Lord Of The Flies Good Vs Evil

The Lord of the Flies is a book written by William Golding. Throughout the novel, many events occur that strongly associate the natural instinct of members of society living in a civilized manner with the instinct of savagery and evil. The overall concept of the book is about the conflict between good and bad. The two opposite qualities are competing impulses that exist within all humans. The instinct to live by the rules and exist peacefully with others is often in conflict with selfish desires which cause individuals to act violently to achieve supremacy over others, boost one’s ego and enforce their own will. This constant conflict that occurs within a persons mind on a daily basis can be expressed in a number of ways: civilization vs. savagery, order vs. chaos, reason vs. impulse, law vs. anarchy, or the broader heading of good vs. evil.
This novel portrays how the two
Many of its characters represent important ideas or themes. For example, Jack represents unbridled savagery and the desire for power and Roger represents brutality and bloodlust at their most extreme. Although all the boys on the island are in the same situation, they enjoy mocking Piggy because he is physically inferior. In many cases this appears in bullying. There are examples such as, “’You’re taking too much,’ said Jack Merridew. ‘Shut up, Fatty.’ Laughter arose. ‘He’s not Fatty,’ cried Ralph, ‘his real name’s Piggy!’… a storm of laughter arose…” and “’His specs – use them as burning glasses!’ Piggy was surrounded before he could back away. ‘Here – let me go!’… ‘My specs!’ howled Piggy. ‘Give me my specs!’” In both these instances, the boys took advantage of his physical disadvantage due to his asthma and mocking him for his body image because it’s considered an abnormality. This type of evil was committed to increase the boys own self image and confidence. Placing Piggy below themselves made them feel superior giving them a sense of