. Previously in the novel, Simon tells the boys his insightful idea which ultimately foreshadows his death. He says, “Maybe there is a beast… What I mean is… maybe its only us.” (Golding 89). Simon knows that in reality there is
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William Golding uses the symbol of the beast to further highlight the idea of the evil within us that manifests within each one of the boys as the novel progresses when they are further removed from civilization. The novel teaches that humans are evil and it is civilization that teaches the qualities of morality and virtue. However, sometimes evil manifests within civilization itself. When the naval officer comes and rescues the boys, he judges them despite the civilized world being in a war at that moment. The government and leaders use civilization as an excuse to cover up their evil. The evil nature of humans and the desire for power by the leaders of the world results in war and death however this is a type of evil without judgement because it is hidden under the notions of law and