Nature Of Man Lord Of The Flies Analysis

In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the basic nature of man is discussed. From the author’s point of view, this basic nature of man is evil. The book is riddled with all sorts of symbols, and all of them depict the inherent evil in mankind’s heart. All these symbols change as the book progresses, and the evil of man is even more evident. Three symbols that most clearly show the evil of the boys on the island are the fire, the jungle, and Roger. Even though the symbols may appear to be innocent and helpful in the beginning of the novel, various forces of change morph them into darker images. When the boys first grouped together, one of the first things they did was elect the leader, Ralph, who suggested that they make a signal fire. “‘If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire’” (38). At this point in the novel, all the boys are very focused on rescue and are excited by the idea of having a fire. The fire is seen as helpful and fun. The boys learn how to contain fire and use it to their advantage. They use it to make smoke, keep warm, and cook food. As the focus on fire decreases, the savageness of the boys increases. When Jack let the fire go out in order to kill a pig, tensions build, and stir Jack to violence. “The bolting look came into his blue eyes. He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach” (71). As the book progresses further, the focus on the rescue fire becomes nonexistent, as does the boys’ civilized behavior. At the end of the novel, the fire has changed from a means of rescue to a means of killing. “He could hear them crashing in the undergrowth and on the left was the hot, bright thunder of the fire (199-200). The fire had transformed from a small, contained signal fire to a vast, uncontrolled wildfire. While the fire represents the boys’ level of savagery, the jungle symbolizes the amount of fear and darkness in their hearts. The jungle originally represents a peaceful setting, with fruits and pigs to eat, and with coverts to hide in. With the fading of the light the riotous colors died and the heat and urgency cooled away. The candle-buds stirred. Their green sepals drew back a little and the white tips of the flowers rose delicately to meet the open air” (57). The jungle is the place where Simon can go to convene with nature and have a break from the arguments of the other boys. As the idea of the beast is introduced later in the book, the jungle turns from a peaceful place into the hiding place of an unknown beast. “Far beneath them, the trees of the forest sighed, then roared. The hair on their foreheads fluttered and flames blew out sideways from the fire” (98). The fear of the beast, combined with the fear of the dark, has made the boys fear the jungle. This fear of the unknown also represents the growing evil in their hearts as readers later find …show more content…
Even though these symbols may have appeared virtuous and uninvolved at the beginning of the book, by the end of the book it is apparent that they all depict how mankind so easily reverts back to its savage ways. There is only one character in the book who seems to be unaffected by the savagery around him: Simon. However, he represents an almost mythical character in the book, and he is ultimately killed before he is able to spread the truth about the beast. There have often been connections made between him and Jesus, but one of the main differences between the two is that Jesus was killed after spreading his word while Simon was killed before he had the chance. Therefore, Golding further emphasizes the weakness of man by implying that although savagery is not in him, even the most mythical character in the book is subject to the savagery around him. As the helpfulness of the symbols diminish, so does the innocence of the