Many can say that man is inherently good, but corruption enters as he learns how the world works. Others can say that man is inherently evil, but morals and rules are taught to him as he grows up. There are many different ways in which a person expresses his opinion on this controversial subject matter. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding presents the theme of hopelessness as he explores the idea that evil is indeed an inborn trait of mankind through the growth of a newfound society evolving from good intentions to the inevitable reveal of the deep-seated cruelty within all man.
At first, the boys begin life on the island with all the intentions of making something good and right, sharing a common goal of being rescued. In the …show more content…
Ralph recognizes that “rules are the only thing [they’ve] got” (Golding 84) - the only thing keeping them from losing control completely. Jack ignores what he says, inciting the other boys to join and add to the chaos. The once virtuous group begins to show the ugliness hidden inside, throwing away the rules upheld by the outside world of which they are seemingly not a part of anymore. Golding writes that “the world, the understandable and lawful world, was slipping away” (Golding 84). Since there are no adults to tell them that what they’re doing is wrong, nobody to reassure them of what morals are and what severe actions lead to, it seems that there are no consequences to their behavior, making it so that there is no way back to the good; the actions can only worsen from here. When Golding writes, “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?” (Golding 84), he implies that viciousness is emerging, engulfing all the good parts of each character, changing each boy unrecognizably. Like poison seeping through the veins, the innate darkness in the boys’ hearts takes over completely. They degrade into animals, as Golding says, - beings that are oblivious to morals and order. However, the main catalyst that uncovers the evil nature of man is the idea of the beast. The boys view it as a lurking evil that terrorizes the island, when in fact, it is nothing but an image born from their fear and imaginations. When Simon encounters the beast, or the Lord of the Flies, he hears it say, “You knew didn’t you? I’m the reason…why things are the way they are?” (Golding 133) The beast is but a projection of the real evil inside the boys, something they can use as a scapegoat for their devilish actions. They blame the beast to
At first, the boys begin life on the island with all the intentions of making something good and right, sharing a common goal of being rescued. In the …show more content…
Ralph recognizes that “rules are the only thing [they’ve] got” (Golding 84) - the only thing keeping them from losing control completely. Jack ignores what he says, inciting the other boys to join and add to the chaos. The once virtuous group begins to show the ugliness hidden inside, throwing away the rules upheld by the outside world of which they are seemingly not a part of anymore. Golding writes that “the world, the understandable and lawful world, was slipping away” (Golding 84). Since there are no adults to tell them that what they’re doing is wrong, nobody to reassure them of what morals are and what severe actions lead to, it seems that there are no consequences to their behavior, making it so that there is no way back to the good; the actions can only worsen from here. When Golding writes, “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?” (Golding 84), he implies that viciousness is emerging, engulfing all the good parts of each character, changing each boy unrecognizably. Like poison seeping through the veins, the innate darkness in the boys’ hearts takes over completely. They degrade into animals, as Golding says, - beings that are oblivious to morals and order. However, the main catalyst that uncovers the evil nature of man is the idea of the beast. The boys view it as a lurking evil that terrorizes the island, when in fact, it is nothing but an image born from their fear and imaginations. When Simon encounters the beast, or the Lord of the Flies, he hears it say, “You knew didn’t you? I’m the reason…why things are the way they are?” (Golding 133) The beast is but a projection of the real evil inside the boys, something they can use as a scapegoat for their devilish actions. They blame the beast to