William Golding states that man can produce evil the same way honey bees can. This quote captures the central theme of Lord of the Flies, the inherent human potential for immorality. Golding uses symbolism throughout the novel to help Ralph identify his responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of his peers and to preserve civility.

One theme runs through the entire novel: man is inherently evil. Ralph represents order and civility as the main deterrent, while Jack (the antagonist) is evil and uncontrolled cruelty. Ralph instantly displays the ideals of civilization by becoming the chief and delegating responsibilities to others. “Seems to us that we should have .”…”Jack be the leader of the choir. They could be — what would you like them to be? ‘Hunters”. Jack’s decision to create a choir of hunters was his first step in expressing his differences with Ralph. Hunting involves bloodshed and death, which eventually leads them to a bloodlust for their fellow hunters. The boys begin to invest in “The Beast”

The boy sees the beast as a figment in his imagination. Jack imagines the beast to be a giant ape. Other boys describe it with teeth, eyes and teeth. Simon, a boy, discovers the head of a pig on a stake. The pig speaks to Simon and tells him that he thought the Beast could be hunted and killed !”…” You knew that, didn’t? The statement suggests that the Beast isn’t a beast, but something within each person. It cannot be hunted or killed because it is so deep within every person. Jack uses Jack’s idea of a Beast as a distraction to get the boys to think about hunting. The boys are more drawn to savagery when they lose sight of civilization.

The hunting becomes more than a simple means of survival. Children join in dances as well as chants, such “Kill a pig.” Slit her neck. Spill her blood.” The chant is a mix of different chants throughout their stay on the island. It demonstrates how the children dig deeper into themselves. The chant ends up becoming “Kill him!” His throat must be cut! When the boys kill Simon, they will “spill his blood!” Ralph watches in horror as Simon is killed by the boys, but he fails to stop them. Ralph loses control over the boys and is unable to stop them from killing Simon. He fails his duty to them.

Lord of the Flies Golding focuses on the human condition and how it can be controlled by society. In the end, animal instinct will prevail over morals if there is no society. Ralph was unable control his behavior, and this led to his demise as a leader. This is a clear indication that societal structures don’t eradicate evil from people but only mask it.

The Lord of the Flies: The Inherent Evil of Humans

Lord of the Flies has a central theme that “mankind can only be evil if it is not supported by society”. This theme is best illustrated by Ralph, Roger, Jack. Jack is a good kid at first, but his freedom from society becomes more intense, and he becomes more evil. Roger, however, is not perfect at first, and he becomes increasingly violent throughout the story. This happens because he has forgotten the values and beliefs of society. Ralph’s character is still good throughout the entire book. He does this by keeping his hands on society and the signal flame, which is the only thing that will save him. The author demonstrates that men can be born evil and need society to make them better by making Roger and Jack ignore the rules of society. Ralph is good throughout the book.

Jack is shown to be a villain many times throughout his book. This is due to his inability to connect with society. All the boys arrive at the island in good spirits, as they have yet to adjust to society’s expectations. Jack votes Ralph to lead the island’s boys. Jack is not too upset about it because he knows that some adult might get mad at Jack for going off topic about the leader. Jack is used the adults getting mad at Jack for disagreeing or speaking back.

After realizing his true nature, Jack says that Ralph’s right to lead is being violated. Jack feels enormous and powerful despite the fact that no adults or anyone can tell Jack what he should do. Jack moves on to the opposite side of the island, where he hunts wild porcins with the rest of the boys. Jack soon realizes there isn’t anyone on the island that can tell him right from wrong so he starts a savage tribal, in which all the boys are included. Jack is now in complete control of the tribe as the president. Jack is now the president of the tribe and has complete control. Jack commands his tribe, “throw out our spears at Ralph like a porker,” the author tries visually to show us how Jack is trying to dehumanize Ralph. Jack begins as a normal kid, happy and excited about his adventure. Jack isn’t the only one to break the rules.

Roger’s evil mentality is not hidden by society, so he becomes violent on the island. Roger’s early life is influenced by society. He doesn’t do anything wrong. His relationship with society is becoming weaker over time. However, he still feels strong enough to refrain from doing any harm to others. He throws rocks around Henry, the young boy he is referring to later in his book. Henry could be seriously hurt by the rock he throws at him. However, he does not want to hurt him so he deliberately misses him. This is a good example of his violence, but not enough for him to inflict serious injury. Ralph and Piggy (Ralphs best friend) ask Jack for help. Rogers starts throwing rocks at the pair and then grips the lever which is holding down large boulders. Rogers is pondering whether or no to pull the lever away from the boulder. They will be killed by it. Piggy loses his glasses and is hit by the large rock. Roger’s crime is never punished by anyone, so he becomes a torturer for the tribe. He is now a scourge of the society he once knew. We see how society can control our inner nature through the character Roger

Ralph is a decent person throughout the novel. He uses the signal fire to bridge him with the society. Ralph, who was made leader by the boys, set some ground rules and said repeatedly that it was important to rescue the islanders. Ralph constantly uses the signal fire to help him and his boys stay strong and connected with society. Jack states that he believes the beast is high up on the mountain. Ralph discovers that it is a way for them to be distracted from being rescued. We must relight our fire. Jack didn’t know that. Or don’t you all want rescued.” (page 102). Ralph thinks that if the signal fire is not lit, he’ll become an animal just like the rest. Ralph finds it difficult to keep in touch with society. However, he doesn’t end up being a bad person by keeping connected.

William Golding, an author, uses the characters from the book to show that the rules of society do not impact men. Jack and Roger discover that they do not belong to society any longer, and they can do what they like. Ralph is strong and won’t allow his character to falter. Jack and Roger served as an example of how without society and its rules, men will turn towards evil. Ralph serves to remind us that if we stand firm with our beliefs, everything else will follow. It is not clear, however, that society is necessary for good.

This theme is also applicable to the real world. Some countries even allow death or imprisonment. Because of their inner darkness, many people will resist the law. The law and society keep us from breaking it because of the consequences. A person’s life is another example. An individual may have a set of rules and friends that they must adhere to as he grows up. The world is not yet fully understood by the child until the age 4-5. The child will do whatever it wants, but slowly realizes that it cannot do it. The young person can act well and mature through discipline and maturity. The inner evil of the child will not show if he/she is honest and remains in touch with society.

michaellang

Michael Lang is a 33-year-old professor and blogger who is passionate about writing. He has been blogging for over 7 years and has written for various online publications. Michael is also a seasoned professor who has taught at the college level for over a decade. He is currently a professor of English at a community college in the Midwest.