Human Condition In Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies – Novel Study

Lord of the flies is a novel written by Nobel-prize winning author William Golding and was first published in England during the 1950’s. This novel was indeed worthwhile and valuable to read as the intricate imagery and symbolism used was portrayed well by Golding. His work also gives a new insight into human behavior and what evil we are capable of. The book is centered on human condition and contains various layers surrounding this theme. There are a considerable amount of allegories/symbols woven into the book.
So what exactly is human conditioning and what does it have to do with Golding’s novel; Lord of the Flies? Human conditioning is the experience of being human in not only society, but also in personality
He is an example of someone who is capable of savage things when left untempered by civilization. He also claims that he should be the leader during the starting chapter as he is “head chorister” and he can sing the “C sharp”. Jack is seen clearly upset as he was not voted to be the leader but Ralph offers him the position of being the leader of the hunters. Soon enough, Jack becomes obsessed with hunting and gives in to his bloodlust. He also paints his face as to make him camouflaged when he goes hunting. This inspires awe among the boys and makes them do the same thing. Jack is a very violent individual and asserts his dominion by physical means. He is not a leader but a ruler and cares little about others and only wants personal satisfaction. By the end of the novel, Jack has learned to use the boys’ fear of the beast to control their behavior. This serves as a reminder of how religion and superstition can be manipulated as instruments of
One of the greatest symbolic item throughout the plot is the conch. The conch was first discovered by Ralph who taught it was a “stone”. Piggy noticed what it was suggests a use for it. He asks Ralph to blow the conch in order to call everyone to the beach. As all the kids are gathered at the beach front, they agree to elect Ralph as their leader as he held the conch. They also agree that only the boy holding the conch may speak at meetings as to avoid arguments, and that it should be passed around to those who wish to voice their opinion. The conch symbolizes democracy and, like Ralph, stability and order in the group. The conch is also seen as a very exotic and expensive thing. Piggy says “-a conch; ever so expensive. I bet if you wanted to buy one, you’d have to pay pounds and pounds and pounds….” As the novel progresses, the conch begins to lose its radiance, much like society and stability amongst the boys in the island. The conch is shattered into a million pieces together with Piggy as Roger hurls a huge rock at him. The smashing of the conch represents the loss of any trace of civility left in the boys. Another symbol in the novel is ‘the beast’. The ‘beast’ inspires fear into the boys which make them carry out evil things. The beast was first affecting the littluns but soon enough, it managed to bury itself into the minds of the older boys. The ‘beast’ symbolizes fear, violence, and the very