Humanity In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

Tianning Zhang
Ms. Wolf
English 2, Period 4
22, October, 2014
Humanity in Lord of the Flies: Evil Human Nature Chines Confucian philosopher Xunzi once said, “Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity” (www.brainyquote.com). Xunzi noticed that all mankind are born evil, and once we give way to it, it will lead us to destruction and savagery. Human nature is unavoidable and often the source of evil. British novelist William Golding illustrates this idea in his great novel Lord of the Flies: After a plane crushed a group of British school bot land on a deserted island. With no adult around, they organized themselves and are governed by their elected leader Ralph, who has got advice from his friend Piggy. The boys first
After seen some horrible events that is cause by the evil within, Ralph discovers the darkness in men’s heart and loses his innocence. While on the island it was Ralph who first gathered everyone on the beach and soon becomes the leader. He believes that as long as they stay civilized they can easily survive, live in harmony, and eventually be rescued. However, Ralph is beginning to sink into savagery like the other boys. After the crazy feast in which the boys act in animalistic behavior and become so carried away that Simon is killed. Ralph, wakes up the next morning, and with his moral sense he says to Piggy, “That was murder” (156). Follows his evil instinct with in, Ralph actively participates in the circle of chanting and dancing boys who kill Simon. Even if he doesn 't actually lift a spear and stab at Simon. He realizes later, the horror of what happened. That reveals that he still has some civility left in him. Nevertheless, by the last chapter, he is slinking through the brush and trees on the island, trying to think like a wild pig to run away from the boys who want to kill him. “And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (202). Ralph is doing one of the four instinctual drives, flight. He has had to become savage in order to survive. At
Jack turns to savage soon after they landed on the island; Roger is able to murder another human being at the end; and Ralph loses his innocence after seeing some horrible things that are cause by order-less. As we witness how the boys the novel, from civilized to savagery, from innocent to innocence-lost, we are reminded of our own, of how may we do without rules and laws. Children often lose control, because they have not yet been fully conditioned by society to understand right from wrong and thus are guided by their instinct. Even civilized children in the real are the same, when not around adult order, discipline and punishment, children become very much like savages and lose most of their innocence. And also adults too. Looking back at World War II, we can see how destructive humans can be, how easily society can collapse, and how a normal person can go from a civilized human into savagely killing