Lord of the Flies Theme Essay (the Root of All Evil)
Priyanka Dutt
Mr. Webb
English 9HP
May 6th, 2012
The Origin of Evil In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of English boys are trapped on an island without any adults which may seem like paradise. In the book a group of boys who have never met before, have been stranded on an island after their plane crashes. They try to find others and try to choose a leader which results in a group of savage hunters to be formed. Eventually their days on the island make them forget civilized behavior and when the confusion leads to a manhunt, the reader can see that the boys show the concealed side of savagery. Though there is fear in the boys about the island and what lies beyond it, the fear spreads through everyone and it takes charge of the boys’ lives and their fear destroys them, making them evil and someone entirely different. The novel shows that people are fierce at heart and sooner or later they are going to go back to the nature of evil that exists in humans. The boys from The Lord of the Flies are not set to act in an evil way, but the impulsive evil within them cause them to act in such a way. The two instincts good vs. bad are the driving force of the conflict in the book. For example, good versus evil is shown through Ralph and Jack. Ralph wants organization and leadership and Jack represents savagery that wants power and shows the desire for it. As the book continues, it is represented that savagery is more significant than the instinct of civilization. It is shown that when civilization is gone and one is left alone on their own, people instinctively turn to evil, cruelty, and savagery. When the signal fire that was meant to attract attention used to be rescued has spread across the island, burning everything, Piggy says, “you got your small fire all right” (41) and for the first time they all become conscious of their ability for destruction. The boys have become from well-behaved boys to bloodthirsty hunters who have lost their innocence and
Mr. Webb
English 9HP
May 6th, 2012
The Origin of Evil In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of English boys are trapped on an island without any adults which may seem like paradise. In the book a group of boys who have never met before, have been stranded on an island after their plane crashes. They try to find others and try to choose a leader which results in a group of savage hunters to be formed. Eventually their days on the island make them forget civilized behavior and when the confusion leads to a manhunt, the reader can see that the boys show the concealed side of savagery. Though there is fear in the boys about the island and what lies beyond it, the fear spreads through everyone and it takes charge of the boys’ lives and their fear destroys them, making them evil and someone entirely different. The novel shows that people are fierce at heart and sooner or later they are going to go back to the nature of evil that exists in humans. The boys from The Lord of the Flies are not set to act in an evil way, but the impulsive evil within them cause them to act in such a way. The two instincts good vs. bad are the driving force of the conflict in the book. For example, good versus evil is shown through Ralph and Jack. Ralph wants organization and leadership and Jack represents savagery that wants power and shows the desire for it. As the book continues, it is represented that savagery is more significant than the instinct of civilization. It is shown that when civilization is gone and one is left alone on their own, people instinctively turn to evil, cruelty, and savagery. When the signal fire that was meant to attract attention used to be rescued has spread across the island, burning everything, Piggy says, “you got your small fire all right” (41) and for the first time they all become conscious of their ability for destruction. The boys have become from well-behaved boys to bloodthirsty hunters who have lost their innocence and